Streamgage measurements, Elwha River, Washington, 2011 to 2016

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title: Streamgage measurements, Elwha River, Washington, 2011 to 2016
Abstract:
Streamgage levels on the Elwha River were measured from 2011 to 2016. These measurements show the height of the river's water surface, both in meters relative to the stream bed, as well as in meters relative to vertical geographic coordinates. Measurements were collected using a Global Water WL16 battery-operated vented water level logger in a hardened casing. The instrument was installed on October 17, 2011 on the left bank of the Elwha River at a power line crossing above the Elwha Surface Water Intake (at approximately river kilometer 5.6), which is downstream of the (now historical) Elwha Dam site. Data collection ended May 12, 2016. The data were collected as part of a study investigating responses of the Elwha River to the removal of two large dams: the Glines Canyon and Elwha dams. From July 2, 2015 to October 31, 2015 the gauge was buried under a gravel bar, and the data are not reliable. These data are flagged as "BURIED" in the spreadsheet's "FLAG" column. From April 21, 2016 through May 12, 2016 periods of noise and bad data (flagged "NOISE" and "BAD") interrupted valid data values. The gauge was beginning to fail, but comparison with USGS 12046260 stage data allowed identification of valid data. After May 12, 2016, significant deviations from expected values and increased noise appeared. This was interpreted as instrument failure and no further data were marked valid. Data are included for reference purposes but flagged as "BAD."
Supplemental_Information:
Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Ritchie, Andrew C, Bountry, Jennifer A, and Randle, Timothy J, 2018, Streamgage measurements, Elwha River, Washington, 2011 to 2016: data release doi:10.5066/F7PG1QWC, U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, California.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Ritchie, Andrew C, Curran, Christopher A, Magirl, Christopher S, Bountry, Jennifer A, Hilldale, Robert C, Randle, Timothy J, and Duda, Jefferey J, 2018, Data in support of 5-year sediment budget and morphodynamic analysis of Elwha River following dam removals: data release doi:10.5066/F7PG1QWC, U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, California.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -123.614549
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -123.541697
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 48.145105
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 47.959409
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 17-Oct-2011
    Ending_Date: 12-May-2016
    Currentness_Reference:
    ground condition
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Comma-separated values
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
      Indirect_Spatial_Reference:
      Data were collected in the Elwha River, Washington at the Elwha Dam (former Lake Aldwell) and the Glines Canyon Dam (former Lake Mills).
      This is a Point data set.
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
      Vertical_Coordinate_System_Definition:
      Altitude_System_Definition:
      Altitude_Datum_Name: North American Vertical Datum of 1988
      Altitude_Resolution: 0.01
      Altitude_Distance_Units: meters
      Altitude_Encoding_Method: Attribute values
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    Elwha_Streamgage_2011to2016.csv
    Staff gauge measurements in relative and geographic elevations, the date and time of the measurement, and the quality of the measurement. (Source: Producer defined.)
    DateTime
    The date and time of measurement, in mm/dd/yyyy hh:mm format. (Source: Producer defined.)
    Range of values
    Minimum:10/17/2011 10:25
    Maximum:09/30/2016 23:34
    StageHeight_m
    The stage height in meters relative to stream bed. (Source: Producer defined.)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.10
    Maximum:3.40
    Units:meters
    NAVD88Height_m
    The stage height in meters relative to North American Vertical Datum of 1988. (Source: Producer defined.)
    Range of values
    Minimum:22.36
    Maximum:25.66
    Units:meters
    FLAG
    Measurement quality designation. (Source: Producer defined.)
    ValueDefinition
    OKMeasurement was valid.
    BURIEDThe instrument was buried at the time of measurement.
    NOISYMeasurement value may not be valid (value interpreted as noise); gauge was beginning to fail.
    BADMeasurement interpreted as instrument failure; data included for reference purposes.

