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Title: USDA-ARS North Appalachian Experimental Watershed: 70-Year Hydrologic, Soil Erosion, and Water Quality Database

Author
item Owens, Lloyd
item Bonta, James - Jim
item Shipitalo, Martin

Submitted to: Soil Science Society of America Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/6/2009
Publication Date: 12/28/2009
Citation: Owens, L.B., Bonta, J.V., Shipitalo, M.J. 2009. USDA-ARS North Appalachian Experimental Watershed: 70-Year Hydrologic, Soil Erosion, and Water Quality Database. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 74(2):619-623.

Interpretive Summary: The North Appalachian Experimental Watershed research station near Coshocton, Ohio has collected runoff, groundwater flow, and erosion data from agricultural watersheds since the late 1930’s. Long-term data bases are necessary to identify long-term trends and to develop models to describe the impacts of various land uses. Water quality data have been collected from a variety of management practices since the early 1970’s. Corresponding meteorological data are also available. Collection of such long-term data requires a sustained investment of significant resources, and therefore, such data bases are rare. This article details the kinds of data collected at the NAEW and the length of record for different data bases, and invites collaboration from other scientists who have uses for long-term data bases. This information is useful to scientists who need long-term data bases for work such as development and/or validation of models or model components.

Technical Abstract: Collection of long-term hydrologic data from agricultural watersheds requires a sustained investment of significant resources, but this type of data is necessary to identify long-term trends and to develop and validate hydrologic and water quality models. These types of data have been collected from the late 1930’s to the present at the North Appalachian Experimental Watershed (NAEW) near Coshocton, OH. The NAEW has more than 20 small (0.5 – 3.0 ha), single land use watersheds for which surface runoff data have been collected year round on an event basis since 1939. There are 6 large (17 – 123 ha), mixed use watersheds with perennial streams where flow is measured continuously. Additionally, hydrologic data have been collected from eleven, 2.4 m deep, 8.1 m2 surface area monolith lysimeters for a similar period of time. Corresponding meteorological data are also available, as well as detailed information on land management and soil properties. Water quality data have been collected from watersheds and lysimeters since the early 1970’s. Collaborative research efforts utilizing the resource are encouraged and detailed information on the available data is available at the NAEW web site: www.mwa.ars.usda.gov/coshocton. Interested scientists are urged to contact the authors.