Baseflow estimation and hydroclimatic data input details for the Upper Rio Grande, 1980 to 2015

Understanding how changing climatic conditions affect streamflow volume and timing is critical for effective water management. In the Rio Grande Basin of the southwest U.S., decreasing snowpack, increasing minimum temperatures, and decreasing streamflow have been observed in recent decades, but the effects of hydroclimatic changes on baseflow, or groundwater discharge to streams, have not been investigated. The dataset created in this data release was used to help support a study to determine how trends in precipitation, snowpack accumulation, and snowmelt rate relate to streamflow, baseflow, and the hydrologic partitioning of baseflow and runoff at 12 sites in the Upper Rio Grande Basin (URGB) during 1980 to 2015. Streamflow was partitioned into baseflow and runoff components at a daily time step using conductivity mass balance hydrograph separation. Trends in annual streamflow, baseflow, runoff, baseflow index, precipitation, snowmelt rate, and peak snow water equivalent (SWE) were evaluated from 1980 to 2015 using the non-parametric Mann-Kendall trend test.