Hourly Stream Temperature and Water Level Data from 2010 – 2024 for Headwater Streams in the Smith River Basin, Oregon

Dataset of hourly stream temperature and water level (stage height) data collected between 2010 and 2024 for four headwater streams that are tributaries to the Smith River in Oregon. The data files included here are hourly data (or during some time periods, hourly averages of sub-hourly data) for each of the four sites, Beaver Creek, North Sister Creek, Halfway Creek, and Panther Creek. The hourly averages were calculated in two ways, producing two sets of hourly data files for each of the four creeks. In one set, water level hourly averages were calculated using all the available data for each hour, and then the hourly averages that were less than zero were removed (the four files whose filenames have the suffix “noneg”). In the other set, water level hourly averages were calculated using all the available data for each hour, and all hourly averages, including those with water levels that were less than zero, were retained. We interpret the negative water level values as records of times when the water level in the stream was below the level of the pressure transducer, and discharge was close to zero, although there was still some water in the stream. These data were collected as part of a monitoring effort to gain data on water temperature and water level in small headwater streams with returning populations of Coho salmon in the Oregon Coast Range. These data supported research efforts by the Coastal Riverscapes Laboratory, led by Dr. Mary Santelmann at Oregon State University and Dr. Rebecca Flitcroft with the USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station. The metadata that are specific to each site are presented below in the following order: Beaver Creek, Halfway Creek, North Sister Creek, and Panther Creek. The filenames of the data files are as follows: BC_TL_10_24_hourly.csv BC_TL_10_24_hourly_noneg.csv HF_TL_18_24_hourly.csv HF_TL_18_24_hourly_noneg.csv NS_TL_10_24_hourly.csv NS_TL_10_24_hourly_noneg.csv PC_TL_10_24_hourly.csv PC_TL_10_24_hourly_noneg.csv (Note: The data for rating curves that can be used to generate discharge values from these datasets are archived with the daily average data for these sites, which have been archived in a separate DOI with its own metadata file (Santelmann, M.V., Flitcroft, R.L., LovellFord, R.M., Windoloski, S.N., Munyon, J.W. 2025. Daily Stream Temperature, Water Level, and Discharge Data from 2010 – 2024 for Headwater Streams in the Smith River Basin, Oregon. Deposited in ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University.