Watersheds and stream networks in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico.

Hydrological mapping in the Luquillo Experimental Forest: Opportunities and challenges to improve watershed ecological knowledge

The streams and rivers of the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico, have been the subject of extensive watershed and aquatic and research since the 1980’s. This research includes understanding stream export of nutrients, physicochemical constituents, coarse particulate organic matter export dynamics, and aquatic fauna populations. However, many of these studied streams and watersheds do not show up in standard hydrological maps. We document the recent collaborative work delineating long-term research watersheds and identifying gaps in hydrological network information. We describe the trade-offs and caveats of achieving appropriate stream densification to represent sites of on-going research. The methods used to delimit and densify stream networks include incorporation of updated new vertical datum for Puerto Rico, LIDAR derived elevation, and a combination of visual-manual and automated digitalization processes. The outcomes of this collaborative effort have resulted in improved watershed delineation, densification of hydrologic networks to reflect the scale of on-going studies, and the identification of constraining factors such as unmapped roadways, culverts, and other features of the built environment that interrupt water flow and obstruct runoff identification. This work contributes to enhance knowledge for watershed management, including riparian areas, road and channel intersections, and ridge to reef initiatives with broad application to other watersheds.

This dataset contains watershed delineations, and stream networks for El Verde Research Area and the Bisley Experimental Watershed (BEW)
This data can also be viewed via this story map:
https://arcg.is/1S5qSX