Hydrographic Data, Imnavait Creek Watershed, Alaska, 1985-2017

In Arctic landscapes, watershed processes are tightly linked to cold temperatures, permafrost, snow and glaciers, and strong seasonality in precipitation, storage, and runoff. Thus, a rapidly changing Arctic climate will affect watershed function and result in changes to the transport of water, sediment, and nutrients to downstream aquatic and marine ecosystems. There is increasing evidence of hydrologic intensification of the Arctic terrestrial water cycle, fueling inquiry into the hydrologic responses that integrate the varying climate and landscape units. Key to understanding these complex watershed processes is long-term hydrologic monitoring in Arctic Alaska. The goal of this project is to install, operate, and maintain hydroclimate observation stations in the Kuparuk River basin and adjacent catchments (Putuligayuk River) to obtain continuous data streams for the community of Arctic stakeholders.
Imnavait Creek is a small (2.2 square kilometers) watershed located in the foothills region of Brooks Range and the headwaters of the Kuparuk River. The Kuparuk River flows north through the foothills and coastal plain of Alaska, before discharging into the Beaufort Sea. The gauging station at Imnavait Creek is approximately 0.5 kilometers south of the Dalton Highway, near MP289 (milepost). Imnavait Creek parallels the Upper Kuparuk basin and enters the Kuparuk River 12 kilometers north of the Upper Kuparuk gauging station. Flows at Imnavait creek persist throughout the summer months, but during the late winter months flow is practically non-existent. The stream is beaded, meaning that the channel connects numerous interspersed small ponds. Runoff in Imnavait Creek was measured by researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Water and Environmental Research Center from 1985 to 2017. This dataset contains continuous runoff collected by researchers from University of Alaska Fairbanks from 1985 to 2017.