AIMS Paint Rock Field Physicochemistry Data and Field Notes (AIMS_SE_PRF_YSIS)

These samples were collected in support of the core sampling goals of the Aquatic Intermittency effects on Microbiomes in Streams (AIMS) Project. This study was conducted in the Paint Rock research watershed (outlet location: 34.96861724, -86.16501705) on privately owned property in Jackson County (AL, USA). The watershed drains a non-perennial unnamed tributary to Burks Creek, and contains 2.97 km^2 of deciduous forest in the Cumberland Plateau physiographic section. Located near Estillfork, AL, the watershed spans an elevation range from 211 to 550 m above sea level, and is a tributary to the Paint Rock River (within the larger Tennessee basin). The region has a humid subtropical climate, with mean daily January and July air temperatures of 4.4°C and 25.4°C respectively, and mean annual precipitation of 1,390 mm/yr. Between 8 September 2021 and 1 August 2024, we measured physicochemical parameters including water temperature (degrees Celsius), barometric pressure (mmHg), specific conductance (microSiemens per centimeter), dissolved oxygen, pH, and turbidity at the watershed outlet (PRM01) every 3 weeks during routine sensor maintenance (AIMS Approach 1), seasonally at seven distributed, long term monitoring sites across the watershed (AIMS Approach 2) using a YSI Pro1030 Waterproof Handheld meter. Readings were allowed to stabilize while water sampling took place. Data is not available when the site was dry - as noted by the flow_state column. In addition, some sampling events lacked a YSI handheld and data is therefore missing.