Water level recordings from wells in Watershed 3 at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, 2007 - present

The project is aimed at explaining the spatial and
temporal variation in stream water chemistry at the headwater
catchment scale using a framework based on the combined study
of hydrology and soil development – hydropedology. The
project will demonstrate how hydrology strongly influences
soil development and soil chemistry, and in turn, controls
stream water quality in headwater catchments. Understanding
the linkages between hydrology and soil development can
provide valuable information for managing forests and stream
water quality. Feedbacks between soils and hydrology that
lead to predictable landscape patterns of soil chemistry have
implications for understanding spatial gradients in site
productivity and suitability for species with differing
habitat requirements or chemical sensitivity. Tools are
needed that identify and predict these gradients that can
ultimately provide guidance for land management and
silvicultural decision making. Better integration between
soil science, hydrology, and biogeochemistry will provide the
conceptual leap needed by the hydrologic community to be able
to better predict and explain temporal and spatial
variability of stream water quality and understand water
sources contributing to streamflow. These data were gathered as part of the Hubbard Brook
Ecosystem Study (HBES). The HBES is a collaborative effort at
the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, which is operated and
maintained by the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research
Station.