Stream water physicochemistry in tropical lowland streams, La Selva Research Station, Costa Rica

Stream water physicochemistry in tropical lowland streams, La Selva Research Station, Costa Rica Measurements were taken in situ using hand-held pH, temperature, and conductivity meters. Stream discharge was measured manually using a flow meter or was calculated using stage-discharge relationships developed for the specific stream. Stream sites are named using notation that includes the site name and elevation of the sampling site (e.g. Carapa 60). The STREAMS project is a long-term research program focused on the short- and long-term ecological effects of groundwater and surface-water interactions in neotropical streams at La Selva Research Station. La Selva is operated by the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS). Streams at La Selva receive two types of groundwater: solute-rich groundwater associated with inter-basin geothermally-modified inputs and solute-poor groundwater originating with the local watershed. These groundwater inputs create riverscape heterogeneity in stream water chemistry, without differences in water temperature. More information at http://www.streamslaselva.net/