AIMS Paint Rock Suspended Solids Data (AIMS_SE_PRF_TSSS)

This study was conducted in the Paint Rock research watershed (outlet location: 34.96861724, -86.16501705) on privately owned property in Jackson County (AL, USA). The watershed drains a non-perennial unnamed tributary to Burks Creek, and contains 2.97 km^2 of deciduous forest in the Cumberland Plateau physiographic section. Located near Estillfork, AL, the watershed spans an elevation range from 211 to 550 m above sea level, and is a tributary to the Paint Rock River (within the larger Tennessee basin). The region has a humid subtropical climate, with mean daily January and July air temperatures of 4.4°C and 25.4°C respectively, and mean annual precipitation of 1,390 mm/yr. These samples were collected in support of the core sampling goals of the Aquatic Intermittency effects on Microbiomes in Streams (AIMS) Project. Between 13 October 2021 and 13 February 2023, grab samples for Total Suspended Solids (TSS, mg/L) and seston Ash Free Dry Mass (AFDM, mg/L) were collected at the watershed outlet (PRM01) every 3 weeks during routine sensor maintenance (AIMS Approach 1) and seasonally at seven distributed, long term monitoring sites (AIMS Approach 2). Additional "stretch" samples were collected for TSS and AFDM at a tributary (PRB02) and downstream perennial monitoring site (PRP01), which are included in a separate file from the core TSS data from the Paint Rock research watershed. To measure TSS and AFDM concentrations, we collected 2- 3 replicates of unfiltered stream water in clean 1L Nalgene bottles after triple rinsing in the field, stored on ice, and brought to the lab for filtering. We brought samples back to the lab and filtered samples in 100mL batches through pre-ashed (550℃ for one hour) and pre-weighed 47 mm Whatman GF/F filters. Once the sample was filtered, the filters were placed in a drying oven for at least 48 hours and weighed. TSS was calculated as the (dry weight (filter + tin + sample) - dry weight (filter + tin)) / volume filtered (L). Ash free dry mass (AFDM) was then calculated as (dry weight (filter + tin + sample) - ashed weight (filter + tin + sample)) / volume filtered (L).