Here we report optical data collected as part of a collaborative study between USGS Pennsylvania Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Water Mission Area Proxies Project. The optical measurements reported here were collected to aide in the characterization of water sources and mixtures and establish proxies (surrogates) for per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances within the Neshaminy Creek basin. Data are compiled into three tables: 1) full fluorescence spectra in vectorized format, 2) full absorbance spectra, and 3) summary file of commonly extracted optical indicators and field-based sensor arrays.

Here we report optical data collected as part of a collaborative study between USGS Pennsylvania Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Water Mission Area Proxies Project. The optical measurements reported here were collected to aide in the characterization of water sources and mixtures and establish proxies (surrogates) for per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances within the Neshaminy Creek basin. Data are compiled into three tables: 1) full fluorescence spectra in vectorized format, 2) full absorbance spectra, and 3) summary file of commonly extracted optical indicators and field-based sensor arrays.

Fluorescence and absorbance spectra were measured in discrete surface water samples collected during three sampling campaigns (Nov 2022, Mar/Apr 2023, Jul 2023) on the Illinois Waterway (IWW) and Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS), which are the primary drainage of the Illinois River Basin (IRB). Water sampling was conducted concurrently with a boat-based water quality mapping effort using the Fast Limnology Automated Measurement (FLAMe) system (Crawford et al., 2015). Each campaign began in the Chicago metropolitan area, and after having sampled Lake Michigan, entered into the upper extent of the IWW, sampling through the CAWS into the lower reaches of the Des Plaines River and finally the Illinois River. After 8-10 days of traveling downriver through the IWW, sampling ended in the Mississippi River upstream of St Louis, Missouri. Discrete water quality samples were collected from various sites that include main channel, tributaries, and off-channel areas (e.g., backwaters) from a depth of 1 meter (m), typically in the center of the channel or aquatic feature. Between 25 and 40 sites were sampled per campaign dependent upon river conditions and boat accessibility. Data reported here are compiled into three tables: 1) full fluorescence spectra in vectorized format, 2) full absorbance spectra, and 3) summary optical measurements commonly used in statistical analyses.

The goal of this study was to develop a suite of inter-related water quality monitoring approaches capable of modeling and estimating the spatial and temporal gradients of particulate and dissolved total mercury (THg) concentration, and particulate and dissolved methyl mercury (MeHg), concentration, in surface waters across the Sacramento / San Joaquin River Delta (SSJRD). This suite of monitoring approaches included: a) data collection at fixed continuous monitoring stations (CMS) outfitted with in-situ sensors, b) spatial mapping using boat-mounted flow-through sensors, and c) satellite-based remote sensing. The focus of this specific Child Page is to present laboratory measured spectral data associated with discrete surface water samples collected as part of both the CMS and boat mapping sampling efforts. All laboratory-based measurement presented herein were conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Organic Matter Research Laboratory (OMRL) in Sacramento, Calif. The machine-readable (comma separated value, *.csv) files presented herein include spectral data collected using two different instruments: 1) Laboratory-based absorbance and fluorescence measurements on filtered water using an Aqualog (Hansen and others, 2018) and 2) Laboratory-based absorption measurements using a Varian Cary spectrophotometer on particulate samples collected on glass fiber filters (Kishino and others, 1985; Roesler, 1998). The reported spectral data includes: 1) fluorescence intensities across a wide range of excitation (240 to 800 nm) and emission (250 to 800 nm) wavelengths expressed as an excitation-emission matrix (EEM), 2) absorbance of light (from 239 nm to 800 nm) due to dissolved and colloidal substances, and 3) absorption coefficients (from 350 nm to 715 nm) for particulates using the quantitative filter technique (QFT).

Field measurements of various optical properties of the water column were acquired from a reach of the upper Sacramento River in northern California, September 13, 2017, to support research on remote sensing of rivers, particularly estimation of water depth from passive optical image data. The field measurements included in this data release include several parameters measured with three different instruments. A WetLabs EcoTriplet multi-probe was used to measure the volume scattering coefficient (Beta) at 700 nm, the scattering coefficient (b) at 700 nm, chlorophyll concentration, colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) concentration, and turbidity. A Sequoia Scientific LISST-100X was used to measure the total mass concentration of suspended sediment and the particle size distribution of that sediment. A WetLabs ac-s was used to measure spectra of the beam absorption (a) and beam attenuation (c) coefficients at 81 wavelengths from 399.6-746.5 nm. All measurements were made from a boat by lowering each sensor into the water in turn. Each instrument was allowed to measure a time series of data for 2-3 minutes and the values reported in this data release are time averages over the entire sample duration. Data were collected at three locations near the confluence of Cottonwood Creek with the Sacramento River and positions were recorded with a Trimble Geo7X GPS receiver; the original GPS data was differentially corrected using permanent GPS base stations with the Trimble Pathfinder Office software program. The coordinates of each measurement are included in the files comprising this data release and are in the UTM Zone 10N projection and NAD83 datum, with units of meters. Software provided by the manufacturer of each instrument was used to control the sensor in the field, record data to a computer, and export the raw data. Additional data processing (i.e., organization, plotting, and time averaging) was completed using custom functions developed in MATLAB. This data release consists of .csv files with the time-averaged values of each optical parameter at each of the three measurement locations; please see the metadata for further information on these files. This field-based data set played a valuable role in developing improved methods for mapping river bathymetry from remotely sensed data and understanding the limitations of spectrally based depth retrieval. In addition to these measurements from the Sacramento River, this data release includes a compilation of similar optical field data from several other rivers where studies have been conducted to develop methods for remote sensing of river bathymetry. These data were all collected using the methods and instruments described above for the Sacaramento River and provide a database for evaluating the effects of water column optical properties on spectrally based depth retrieval. This compilation is provided in .csv data files and a Google Earth .kmz file with locations.

