1998 data contains high-frequency water quality measurements taken every 30 minutes at two sites in California's Elkhorn Slough. The dataset records parameters like temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and pH to study agricultural runoff impacts. It was collected by researchers associated with the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve and the University of California Santa Cruz Agroecology Program.
Use Cases
- Modeling dissolved oxygen concentration from water temperature, salinity, and time of day to assess hypoxia risks.
- Analyzing turbidity and pH time series to correlate with agricultural runoff events from surrounding strawberry fields.
- Comparing specific conductivity and salinity data between a pristine marsh site (SM) and a farm-adjacent pond site (AP) to quantify pollution impact.
- Forecasting water temperature trends using half-hourly measurements over deployment periods of three to four weeks.
Strengths
- Measurements recorded at a high temporal resolution of every 30 minutes.
- Data collection contextualized by detailed site descriptions for two distinct locations (pristine marsh and agricultural pond).
- Research context links water parameters to specific land use (strawberry production on 8% of watershed).
Limitations
- Dataset covers only a single year (1998), limiting analysis of long-term trends.
- Sample size is restricted to two monitoring sites, reducing geographic representativeness.
- The last documented update was in 2001, indicating the data is not current.
Provenance
- Source
- Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve and University of California Santa Cruz Agroecology Program researchers.
- Collection Method
- Deployed YSI dataloggers at fixed depths, collecting measurements automatically every 30 minutes.
- Time Range
- 1998, with measurements taken over three to four week periods.
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Elkhorn Slough, Monterey Bay, California, USA; specifically sites SM (Salicornia marsh) and AP (Azevedo Pond).