Hydrographic Data, Putuligayuk River Watershed, Alaska, 1999-2017

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. The Putuligayuk River Station is located at the intersection of the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field's "Spine Road" and the Putuligayuk River, east of the Kuparuk River basin. The Putuligayuk River basin lies entirely within the low gradient Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska, a region dominated by wetlands, ponds, and lakes. The Putuligayuk River flows north through the coastal plain, before discharging into the Beaufort Sea. The runoff in the Putuligayuk River (471 square kilometers) was measured by the United States Geological Survey from 1970 to 1999 (United States Geological Survey Site Identification 15896700). Researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Water and Environmental Research Center continue the gauging record at the Putuligayuk River between 1999 and 2017. This dataset contains continuous runoff collected by researchers from University of Alaska Fairbanks from 1999 to 2017.