Stream chemistry for Gwynns Falls at Carroll Park/Route 1 (urban) watershed - Spreadsheet format BES ID 570-

In the Baltimore urban long-term ecological research (LTER) project, (Baltimore Ecosystem Study, BES) we use the watershed approach to evaluate integrated ecosystem function. The LTER research is centered on the Gwynns Falls watershed, a 17,150 ha catchment that traverses a gradient from the urban core of Baltimore, through older urban residential (1900 - 1950) and suburban (1950- 1980) zones, rapidly suburbanizing areas and a rural/suburban fringe. Our long-term sampling network includes four longitudinal sampling sites along the Gwynns Falls as well as several small (40 - 100 ha) watersheds located within or near to the Gwynns Falls. The longitudinal sites provide data on water and nutrient fluxes in the different land use zones of the watershed (rural/suburban, rapidly suburbanizing, old suburban, urban core) and the small watersheds provide more focused data on specific land use areas (forest, agriculture, rural/suburban, urban). Each of the gaging sites is continuously monitored for discharge and is sampled weekly for chemistry. Additional chemical sampling is carried out in a supplemental set of sites to provide a greater range of land use. Weekly analyses includes nitrate, phosphate, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, chloride and sulfate, total suspended solids, turbidity, fecal coliforms, temperature, dissolved oxygen and pH. Cations, dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen and metals are measured on selected samples.

This dataset is for Gwynns Falls at Route 1/Carroll Park. This sites samples drainage from approximately 16,000 ha of mixed suburban and urban watershed. The site has been monitored by USGS since 1994 and represents the boundary condition for entire Gwynns Falls above head of tidal influence. This station allows for evaluation of the urban portion of the Gwynns Falls watershed by comparison with the Gwynns Falls at Villa Nova station.