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Andrew C Ritchie
    • Jennifer A Bountry
    • Timothy J Randle
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
    Data collection was funded by U.S. Geological Survey, Environmental Protection Agency, National Park Service, and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    Andrew C Ritchie
    U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
    2885 Mission Street
    Santa Cruz, CA
    United States

    831-460-7454 (voice)
    aritchie@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

Data were obtained to assess the morphodynamic and sediment budget responses following the removal of two dams in the Elwha River. These data are intended for science researchers, students, policy makers, and the general public. These data can be used with geographic information systems or other software to identify topographic features.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
    Date: 30-Sep-2016 (process 1 of 3)
    A Global Water WL16 battery-operated vented water level logger in a hardened casing was installed on the left bank of the Elwha River at powerline crossing above the Elwha Surface Water Intake (at approximately river kilometer 5.6) on October 17, 2011. Data collection ended May 12, 2016. From July 2, 2015 to October 31, 2015 the gauge was buried under a gravel bar, and the data are not reliable. These data are flagged as "BURRIED" in the spreadsheet's "FLAG" column. From April 21, 2016 through May 12, 2016 periods of noise and bad data (flagged "NOISE" and "BAD") interrupt valid data values. The gauge was beginning to fail, but comparison with USGS 12046260 stage data allowed identification of valid data. After May 12, 2016, significant deviations from expected values and increased noise appeared. This was interpreted as instrument failure and no further data were marked valid. Data are included for reference purposes but flagged as "BAD."
    Date: 17-Jul-2018 (process 2 of 3)
    Corrected name of theme keyword thesaurus from ISO 19115 Topic Categories to Category. Person who carried out this activity:
    Susan A Cochran
    U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
    2885 Mission St.
    Santa Cruz, CA
    United States

    831-460-7545 (voice)
    scochran@usgs.gov
    Date: 19-Oct-2020 (process 3 of 3)
    Edited metadata to add keywords section with USGS persistent identifier as theme keyword. No data were changed. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: VeeAnn A. Cross
    Marine Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA

    508-548-8700 x2251 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    vatnipp@usgs.gov
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
    Streamgage measurements were examined for reasonable values. From July 2, 2015 to October 31, 2015 the gauge was buried under a gravel bar, and the data are not reliable. These data are flagged as "BURIED" in the spreadsheet's "FLAG" column. From April 21, 2016 through May 12, 2016 periods of noise and bad data (flagged "NOISE" and "BAD") interrupted valid data values. The gauge was beginning to fail, but comparison with USGS 12046260 stage data allowed identification of valid data. After May 12, 2016, significant deviations from expected values and increased noise appeared. This was interpreted as instrument failure and no further data were marked valid. Data are included for reference purposes but flagged as "BAD."
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    No formal positional accuracy tests were conducted
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
    No formal positional accuracy tests were conducted
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    Data set is considered complete for the information presented, as described in the abstract. Users are advised to read the rest of the metadata record carefully for additional details.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    No formal logical accuracy tests were conducted

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
Access_Constraints: none
Use_Constraints:
USGS-authored or produced data and information are in the public domain from the U.S. Government and are freely redistributable with proper metadata and source attribution. Please recognize and acknowledge the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation as the originators of the dataset and in products derived from these data.
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey - ScienceBase
    Denver Federal Center, Building 810, Mail Stop 302
    Denver, CO
    United States

    1-888-275-8747 (voice)
    sciencebase@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? data are downloadable in .csv format (Elwha_Streamgage_2011to2016.csv) along with CMGDS FGDC-compliant metadata.
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    Unless otherwise stated, all data, metadata and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. Although these data and associated metadata have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness and approved for release by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data on any other system or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty.
  4. How can I download or order the data?
  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?
    The downloadable data file is available in comma-separated values (CSV) spreadsheet format. Text editing software can be used to open the file, as well as spreadsheet programs, such as Microsoft Excel.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 19-Oct-2020
Metadata author:
Andrew C Ritchie
U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
2885 Mission Street
Santa Cruz, CA
United States

831-460-7454 (voice)
aritchie@usgs.gov
Metadata standard:
Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/pcmsc/DataReleases/ScienceBase/DR_F7PG1QWC/Elwha_Streamgage_2011to2016.faq.html>
Generated by mp version 2.9.50 on Tue Sep 21 18:17:20 2021