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The SWRC operates the Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed in southeastern Arizona as an outdoor laboratory for studying semiarid rangeland hydrologic, ecosystem, climate, and erosion processes.

An overview of SWRC and WGEW research is provided in a downloadable brochure:   SWRC Brochure 

WGEW Data Use Agreement
 

SWRC Data Catalogue

Instrumentation Dashboard with Locations and Metadata for WGEW and SRER Instrumentation

 
 

Core Monitoring Networks

  

Dataset Documentation
  Precipitation (Form based data request)
  Analog (through 1999) Digital (2000 - current)
  Aggregate data Aggregate data
  Event data Event data

Rain gage (precipitation) charts available here

DAP (WGEW,SRER,USP) Precipitation Dashboard

 

Goodrich, D. C., T. O. Keefer, C. L. Unkrich, M. H. Nichols, H. B. Osborn, J. J. Stone, and J. R. Smith (2008), Long-term precipitation database, Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed, Arizona, United States, Water Resour. Res., 44, W05S04, doi:10.1029/2006WR005782.

Supporting documentation: From rain gauge to database for precipitation

  Runoff(Form based data request
  Analog (through 1999) Digital (2000 - current)
  Aggregate data Aggregate data
  Event data Event data

     Flume (runoff) charts available here

  

Stone, J. J., M. H. Nichols, D. C. Goodrich, and J. Buono (2008), Long-term runoff database, Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed, Arizona, United States, Water Resour. Res., 44, W05S05, doi:10.1029/2006WR005733.

Supporting documentation: From flume to database for runoff

  Sediment
     Sediment data request 		 

Polyakov, V. O., M. A. Nearing, M. H. Nichols, R. L. Scott, J. J. Stone, and M. P. McClaran (2010), Long‐term runoff and sediment yields from small semiarid watersheds in southern Arizona, Water Resour. Res., 46, W09512, doi:10.1029/2009WR009001.

Nichols, M. H., J. J. Stone, and M. A. Nearing (2008), Sediment database, Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed, Arizona, United States, Water Resour. Res., 44, W05S06, doi:10.1029/2006WR005682.

Nearing, M.A., Nichols, M.H., Stone, J.J., Renard, K.G., Simanton, J.R. 2007. Sediment yields from unit-source semi-arid watersheds at Walnut Gulch. Water Resources Research, Vol.43, W06426, doi:10.1029/2006WR005692

  Meteorologic and Soil Moisture

     Meteorological and Soils Data (data dashboard)

     Water and Climate Center SCAN Site: Walnut Gulch #1

Soils Moisture data for WGEW and SRER is also available from Ameriflux:
Walnut Gulch Sites:

Santa Rita Sites:

 

Keefer, T. O., M. S. Moran, and G. B. Paige (2008), Long-term meteorological and soil hydrology database, Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed, Arizona, United States, Water Resour. Res., 44, W05S07, doi:10.1029/2006WR005702.

Supporting documentation: From meteorology station to database for meteorology

Supporting documentation: From soil probe to database for soil moisture

  Ecosystem Flux and Associated Meteorological Data
Eddy covariance measurements of energy, water vapor, and carbon dioxide fluxes between the biosphere and atmosphere

Walnut Gulch Sites:

Santa Rita Sites:

San Pedro Riparian Ecosystems:

 

  

Scott, R.L., Biederman, J.A., Hamerlynck, E.P., Barron-Gafford, G. 2015. The carbon balance pivot point of southwestern U.S. semiarid ecosystems: Insights from the 21st century drought. Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences. 120:2612-2624.

 

GIS Data Layers

For more information, e-mail:
    ars-pwa-tucson-swrc-gis@ars.usda.gov

SWRC Open Data Hub
(all GIS data availabe here via ArcGS Online)
https://swrc-usdaars.hub.arcgis.com

Download GIS Layers

   

 

Heilman, P., M. H. Nichols, D. C. Goodrich, S. Miller, and P. Guertin (2008), Geographic information systems database, Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed, Arizona, United States, Water Resour. Res., doi:10.1029/2006WR005777.

