5. Data

The basic data types collected include runoff, precipitation, weather, and water-quality data. Tables listing details of runoff, precipitation, lysimeter, weather, land-management, and other data are listed in [3] through about 2009 and are not repeated here. Due to specific project, financial, and personnel constraints during NAEW history, data for some watersheds such as runoff, precipitation and other data were not obtained for the entire 79-year period of monitoring. ARS operation of the NAEW ceased in late 2011, however, data collection continued from seven watersheds as part of a grant-funded project through Dec 2015 when all monitoring operations were discontinued. Through 2015, approximately 2125 station years of runoff data and 1126 station years of precipitation data were collected.

harvesting of high value crops, produces yields that are the same or greater than with conventional tillage (especially during droughts), increases soil-carbon storage (resulting in larger soil moisture for crops), and reduces energy needs. The environmental benefits of other types of

Experimental Watersheds at Coshocton, Ohio, USA: Experiences and Establishing New Experimental Watersheds

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.73596

13

Grazing: The NAEW developed environmental recommendations for pasture fertilizer application rates based on nitrogen [13, 14], sources of nitrogen fertility for pastures [15], and over-

Management-Intensive Grazing (MIG): The NAEW management-intensive grazing (MIG) project investigated the water-resource benefits of frequent rotation of livestock between small paddocks in a pasture for organic and non-organic production, and included impacts on surface and subsurface water quality, animal health, and changes in plant species [17]. Potential benefits of MIG to the producer include extended grazing season, less cost, and more leisure

Nutrient movement in stormflow vs. baseflow: Major transport of nutrients can occur in both

Preferential movement of water in soil: Fundamental knowledge from NAEW experiments on the fate of infiltrated water and chemicals in the subsurface through preferred pathways (e.g., earthworm burrows and cracks) has been used by scientists worldwide and in the development of a macropore component of a watershed model [19–21]. Additionally, guidance was

Evaluation of best management practices: A method was published to estimate the variability of chemical concentrations in runoff when there are few water samples and a history of runoff

Pesticide transport: Research on herbicide concentrations for weed control on watersheds showed that concentrations in runoff can reach levels of concern, particularly in the first few events after application, and that by reducing application rates by replacing herbicides with

conservation tillage have also been investigated [9–12].

baseflow and stormflow from mixed agricultural watersheds [18].

developed on manure application in tiled fields [22, 23].

short half-life types, concentrations can be reduced [25–27].

Figure 12. Original no-till experiments on steeply sloping experimental watershed.

using duration curves [24].

wintering practices on grazing lands [16].

time.

At the time of this writing, the NAEW data are being reviewed, corrected, and uniformly formatted from variety of original formats. The location for the data on the internet is yet to be determined. As part of the NAEW data-review process, a GIS of the NAEW has been developed documenting locations of runoff, precipitation, weather stations, etc. GIS will become part of the NAEW data base posted on the web site. The list of NAEW publications will also be posted.

Even though data collection has ceased, the database is valuable for further investigations of hydrology and water quality. Watershed modeling, in particular, can be studied at large (LMC —scaling, spatial parameterization of watershed models, and hydrology) and small scales (small watersheds—watershed modeling, hydrology, and water quality). The long precipitation and runoff records are valuable because they have experienced a wide array of weather conditions, even during a period of trending climate. Other precipitation, infiltration, soil moisture, ground water, and soil characterization data bases have not been analyzed and are available in hard copy form in the NAEW files. These data would have to be converted from hard copy to electronic form.
