Rain measurements in and near the CZU Lightning Complex Fire area, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, 2021 to 2022

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Rain measurements in and near the CZU Lightning Complex Fire area, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, 2021 to 2022
Abstract:
Rainfall measurements were collected in and near the CZU Lightning Complex Fire (hereafter, "CZU Fire") burn area, Santa Cruz Mountains, California. The CZU Fire ignited in the Santa Cruz Mountains, California, on August 16, 2020. By the time of full containment on September 22, 2020, the fire had burned 350 km2 (86,510 acres) in Santa Cruz and San Mateo Counties. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) installed four rain gages in and near the CZU Fire burn area to measure rainfall during two post-fire wet seasons. The USGS gratefully acknowledges the cooperation of Big Basin Redwoods State Park, the Big Creek Lumber Co., the McCrary family, and Brookdale Lodge in the collection of these data. This data release contains rain records from the Big Basin, Berry Creek, Brookdale, and Green Valley locations, measured over the second wet season after the CZU Fire. These four rain gages were removed on May 31, 2022.
Supplemental_Information:
Additional information about the field activity from which these data were derived is available online at:
https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2020-638-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 Williamson, Jessica L., 20221011, Rain measurements in and near the CZU Lightning Complex Fire area, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, 2021 to 2022: data release DOI:10.5066/P9J7JOMP, 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: -122.222251
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -122.032146
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 37.172640
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 37.055999
  3. What does it look like?
    https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/631f7a10d34e71c6d67a6d54&name=RainGage_BigBasinSP2.JPG (JPG)
    Photograph of USGS rain gage deployed in Big Basin State Park near the former location of the State Park headquarters, which burned in the CZU Lightning Complex Fire.
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 17-Oct-2021
    Ending_Date: 31-May-2022
    Currentness_Reference:
    Ground condition at time data were collected (time reported in Universal Time Coordinated [UTC]).
  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?
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    CZU_RainData_2021-2022.csv
    Table containing attribute information associated with the data set. (Source: Producer defined.)
    SITE_NAME
    Name of the site containing rain gage. (Source: Producer defined.)
    ValueDefinition
    Big_BasinRain gage located in Big Basin Redwoods State Park, located approximately at 37.172640, -122.222251.
    Berry_CreekRain gage located near Berry Creek, CA, located approximately at 37.079284, -122.216055.
    Brookdale_LodgeRain gage located near the Brookdale Lodge in Brookdale, CA, located approximately at 37.106800, -122.109566.
    Green_ValleyRain gage located near Green Valley Road in Scotts Valley, CA, located approximately at 37.055999, -122.032146.
    DATE_TIME
    The date and time of the rain gage measurement (Source: Producer defined.)
    Range of values
    Minimum:10/17/2021 17:56:09
    Maximum:05/31/2022 21:15:27
    Units:Date and time formatted as mm/dd/yyyy hh:mm:ss
    Resolution:1
    RAIN_MM
    The amount of rainfall which was recorded. The gage records the date and time every time 0.2 mm of rainfall are collected in the gage. (Source: Producer defined.)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.2
    Maximum:0.2
    Units:Millimeters
    Resolution:0.2
    CUMULATIVE_RAIN_MM
    The cumulative amount of rainfall which was collected at the station from deployment to final recovery of the station. (Source: Producer defined.)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.2
    Maximum:1073.4
    Units:Millimeters
    Resolution:0.2
    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
    • Jessica L. Williamson
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
    Data collection was funded by the U.S. Geological Survey.
  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?

Direct measurements of rain amount, duration, and intensity such as these can be used to evaluate causes of post-fire landscape change and to help refine post-fire debris-flow thresholds.

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: 23-Oct-2020 (process 1 of 4)
    Onset HOBO RG3-M standalone tipping-bucket rain gages were deployed at the Berry Creek and Brookdale Lodge locations. The gages were affixed to a 1-meter-high stake.
    Date: 29-Oct-2020 (process 2 of 4)
    An Onset HOBO RG3-M standalone tipping-bucket rain gage was deployed at the Big Basin location. The gage was affixed to a 1-meter-high stake.
    Date: 25-Jan-2021 (process 3 of 4)
    An Onset HOBO RG3-M standalone tipping-bucket rain gage was deployed at the Green Valley location. The gage was affixed to a 1-meter-high stake.
    Date: May-2022 (process 4 of 4)
    Data for all four rain gages were recorded on a self-contained pendant logger housed within each unit and downloaded manually at intervals of weeks to months.
  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?
    These rain gages measure rainfall with a resolution of 0.2 millimeter (mm). Data values are within the expected values. Calibration accuracy is within 1.0 percent (up to 20 mm/hour of maximum rainfall rate of 12.7 cm).
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    Reported geographic coordinates of sites are estimated to be within 5 meters.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    The rain gages were programmed to record only during rain events. 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?
    Data values are within the expected values.

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 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 - CMGDS
    2885 Mission Street
    Santa Cruz, CA

    831-427-4747 (voice)
    pcmsc_data@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? These data are available in csv format (CZU_RainData_2021-2022.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 editing or spreadsheet software.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 11-Oct-2022
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)
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