This data release describes micrometeorological and soil-moisture data collected from January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2016 at the Amargosa Desert Research Site adjacent to a low-level radioactive waste and hazardous chemical waste facility near Beatty, Nevada. Micrometeorological data include precipitation, solar radiation, net radiation, air temperature, relative humidity, saturated and ambient vapor pressure, wind speed and direction, barometric pressure, near-surface soil temperature, soil-heat flux, and soil-water content. Soil-moisture data include periodic measurements of volumetric water-content at four experimental sites that represent vegetated native soil, devegetated native soil, and two simulated waste disposal trenches—maximum measurement depths range from 5.25 to 29.25 meters. All data are compiled in electronic spreadsheets that are included with this release.

This data release describes micrometeorological and soil-moisture data collected from January 1, 2017 through May 31, 2019 at the Amargosa Desert Research Site adjacent to a low-level radioactive waste and hazardous chemical waste facility near Beatty, Nevada. Micrometeorological data include precipitation, solar radiation, air temperature, relative humidity, saturated and ambient vapor pressure, wind speed and direction, barometric pressure, and soil-water content. Soil-moisture data include periodic measurements of volumetric water-content at four experimental sites that represent vegetated native soil, devegetated native soil, and two simulated waste disposal trenches—maximum measurement depths range from 5.25 to 29.25 meters. All data are compiled in electronic spreadsheets that are included with this release.

This data release describes micrometeorological and soil-moisture data collected from January 1, 2017 through May 31, 2019 at the Amargosa Desert Research Site adjacent to a low-level radioactive waste and hazardous chemical waste facility near Beatty, Nevada. Micrometeorological data include precipitation, solar radiation, air temperature, relative humidity, saturated and ambient vapor pressure, wind speed and direction, barometric pressure, and soil-water content. Soil-moisture data include periodic measurements of volumetric water-content at four experimental sites that represent vegetated native soil, devegetated native soil, and two simulated waste disposal trenches—maximum measurement depths range from 5.25 to 29.25 meters. All data are compiled in electronic spreadsheets that are included with this release.

These data were compiled for monitoring and analyzing the amount of windblown (aeolian) sediment at 100 cm height near Moab, UT. Big Springs Number Eight (BSNE) field aeolian passive sediment traps are summarized by location and time period in shapefiles. Shapefiles also include attributes used to analyze patterns in the aeolian transport. Three different BSNE shapefiles represent 1) a network of BSNEs in a variety of rangelands, 2) BSNEs along downwind edges of unpaved roads where they run perpendicular to the dominant wind direction, and 3) long term BSNE sites used to test imporance of climate trends on aeolian transport. Also included in this data archive are raster files that were created from the BSNE data using statistical modeling approaches. These rasters represent predicted windblown sediment horizontal mass flux over the spring 2013 to spring 2015 time period.

These data were compiled for monitoring and analyzing the amount of windblown (aeolian) sediment at 100 cm height near Moab, UT. Big Springs Number Eight (BSNE) field aeolian passive sediment traps are summarized by location and time period in shapefiles. Shapefiles also include attributes used to analyze patterns in the aeolian transport. Three different BSNE shapefiles represent 1) a network of BSNEs in a variety of rangelands, 2) BSNEs along downwind edges of unpaved roads where they run perpendicular to the dominant wind direction, and 3) long term BSNE sites used to test imporance of climate trends on aeolian transport. Also included in this data archive are raster files that were created from the BSNE data using statistical modeling approaches. These rasters represent predicted windblown sediment horizontal mass flux over the spring 2013 to spring 2015 time period.

Selected evapotranspiration data were collected from 7/5/2011 to 1/1/2017 at the Amargosa Desert Research Site (ADRS, https://nevada.usgs.gov/adrs/) in support of ongoing research to improve the understanding of hydrologic and contaminant-transport processes in arid environments. The data presented in this data release includes 30-minute and daily evapotranspiration and associated energy-balance fluxes, precipitation, soil water content, air and soil temperature, wind speed and direction, humidity, and photosynthetically active radiation. Data methods follow those described in Moreo and others (2017). This is the third in a series of three releases of evapotranspiration data, which has been measured continuously at the ADRS since 2002.

