Escherichia coli and Water Quality Measurements from a Lao Catchment, 2011-2021

A 10-year dataset from May 2011 to May 2021 includes Escherichia coli concentrations with confidence intervals and physico-chemical measurements in stream water. Measurements were taken at the outlet of the Houay Pano catchment in northern Lao PDR during storm and inter-storm flow periods. The data was collected through the Multiscale TROPIcal CatchmentS (M-TROPICS) critical zone observatory with support from multiple international research organizations.

Use Cases

• Modeling Escherichia coli concentrations based on physico-chemical water parameters like turbidity and electrical conductance.
• Analyzing the impact of storm events on water quality metrics such as suspended sediment concentration and dissolved oxygen.
• Studying long-term trends in microbial contamination and water chemistry in a tropical agricultural catchment.
• Calibrating hydrological models with high-frequency time-series data from a monitored catchment outlet.

Strengths

• Data spans a 10-year period from May 2011 to May 2021, providing a long-term perspective.
• Includes confidence intervals for Escherichia coli concentration measurements.
• Covers measurements during both storm and inter-storm flow periods, capturing event-driven dynamics.
• Collected at a single, precisely geolocated station (19.85°N 102.17°E), ensuring spatial consistency.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale modeling.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data is limited to a single catchment outlet, which may not be representative of broader regions.

Provenance

Source

Multiscale TROPIcal CatchmentS (M-TROPICS) critical zone observatory, with field access granted by Department of Agricultural Land Management (DALaM), Lao PDR.

Collection Method

Field measurements collected at the catchment outlet station.

Time Range

May 2011 to May 2021

Geography

Outlet of the Houay Pano catchment, northern Lao PDR (19.85°N 102.17°E; elevation 440 m).