Rain measurements in the Dolan Fire Area, Los Padres National Forest, California, 2021 to 2022

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Rain measurements in the Dolan Fire Area, Los Padres National Forest, California, 2021 to 2022
Abstract:
Rainfall measurements were collected in and near the Dolan Fire burn area, Los Padres National Forest, California. The Dolan Fire ignited on August 18, 2020. By the time of full containment on December 31, 2020, the fire had burned 518 km2 (128,050 acres) in Monterey County. Post-fire debris flows occurred in many watersheds burned by the Dolan Fire during the first post-fire wet season, in winter 2021. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) installed seven rain gages within the Dolan Fire burn area in October 2021 to measure rainfall during the second post-fire wet season. The USGS gratefully acknowledges permission granted by Los Padres National Forest for the collection of these data.
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= 2021-629-FA
Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
A special use permit was issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service for data collection.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    East, Amy E., and Williamson, Jessica L., 20230111, Rain measurements in the Dolan Fire Area, Los Padres National Forest, California, 2021 to 2022: data release DOI: 10.5066/P9VVYKJ7, 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: -121.486770
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -121.364616
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 36.013891
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 35.986946
  3. What does it look like?
    https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/639e5422d34e0de3a1f269e9?name=DolanFire_Dolan2Gage.JPG&allowOpen=true (PNG)
    Photograph of USGS rain gage deployed in the Dolan Fire burn area along the Big Sur coast of California.
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 22-Oct-2021
    Ending_Date: 19-Sep-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?
      This is a Point data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):
      • Point (19687)
    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 0.000001. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.000001. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees. The horizontal datum used is WGS_1984 (EPSG:4326).
      The ellipsoid used is WGS_1984 (EPSG:7030).
      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?
    DolanFire_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
    Dolan1Rain gage located near Mill Creek Trailhead, Big Sur coast, California, located approximately at 35.986946, -121.484013.
    Dolan2Rain gage located along the Big Sur coast, California, approximately at 35.991790, -121.486770.
    Dolan3Rain gage located along the Big Sur coast, California, approximately at 35.997771, -121.463628.
    Dolan4Rain gage located along the Big Sur coast near the drainage divide between Mill Creek watershed and Nacimiento River watershed, California, approximately at 36.008896, -121.452807.
    Dolan5Rain gage located in the upper Nacimiento River watershed, California, approximately at 36.013891, -121.436747.
    Dolan6Rain gage located in the Nacimiento River watershed, California, approximately at 36.005803, -121.392646.
    Dolan7Rain gage located in the Nacimiento River watershed, California, approximately at 35.991327, -121.364616.
    DATE_TIME
    The date and time of the rain gage measurement (Source: Producer defined.)
    Range of values
    Minimum:10/22/2021 16:01:27
    Maximum:09/19/2022 14:13:43
    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:807.4
    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: 22-Oct-2021 (process 1 of 2)
    Onset HOBO RG3-M standalone tipping-bucket rain gages were deployed at each of seven locations (Dolan1, Dolan2, Dolan3, Dolan4, Dolan5, Dolan6, Dolan7). Each gage was affixed to a 1-meter-high stake.
    Date: Oct-2022 (process 2 of 2)
    Data for all seven 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 (DolanFire_RainData_2021-2022.csv), accompanied by 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-Jan-2023
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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Generated by mp version 2.9.51 on Fri Jan 20 10:51:38 2023