Suspended-sediment concentration and grain size in the San Lorenzo River, coastal California

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Suspended-sediment concentration and grain size in the San Lorenzo River, coastal California
Abstract:
Water samples were collected from the San Lorenzo River, Santa Cruz, California, and analyzed for suspended-sediment concentration and sand break (proportion of sand vs. silt-plus-clay) at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) laboratory in Santa Cruz, California. The samples were all single-vertical samples collected from the thalweg of the river, using a D-95 sampler deployed from a bridge box at a pedestrian bridge across the river in downtown Santa Cruz. All samples were collected from that location: 36.97565, -122.02322. The USGS acknowledges sampling permission granted by the city of Santa Cruz. Sediment concentrations and sand-break data are presented for use alongside stream-flow data collected by the USGS at gaging station 11161000, “San Lorenzo River at Santa Cruz”. The discharge data for gaging station 11161000 are separately accessible at https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ca/nwis/uv/?site_no=11161000. The discharge values associated with the suspended-sediment sampling reported here are provided so that users may easily reproduce the sediment rating curve.
Supplemental_Information:
Additional information about the USGS field activity or activities from which these data were derived is available online at:
https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2017-606-FA
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?
    East, Amy E., and Ritchie, Andrew C., 20240809, Suspended-sediment concentration and grain size in the San Lorenzo River, coastal California: Data release DOI:10.5066/P1AFJX8M, U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, California.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Suggested Citation: East, A.E., and Ritchie, A.C., 2024, Suspended-sediment concentration and grain size in the San Lorenzo River, coastal California: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P1AFJX8M.
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -122.02322
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -122.02322
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 36.97565
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 36.97565
  3. What does it look like?
    https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/65cbc31cd34ef4b119cb3805?name=IMG_4647.JPG&allowOpen=true (JPEG)
    View of the San Lorenzo River, Santa Cruz, California, during a flood on 2023-01-09
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 01-Oct-2008
    Ending_Date: 30-Sep-2024
    Currentness_Reference:
    Water years 2009 through 2024
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: comma-delimited text
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
      This is a Point data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):
      • Point (386)
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
      Horizontal positions are specified in geographic coordinates, that is, latitude and longitude. Latitudes are given to the nearest 0.00001. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.00001. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal Degrees. The horizontal datum used is D_WGS_1984.
      The ellipsoid used is WGS_1984.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.0.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257223563.
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    Attribute table
    Table of data (Source: producer defined)
    Date_Collected
    Date of sample collection (Source: producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:2008-11-02
    Maximum:2024-02-19
    Units:yyyy-mm-dd
    Time
    Time of sample collection (Source: producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:00:00
    Maximum:23:50
    Units:hh:mm
    Suspended_sediment_concentration_mg/L
    Suspended-sediment concentration measured in a water sample (Source: producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:4
    Maximum:7059
    Units:milligrams per liter (mg/L)
    Percent_silt_and_clay
    Percentage of combined silt and clay content in the suspended sediment obtained from a water sample (Source: producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:100
    Units:percentage
    Percent_sand
    Percentage of sand in the suspended sediment obtained from a water sample (Source: producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:100
    Units:percentage
    River_discharge_cms
    Discharge of the San Lorenzo River, measured at USGS gaging station 11161000 (San Lorenzo River at Santa Cruz) at the time of sample collection (Source: producer defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.1
    Maximum:591.5
    Units:cubic meters per second (cms)
    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview: The first line of the .csv file is a header line.
    Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation: U.S. Geological Survey

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Amy E. East
    • Andrew C. Ritchie
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
    USGS acknowledges sampling permission granted by the City of Santa Cruz.
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Attn: PCMSC Science Data Coordinator
    2885 Mission Street
    Santa Cruz, CA

    831-427-4747 (voice)
    pcmsc_data@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

Suspended-sediment concentrations and grain-size information in the form of sand-break analyses, collected from the lower San Lorenzo River, Santa Cruz, California.

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: 19-Feb-2024 (process 1 of 2)
    SAMPLE COLLECTION: Samples of water, containing suspended sediment, were collected using 1-liter bottles inside a D-95 sampler deployed by a hand-operated winch from a bridge box mounted on the railing of a pedestrian bridge crossing the San Lorenzo River. Each sample represents one single-vertical sample from the thalweg of the river. The sampler was lowered and raised at a steady transit rate, which was determined by flow conditions at the time of sampling. During sample collection, the sampler was raised immediately after touching the riverbed. Most samples were collected by A.C. Ritchie or A.E. East. Additional sampling assistance was provided by P.L. Campbell-Swarzenski, C.H. Conaway, H.W. Dow, A.C. Foxgrover, J.B. Logan, A.G. Snyder, A.W. Stevens, and J.A. Warrick.
    Date: 2024 (process 2 of 2)
    LABORATORY ANALYSIS: For each suspended-sediment sample, the water was collected in a 1-liter polypropylene bottle fitted inside the D-95 sampler. After 14 days of settling time, excess water and organic matter were removed from the bottle using wet suction from a vacuum pump, and the sand fraction was then separated from the combined silt and clay fraction by filtration through a 0.063-mm sieve. Each fraction (sand and silt-plus-clay) was dried in a crucible in an oven at 103 degrees Celsius, and then weighed. Person who carried out this activity:
    Stephen Low
    USGS
    Laboratory Chief
    2885 Mission Street
    Santa Cruz, CA

    831-460-7500 (voice)
    stephlow@usgs.gov
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
    Draut, A.E., Conaway, C.H, Echols, K.R., Storlazzi, C.D., and Ritchie, A., 2011, Suspended sediment and organic contaminants in the San Lorenzo River, California, water years 2009-2010.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Draut, A.E., Conaway, C.H., Echols, K.R., Storlazzi, C.D., and Ritchie, A., 2011, Suspended sediment and organic contaminants in the San Lorenzo River, California, water years 2009-2010: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2011-1120, 24 p. and data tables. This reference is included for added-interest for the user.
    Campbell, P.L., East, A.E., and Conaway, C.H., 2022, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and suspended sediment concentrations in the San Lorenzo River, Santa Cruz, California, USA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Campbell, P.L., East, A.E., Conaway, C.H., 2022, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and suspended sediment concentrations in the San Lorenzo River, Santa Cruz, California, USA: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9GB8YSZ. This reference is included for added-interest for the user.

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

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
    The laboratory uses standard techniques for measuring suspended-sediment concentration and sand break, as identified in USGS National Water Quality Laboratory protocols. The laboratory routinely runs blank sample and known reference samples. Further information about USGS sediment laboratory practices are available from https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/sediment-laboratories. Details about the quality assurance plan for this and other USGS sediment laboratories are available from https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/ofr92499.
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    A formal accuracy assessment of the horizontal positional information in the data set has not been conducted.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    Samples were not collected for water years 2011 through 2014. Discharge data are available at https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ca/nwis/uv/?site_no=11161000. Dataset 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?
    Data values are within the expected value range.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
Access_Constraints No access constraints
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 as the originator(s) 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

    1-888-275-8747 (voice)
    sciencebase@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? These data are available in csv format (Suspended_sediment_data_San_Lorenzo_River_California.csv), which also includes CSDGM 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?
    These data can be viewed with any text-reading or spreadsheet software.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 09-Aug-2024
Metadata author:
U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Attn: PCMSC Science Data Coordinator
2885 Mission Street
Santa Cruz, CA

831-427-4747 (voice)
pcmsc_data@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_P1AFJX8M/Suspended_sediment_data_San_Lorenzo_River_California_Metadata.faq.html>
Generated by mp version 2.9.51 on Fri Aug 9 15:40:33 2024