Aeromagnetic data were collected along flight lines by instruments in an aircraft that recorded magnetic-field values and locations. This dataset presents latitude, longitude, altitude, and magnetic-field values.

These data were compiled to assess time series data of aeolian sediment collections across varying climates, vegetation cover, and land uses on the Colorado Plateau. The objectives of our study were to interpret aeolian erosion and deposition processes and measure horizontal sediment flux over the span of two decades amid rapidly changing climate conditions and multiple land use changes within the study area. These data represent the seasonally accumulated horizontal sediment flux from different landscapes within the Colorado Plateau measured using Big Springs Number Eight (BSNE) dust samplers. These data were collected in Grand, San Juan, and Wayne County, Utah and Mesa Country, Colorado with sample collections ranging from 1998 to 2023. These data were collected by the United States Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Canyonlands Research Station staff based in Moab, Utah during field sampling trips that occurred three times per year to collect sediment samples and process collected samples in the laboratory. These data can be used to understand long-term patterns of aeolian sediment flux within a range of Colorado Plateau ecosystems and investigate how land management decisions at certain sites has impacted aeolian sediment fluxes.

These data were compiled to assess time series data of aeolian sediment collections across varying climates, vegetation cover, and land uses on the Colorado Plateau. The objectives of our study were to interpret aeolian erosion and deposition processes and measure horizontal sediment flux over the span of two decades amid rapidly changing climate conditions and multiple land use changes within the study area. These data represent the seasonally accumulated horizontal sediment flux from different landscapes within the Colorado Plateau measured using Big Springs Number Eight (BSNE) dust samplers. These data were collected in Grand, San Juan, and Wayne County, Utah and Mesa Country, Colorado with sample collections ranging from 1998 to 2023. These data were collected by the United States Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Canyonlands Research Station staff based in Moab, Utah during field sampling trips that occurred three times per year to collect sediment samples and process collected samples in the laboratory. These data can be used to understand long-term patterns of aeolian sediment flux within a range of Colorado Plateau ecosystems and investigate how land management decisions at certain sites has impacted aeolian sediment fluxes.

Abstract from SIR 2017-5079: This report documents methodology and results of a study to evaluate groundwater discharge by evapotranspiration (GWET) in sparsely vegetated areas of Amargosa Desert and improve understanding of hydrologic-continuum processes controlling groundwater discharge. Evapotranspiration and GWET rates were computed and characterized at three sites over 2 years using a combination of micrometeorological, unsaturated zone, and stable-isotope measurements. One site (Amargosa Flat Shallow [AFS]) was in a sparse and isolated area of saltgrass (Distichlis spicata) where the depth to groundwater was 3.8 meters (m). The second site (Amargosa Flat Deep [AFD]) was in a sparse cover of predominantly shadscale (Atriplex confertifolia) where the depth to groundwater was 5.3 m. The third site (Amargosa Desert Research Site [ADRS]), selected as a control site where GWET is assumed to be zero, was located in sparse vegetation dominated by creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) where the depth to groundwater was 110 m. Results indicated that capillary rise brought groundwater to within 0.9 m (at AFS) and 3 m (at AFD) of land surface, and that GWET rates were largely controlled by the slow but relatively persistent upward flow of water through the unsaturated zone in response to atmospheric-evaporative demands. Greater GWET at AFS (50 ± 20 millimeters per year [mm/yr]) than at AFD (16 ± 15 mm/yr) corresponded with its shallower depth to the capillary fringe and constantly higher soil-water content. The stable-isotope dataset for hydrogen (δ2H) and oxygen (δ18O) illustrated a broad range of plant-water-uptake scenarios. The AFS saltgrass and AFD shadscale responded to changing environmental conditions and their opportunistic water use included the time- and depth-variable uptake of unsaturated-zone water derived from a combination of groundwater and precipitation. These results can be used to estimate GWET in other areas of Amargosa Desert where hydrologic conditions are similar.