To support an investigation of the feasibility of measuring river bathymetry using remotely sensed data, remotely sensed bathymetry and field measurements were collected on the Colorado River near Lees Ferry, AZ on September 23, 2019. The data in this release include optical measurements using the following sensors: WET Labs ECO, and WET Labs ac-s. The WET Labs ECO provides measurements of turbidity and chlorophyll and colored dissolved organic matter concentration. The WET Labs ac-s provides information of the absorption and attenuation coefficients of the water sampled across a range of wavelengths.

This data release contains the results from a study that characterized the concentration and quality of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the McKenzie River, a relatively pristine watershed in western Oregon, and its link to forming disinfection by-products (DBPs) in treated drinking water. The study aimed to identify the primary source(s) of DOC in source water for the Eugene Water and Electric Board’s (EWEB) conventional treatment plant on the McKenzie River near river mile 11, upstream of Hayden Bridge. The two classes of regulated compounds examined—trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs)—form when organic carbon in raw source water reacts with chlorine and (or) bromine during water treatment. The data release includes six general types of data: 1) the concentration of dissolved organic carbon in filtered water samples; 2) the concentration of disinfection by-products (DBPs) in finished (treated) drinking water; 3) raw absorbance data for filtered water samples; 4) fluorescence excitation-emission matrices in vectorized format; 5) Parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) component loadings for the fluorescence excitation-emission matrices; and 6) the percentages of different land cover for the watersheds draining to the sampled sites.

Field measurements of various optical properties of the water column were acquired from a single location on the Kootenai River in northern Idaho, September 26-27, 2017, to support research on remote sensing of rivers, particularly estimation of water depth from passive optical image data. The field measurements included in this data release include several parameters measured with three different instruments. A WetLabs EcoTriplet multi-probe was used to measure the volume scattering coefficient (Beta) at 700 nm, the back-scattering coefficient (b_b) at 700 nm, chlorophyll concentration, colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) concentration, and turbidity. A Sequoia Scientific LISST-100X was used to measure the total mass concentration of suspended sediment and the particle size distribution of that sediment. A WetLabs ac-s was used to measure spectra of the beam absorption (a) and beam attenuation (c) coefficients at 81 wavelengths from 399.6-746.5 nm. All measurements were made from a dock at the Kootenai Tribal Fish Hatchery near Bonners Ferry, ID, by lowering each sensor into the water in turn. Each instrument was allowed to measure a time series of data for 2-3 minutes and the values reported in this data release are time averages over the entire sample duration. The coordinates of the measurements are included in the files comprising this data release and are in the UTM Zone 11N projection and NAD83 datum, with units of meters. Software provided by the manufacturer of each instrument was used to control the sensor in the field, record data to a computer, and export the raw data. Additional data processing (i.e., organization, plotting, and time averaging) was completed using custom functions developed in MATLAB. This data release consists of .csv files with the time-averaged values of each optical parameter; please see the metadata for further information on these files. This field-based data set played a valuable role in developing improved methods for mapping river bathymetry from remotely sensed data and understanding the limitations of spectrally based depth retrieval. In addition to these measurements from the Kootenai River, this data release includes a compilation of similar optical field data from several other rivers where studies have been conducted to develop methods for remote sensing of river bathymetry. These data were all collected using the methods and instruments described above for the Kootenai River and provide a database for evaluating the effects of water column optical properties on spectrally based depth retrieval. This compilation is provided in .csv data files and a Google Earth .kmz file with locations.

Here, we present data supporting temporal variability and sources of PFAS in the Rio Grande through an arid urban area using high-frequency sampling and novel samplers. Data are compiled into two tables: 1) full fluorescence spectra in vectorized format, and 2) summary file of concentrations of total dissolved nitrogen and commonly extracted field-based sensor arrays. Data are reported from two sites at Rio Grande, New Mexico during a 24-hour collection period. Two field blanks, one field replicate, and two laboratory replicates are reported for 26 environmental samples.

5-day composite river water samples were collected from two sites: Menomonee River (U.S. Geological Survey station number 04087142) and Underwood Creek (U.S. Geological Survey station number 04087088) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 5-day composite wastewater (raw sewage) influent samples were also collected from the Jones Island Water Reclamation Facility (U.S. Geological Survey station number 430125087540400). 5-day composite samples were collected from 2017 to 2019. Grab samples and time-series data (one-hour streamflow and 10-minute optical sensor measurements) were also collected from the Menomonee River (U.S. Geological Survey station number 04087142) site from 2017 to 2018, which are presented in this data release. Both 5-day composite and grab samples were analyzed for absorbance spectra and fluorescence excitation-emission matrices (EEMs), which are also presented in this data release. 5-day composite and grab samples were also analyzed for waterborne pathogens, human-associated and fecal-indicator bacteria, dissolved organic carbon and pharmaceutical compounds, which are archived in the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System (NWIS; http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis). The data presented in this data release and the data collected and archived in NWIS were used to develop models using ordinary least squares regression (two-single site models) and linear mixed effect models (R package lme4; eight multi-site models) and are presented as a “child item” to this data release. Concentrations of human-associated bacteria and fecal-indicator bacteria were used as response variable. Human-specific bacteria included human bacteroides, and lachnospiraceae. Fecal indicator bacteria included E. coli and enterococci. Turbidity and optical properties of water (various fluorescence and absorbance signals) were used as predictor variables.