A Meteorological and Snow observational data set from Snoqualmie Pass (921 m), Washington Cascades, U.S.

We introduce a quality controlled observational atmospheric, snow, and soil data set from Snoqualmie Pass, Washington, U.S.A., to enable testing of hydrometeorological and snow process representations within a rain-snow transitional climate where existing observations are sparse and limited. Continuous meteorological forcing (including air temperature, total precipitation, wind speed, specific humidity, air pressure, short- and longwave irradiance) are provided at hourly intervals for a 24-year historical period (water years 1989-2012) and at half-hourly intervals for a more-recent period (water years 2013-2015), separated based on the availability of observations. Additional observations include 40-years of snow board new snow accumulation, multiple measurements of total snow depth, and manual snow pits, while more recent years include sub-daily surface temperature, snowpack drainage, soil moisture and temperature profiles, and eddy co-variance derived turbulent heat flux. This data set is ideal for testing hypotheses about energy balance, soil and snow processes in the rain-snow transition zone. Plots of live data can be found here: http://depts.washington.edu/mtnhydr/cgi/plot.cgi

Hydrology of area 56, northern Great Plains and Rocky Mountain coal provinces, Utah /

Mode of access: Internet.

Hydrology of area 54, Northern Great Plains, and Rocky Mountain coal provinces, Colorado, and Wyoming /

Mode of access: Internet.

Hydrology of area 49, northern Great Plains and Rocky Mountain coal provinces, Montana and Wyoming /

Mode of access: Internet.

Hydrology of area 45, northern Great Plains and Rocky Mountain coal provinces, Montana and North Dakota /

Mode of access: Internet.

Hydrology of area 50, northern Great Plains and Rocky Mountain coal provinces, Wyoming and Montana /

Mode of access: Internet.

Hydrology of Area 62, northern Great Plains and Rocky Mountain coal provinces, New Mexico and Arizona /

Mode of access: Internet.

Hydrology of area 57, northern Great Plains and Rocky Mountain coal provinces, Utah and Arizona /

Mode of access: Internet.

Hydrology of area 52, Rocky Mountain coal province Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, and Utah /

Mode of access: Internet.

Hydrology of area 48, northern Great Plains and Rocky Mountain coal provinces, Montana and Wyoming /

Mode of access: Internet.

Mapping of shallow coastal groundwaters, their hydrology and environmental geochemistry : Pumicestone catchment, Southeast Queensland

Blooms of the toxic cyanobacterium majuscula Lyngbya in the coastal waters of southeast Queensland have caused adverse impacts on both environmental health and human health, and on local economies such as fishing and tourism. A number of studies have confirmed that the main limiting nutrients (“nutrients of concern”) that contribute to these blooms area Fe, DOC, N, P and also pH. This study is conducted to establish the distribution of these parameters in a typical southeast Queensland coastal setting. The study maps the geochemistry of shallow groundwater in the mainland Pumicestone catchment with an emphasis on the nutrients of concern to understand how these nutrients relate to aquifer materials, landuse and anthropogenic activities. The results of the study form a GIS information layer which will be incorporated into a larger GIS model being produced by Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) to support landuse management to avoid/minimize blooms of Lyngbya in Moreton Bay, southeast Queensland, and other similar settings. A total of 38 boreholes were established in the mainland Pumicestone region and four sampling rounds of groundwater carried out in both dry and wet conditions. These groundwater samples were measured in the field for physico-chemical parameters, and in the laboratory analyses for the nutrients of concern, and other major and minor ions. Aquifer materials were confirmed using the Geological Survey of Queensland digital geology map, and geomaterials were assigned to seven categories which are A (sands), B (silts, sandy silts), C (estuarine mud, silts), D (humid soils), E (alluvium), F (sandstone) and G (other bedrock). The results of the water chemistry were examined by use of the software package AquaChem/AqQA, and divided into six groundwater groups, based on groundwater chemical types and location of boreholes. The type of aquifer material and location, and proximity to waterways was found to be important because they affected physico-chemical properties and concentrations of nutrients of concern and dissolved ions. The analytical results showed that iron concentrations of shallow groundwaters were high due to acid sulfate soils, and also mud and silt, but were lower in sand materials. DOC concentrations of these shallow groundwaters in the sand material were high probably due to rapid infiltration. In addition, DOC concentrations in some boreholes were high because they were installed in organic rich wetlands. The pH values of boreholes were from acidic to near neutral; some boreholes with pH values were low (< 4), showing acid sulfate soils in these boreholes. Concentrations of total nitrogen and total phosphorus of groundwaters were generally low, and the main causes of elevated concentrations of total nitrogen and total phosphorus are largely due to animal and human wastes and tend to be found in localized source areas. Comparison of the relative percentage of nitrogen species (NH3/NH4< Org-N, NO3-N and NO2-N) demonstrated that they could be related to sources such as animal waste, residential and agricultural fertilizers, forest and vegetation, mixed residents and farms, and variable setting and vegetation covers. Total concentrations of dissolved ions in sampling round 3 (dry period) were higher than those in sampling round 2 (wet period) due to both evaporation of groundwater in the dry period and the dilution of rainfall in the wet period. This showed that the highest concentrations of nutrients of concern were due to acid sulfate soils, aquifer materials, landuse and anthropogenic activities and were typically in aquifer materials of E (alluvium) and C (estuarine muds) and locations of Burpengary, Caboolture, and Glass Mountain catchments.