 

Soil Erodibility
     Download Excel spreadsheet

  

Rhoton, F.E., W.E. Emmerich, D.C. Goodrich, S.N. Miller and D.S. McChesney, Long-term soil erodibility database, WGEW, Arizona, USA
   
 

Ecological Sites
     Ecological Sites Map

 

Heilman, P., Stone, J. J., and Robinett D. Ecological Sites of The Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed

 

Geology
     Map based data
 

 

Osterkamp, W. R. 2008. Geology, soils, and geomorphology of the Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed, Tombstone, Arizona. Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science 40(2):136-154.
 

Soils
     SSURGO Map
     STATSGO Map
     1993 Soil Survey Map


     WGEW Soil Survey Report
     WGEW Soils Data

  

Osterkamp, W. R., D. Breckenfeld, and J. J. Stone, Soils, WGEW, Arizona, USA
 

Geomorphology
     Map based data
 

  

Osterkamp, W. R. 2008. Geology, soils, and geomorphology of the Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed, Tombstone, Arizona. Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science 40(2):136-154.

 

Ownership
    Map based data

Hydrography
NHD Streamlines Map (Med. resolution)
High Resolution Streamlines Map
 

  
   
 

Vegetation Data

  
 

Vegetation Phenology

Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed – Lucky Hills Shrubland

Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed – Kendall Grassland

Santa Rita Experimental Range – Grassland

Santa Rita Experimental Range – Mesquite Savanna

  

D. Yan, R.L. Scott, D.J.P. Moore, J.A. Biederman, W.K. Smith, Understanding the relationship between vegetation greenness and productivity across dryland ecosystems through the integration of PhenoCam, satellite, and eddy covariance data, Remote Sensing of Environment, Volume 223, 2019, Pages 50-62, ISSN 0034-4257, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2018.12.029

 

Vegetation
     Map based data

     Report on flora (herbarium) of the WGEW

 

Skirvin, S., M. Kidwell, S. Biedenbender, J. P. Henley, D. M. King, C. D. H. Collins, M. S. Moran, and M. A. Weltz  (2008),  Vegetation data, Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed, Arizona, United States,  Water Resour. Res.,  doi:10.1029/2006WR005724.

 

Rainfall Simulator Data

  
 

Data Dictionary
Rainfall simulation sites summary
Rainfall simulations
Ground and vegetation cover
Rainfall simulation sites
Site photos


 

Publication Citation: Polyakov, V., Stone, J., Holifield Collins, C., Nearing, M. A., Paige, G., Buono, J., and Gomez-Pond, R.-L.: Rainfall simulation experiments in the southwestern USA using the Walnut Gulch Rainfall Simulator, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 10, 19-26, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-19-2018, 2018.

Dataset Citation: Stone, Jeffry; Polyakov, Viktor; Holifield-Collins, Chandra; Paige, Ginger; Buono, Jared ; Nearing, Mark; Gomez-Pond, Rae-Landa (2017). Rainfall simulation experiments in the Southwestern USA using the Walnut Gulch Rainfall Simulator. Ag Data Commons. http://dx.doi.org/10.15482/USDA.ADC/1358583

 

Other Data

  
  Long-Term Remote Sensing Database for WGEW
Acess to legacy remote sensing data
     		 

Moran, S., C. D. H. Collins, D. C. Goodrich, J. Qi, D. T. Shannon, and A. Olsson  (2008),  Long-term remote sensing database, Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed, Arizona, United States,  Water Resour. Res.,  doi:10.1029/2006WR005689.

 

Legacy Bowen Ratio Flux Data
    Lucky Hills Site (47MB zip file w/Excel spreadsheet)
    Kendall Site (47MB zip file w/Excel spreadsheet)
    Metadata (24KB zip file w/PDFs)
 

 

Emmerich, W. E., and C. L. Verdugo (2008), Long-term carbon dioxide and water flux database, Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed, Arizona, United States, Water Resour. Res., 44, W05S09, doi:10.1029/2006WR005693.
   
 

Additional Information

  
  Dissertations using WGEW data
Master’s Theses using WGEW data

The Data Access Project (355 kb PDF)

WGEW Data Use Agreement