Southeast Coast Network Surface Water Discharge Monitoring: Analysis of Existing Data and Data Acquisition Applications
Jones CD, Couch AM, Sherrell RD, Rasmussen TC, Dowd JF. 2010. Southeast Coast Network Surface Water Discharge Monitoring: Analysis of Existing Data and Data Acquisition Applications. Natural Resource Report. NPS/SECN/NRR—2010/264. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
The surface-water hydrology of the United States has been widely altered by natural and anthropogenic forces. Within the U.S. National Park Service’s (NPS) Southeast Coast Network(SECN), some of these alterations include the construction of dams, increases in urban development, stream channelization, erosion, and salt-water intrusion into freshwater marshes.This report summarizes a NPS-funded project that examined surface water trends and monitoring within eleven SECN parks. For many parks within the SECN, there is little information on surface water availability. For others, especially those located near a dam, long-term data sets are readily available through the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Data sources relevant to SECN parks were inventoried and analyzed to determine trends in streamflow and identify how anthropogenic influences, such as dams, have influenced surface water hydrology within or near each park. Many gages contain large gaps in data or have been discontinued. In some instances,no long-term data are available, which increases the uncertainty in trend analysis. For smaller parks within the network, automated gaging may not be necessary. However, for those parks in coastal areas and along major rivers prone to flooding, long-term monitoring is necessary to assess how the park may be affected by land-use changes and long-term influences of local and global climate change. To ensure park employees and researchers have adequate access to data and analysis tools, two computer programs are presented within this report that allow surface water data to be easily obtained and processed.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Jones, C; Couch, A; Sherrell, R; Rasmussen, T; Dowd, J
- Date of Issue
- 2010-11
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- NRSS , SECN
- Keywords
- Stream Flow, Surface Water, surface water dynamics
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Water | Hydrology | Surface Water Dynamics