Binational dataset used to develop nutrient SPARROW models for the Midcontinental region of Canada and the United States

The SPAtially Referenced Regressions On Watershed attributes (SPARROW) model was developed by the United States Geological Survey’s (USGS) to aid in the interpretation of monitoring data and simulate water-quality conditions in streams across large spatial scales. SPARROW is a hybrid empirical/process-based mass balance model that can be used to estimate the major sources and environmental factors that affect the long-term supply, transport, and fate of contaminants in streams. The spatially explicit model structure is defined by a river reach network coupled with contributing catchments. The SPARROW model utilizes catchment-scale stream reach, constituent source and watershed characteristics to simulate monitoring-based water-quality load estimates. The binational Midcontinent SPARROW model applications examining nutrients (i.e. phosphorus and nitrogen) for the 2002 base year are described in Robertson et al. (2018, in review). The origin and development of data used to build the Midcontinent SPARROW models are described in Vouk et al. (2018) (https://doi.org/10.4224/23004810). Load estimates used in these models are described in Saad et al. (2018) (https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20185051). This dataset, prepared in cooperation with the International Joint Commission, the National Research Council of Canada and the USGS, contains all of the attributes necessary to create the inputs needed for the Midcontinent SPARROW models. The period of record covers 1970-2012. • Network and catchments are relevant for 2002 and 2012 base year models. • Input data (source & delivery data) are relevant to 2002 base year model. Both midcont_reaches and midcont_catchment Shapefiles contain ISO 19115 NAP geospatial metadata. The data extent covers the Midcontinental region of North America. This large area covers approximately 1,850,000 sq km and spans portions of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario in Canada, and portions of 19 states in the upper Midwest and Great Lakes area of the US. The following projection was used: • Projected Coordinate System: NAD_1983_Albers • Projection: Albers • False_Easting: 0.00000000 • False_Northing: 0.00000000 • Central_Meridian: -96.00000000 • Standard_Parallel_1: 29.50000000 • Standard_Parallel_2: 45.50000000 • Latitude_Of_Origin: 23.00000000 • Linear Unit: Meter • Geographic Coordinate System: GCS_North_American_1983 • Datum: D_North_American_1983 • Prime Meridian: Greenwich • Angular Unit: Degree