Boise State University, Dept of Geosciences, Hydrologic Sciences, Jim McNamara Research Director, 
Pam Aishlin Site Maintenance and Data Management


Data provided herein is for soil instrumentatin site MLN (Mid-low elevation, north-facing) of Dry Creek Experimental Watershed, Boise, Idaho.


DATA STREAM:    

1. Four pits were emplaced by graduate student Toni Smith, Boise State University in 2007.   


2. Data collection and site maintenance is provided by Boise State University Hydrologic Sciences.
 

3. Data files collected via Campbell Scientific datalogger are quality checked and post processed 
for gapfilling, noise filtering and/or corrected according to established instrument calibrations. 
Negative soil values may be replaced with -6999 as no data values. 
 

SITE NOTES:

Soil moisture and soil temperature measurement site.  Site includes four soil pits with sensors at multiple depths, 
2, 15, 30 cm and near bedrock. At this site, MLS, only one of the four pits includes the fourth, 'bedrock' depth. 
This is pit 3, depth 52 cm.  Pits are located at 3 m quadrilateral separation.   
This site is south-facing, located in the Shingle Creek catchment of DCEW.  It is one of 8 soil sites established as 
north-south facing paired sites in 2007, 2008. Geology at this location is Sandy loam over fractured granodiorite.


DATA/INSTRUMENT NOTES:

Sensors initially installed are Decagon ECH2O EC-TM soil moisture and soil temperature sensors. Sensor precision is 
0.001 for volumetric water content (cm3/mc3) and  0.1 celsius for soil temperature.  Sensors were calibrated in-lab at Boise
State University by Toni Smith, in cooperation with Decagon technical support, in accordance with manual specifications
and expected sandy loam soil.  An appropriate datalogger program was written  by Toni Smith in collaboration with Decagon 
technical support. 

An ultrasonic snow depth sensor was installed fall 2012. Snowdepth data was not continously recorded, however, air 
temperature data has been. 


DATA POSTPROCESSING: 
Data gaps and NAN values are filled w/ -6999 as a nodata value.  
Algorithms are used to remove obviously erroneous values, such as negative moisture values and temperature above expected range
of -10 to 40 celsius, as well as obviously 'stuck' values. In some years, these algorithms were not applied in order to preserve 
trends such as occur with soil moisture into the negative range due to sensor calibration offset. 


ANNUAL ERRORS/GAPS/UPDATES:

Data collection initiated June 15, 2008, initially 10 minute data. 30 minute data interval to 10/28/10. 

general- under very dry conditions the sensors may output erroneous, negative value data for soil moisture. 
Moles and/or other  animals chew the sensors and cables. Unexplained sensor failures where no damage is apparent.  


2012 - Data Gap 6/2 - 7/10/12. Installed usd, new program 8/28/12, gapfilled for site visit on 08/28/12. 1800 and 1810, 
data gap 9/12-10/12/2012, 15 minute data beginning 10/12/12.

2013- 

2014 - 

2015 - 2015-only 2 fully working sensors, p1 2cm, p3 2 cm. pit 2 30 cm works partially.  

2016 - Data gaps: sporadic from 11/30, no data after 12/15 due to low battery. 
Only 2 fully working sensors, p1 2cm, p3 2 cm. pit 2 30 cm works partially.  

2017 - Data resumes 7/26/17 w/ new batteries. No further gaps.
 
Raw data values retained except for NAN set to -6999.  Neg soil moisture values (due to offset calibration) may be useful per viewing trends. 
Only 2 fully working sensors, p1 2cm, p3 2 cm. pit 2 30 cm works partially. 

2018 -