AIMS SOP Streamflow Measurements - Dilution gaging method

The following standard operating procedure (SOP) was created for the the Aquatic Intermittency effects on Microbiomes in Streams (AIMS), an NSF EPSCoR funded project (OIA 2019603) seeking to explore the impacts of stream drying on downstream water quality across Kansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Idaho, and Mississippi. AIMS integrates datasets on hydrology, microbiomes, macroinvertebrates, and biogeochemistry in three regions (Mountain West, Great Plains, and Southeast Forests) to test the overarching hypothesis that physical drivers (e.g., climate, hydrology) interact with biological drivers (e.g., microbes, biogeochemistry) to control water quality in intermittent streams. An overview of the AIMS project can be found here: https://youtu.be/HDKIBNEnwdM.

This protocol details the process for measuring streamflow within the stream network focused largely on low-flow conditions using dilution gaging techniques.

Also included in this resource is the AIMS datasheet used when taking measurements in the field.

The \"living\" version of this SOP is available on Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/document/d/18mvs_aAr677eQDrwUuassMTWmjggSQxVkmkr0vgF0J4/edit?tab=t.0

From this SOP, the following data types will be created: stream width, depth, discharge (AIMS rTypes created: ENVI, DISC).