Eleven years of mountain weather, snow, soil moisture and streamflow data from the rain–snow transition zone – the Johnston Draw catchment, Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed and Critical Zone Observatory, USA

摘要

Detailed hydrometeorological data from the rain-to-snow transitionzone in mountain regions are limited. As the climate warms, thetransition from rain to snow is moving to higher elevations, andthese changes are altering the timing of downslope waterdelivery. To understand how these changes impact hydrological andbiological processes in this climatologically sensitive region,detailed observations from the rain-to-snow transition zone arerequired. We present a complete hydrometeorological dataset forwater years 2004 through 2014 for a watershed that spans therain-to-snow transition zone(https://doi.org/10.15482/usda.adc/1402076). TheJohnston Draw watershed (1.8 km2), ranging from1497 to 1869 m in elevation, is a sub-watershed of theReynolds Creek Experimental Watershed (RCEW) in southwestern Idaho,USA. The dataset includes continuous hourly hydrometeorologicalvariables across a 372 m elevation gradient, on north- andsouth-facing slopes, including air temperature, relative humidity,and snow depth from 11 sites in the watershed. Hourly measurementsof incoming shortwave radiation, precipitation, wind speed anddirection, soil moisture, and soil temperature are available atselected stations. The dataset includes hourly stream dischargemeasured at the watershed outlet. These data provide the scientificcommunity with a unique dataset useful for forcing and validatinghydrological models and will allow for better representation andunderstanding of the complex processes that occur in therain-to-snow transition zone.