Variables in Network Analysis

This network analysis calculates the values of 57 variables for incremental gaged areas (IGAs), which are the drainage areas of each gage downstream of other gages and, if source data are spatially continuous, for 12-digit hydrologic unit code watersheds (HUC12s). The variable "type" determines the values used creating for cumulative distributions and the criteria for identifying priority monitoring areas.

Variable Descriptions

Topic and Variable Units Source Spatial Extent and Resolution of Source Data Variable Type
Physical Geography
MeanElev: Mean elevation of land surface meters above sea level Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments gradient
DrainageArea: Drainage area based on routing of NHD catchments (CONUS) or HUC12s (non-CONUS) square kilometers Wieczorek and others (2018); USGS (2021) US; either NHD catchments or HUC12s (drainage area extends to downstream end of catchment or HUC12 that encompasses the gage and will be larger than drainage area delineated upstream from the gage) gradient
SurfGeol: Fraction of area in dominant surficial geologic class from Soller and others (2009) fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments multicategory
BasinSlope: Mean basin slope meter per meter Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments gradient
StreamSlope: Mean stream slope meter per meter Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments gradient
Water Balance and Extreme Flows
PPT: Normal annual precipitation volume for 1971-2000 cubic kilometers per year Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments value-value
ET: Actual mean annual evapotranspiration volume for 2000-2009 estimated from Simplified Surface Energy Balance cubic kilometers per year Maupin and others (2012); Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments value-value
Withdrawals: Surface water and groundwater withdrawal volume for 2010 estimated as product of county-mean value and IGA or HUC12 area cubic kilometers per year Maupin and others (2014); Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments value-value
IncrQmean: Difference in median annual mean streamflow between upstream and downstream gages for IGA cubic meters per second USGS (2021) USGS streamflow gages with 5 years of daily streamflow values for water years 1981 to 2020 value-dvalue
IncrQmin: Difference in median annual minimum daily streamflow between upstream and downstream gages for IGA cubic meters per second USGS (2021) USGS streamflow gages with 5 years of daily streamflow values for water years 1981 to 2020 value-dvalue
IncrQmax: Difference in median annual maximum daily streamflow between upstream and downstream gages for IGA cubic meters per second USGS (2021) USGS streamflow gages with 5 years of daily streamflow values for water years 1981 to 2020 value-dvalue
Hydroperiod: Median annual fraction of year that daily mean streamflow > 0 at the downstream gage fraction of year USGS (2021) USGS streamflow gages with 5 years of daily streamflow values for water years 1981 to 2020 gradient
Water Quality
ImpairedWQ: Stream segments listed as impaired for water quality under the Clean Water Act, Section 303d kilometers USEPA (2014) US; spatially continuous logical-length
MajorNPDES: Major discharges permitted under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System count Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments value-value
IncrTDS: Mean annual incremental (difference between upstream and downstream) load of total dissolved solids detrended for 2000 base year metric tons per year Anning and Flynn (2014) USGS streamflow gages in CONUS with published long-term mean annual total dissolved solids load value-dvalue
IncrTN: Mean annual incremental (difference between upstream and downstream) load of total nitrogen detrended for 2012 base year metric tons per year Saad and others (2019) USGS streamflow gages in CONUS with long-term mean annual total nitrogen load value-dvalue
IncrTP: Mean annual incremental (difference between upstream and downstream) load of total phosphorous detrended for 2012 base year metric tons per year Saad and others (2019) USGS streamflow gages in CONUS with long-term mean annual total phosphorous load value-dvalue
IncrTSS: Mean annual incremental (difference between upstream and downstream) load of total suspended sediment detrended for 2012 base year metric tons per year Saad and others (2019) USGS streamflow gages in CONUS with published long-term mean annual total suspended sediment load value-dvalue
Climate
ClimDiv: Fraction of IGA in dominant NOAA climate division (nCLIMDIV) fraction of area NOAA (2020) US; spatially continuous multicategory
MinTempLT0: Fraction of IGA or HUC12 where normal annual minimum monthly temperature is less than zero fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments mean-area
CoastalStreams: Stream segments in catchments with a minimum elevation less than 10 m ABSL kilometers Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments logical-length
Ecological Integrity
Ecoregion: Fraction of IGA or HUC12 in dominant Ecoregion Level III fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments multicategory
WildScenicRivers: Fraction of stream length in IGA or HUC designated as Wild and Scenic River kilometers National Wild and Scenic Rivers Systems (2019) US; spatially continuous logical-length
Undeveloped: Fraction of IGA or HUC12 with codes 11, 12, 41, 42, 43, 52, 71, 90, or 95 (water, barren, snow/ice, shrub, grass, forest, or wetland) fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments mean-area
Wilderness: Fraction of IGA or HUC12 designated as Wilderness fraction of area USGS (2000) US; spatially continuous mean-area
ReservoirRegulation: Normal reservoir storage for drainage area divided by annual precipitation volume for drainage area years USACE (2013); Konrad and others (2022) CONUS; large dams gradient
Land Cover
Barren: National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD) 2016 code 31 fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments mean-area
Water: NLCD 2016 code 11 fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments mean-area
SnowIce: NLCD 2016 code 12 fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments mean-area
Wetland: NLCD 2016 code 90 or 95 fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments mean-area
Forest: NLCD 2016 code 41, 42, or 43 fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments mean-area
Shrub: NLCD 2016 code 52 fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments mean-area
Grass: NLCD 2016 code 71 fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments mean-area
Pasture: NLCD 2016 code 81 fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments mean-area
Cultivated: NLCD 2016 code 82 fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments mean-area
DevOpen: NLCD 2016 code 21 fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments mean-area
DevLowMed: NLCD 2016 code 22 or 23 fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments mean-area
DevHigh: NLCD 2016 code 24 fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments mean-area
RiparianBarren: NLCD 2011 code 31 in 50 m buffer around streams fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments mean-area
RiparianWater: NLCD 2011 code 11 in 50 m buffer around streams fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments mean-area
RiparianSnowIce: NLCD 2011 code 12 in 50 m buffer around streams fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments mean-area
RiparianWetland: NLCD 2011 code 90 or 95 in 50 m buffer around streams fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments mean-area
RiparianForest: NLCD 2011 code 41, 42, or 43 in 50 m buffer around streams fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments mean-area
RiparianShrub: NLCD 2011 code 52 in 50 m buffer around streams fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments mean-area
RiparianGrass: NLCD 2011 code 71 in 50 m buffer around streams fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments mean-area
RiparianPasture: NLCD 2011 code 81 in 50 m buffer around streams fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments mean-area
RiparianCultivated: NLCD 2011 code 82 in 50 m buffer around streams fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments mean-area
RiparianDevOpen: NLCD 2011 code 21 in 50 m buffer around streams fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments mean-area
RiparianDevLowMed: NLCD 2011 code 22 or 23 in 50 m buffer around streams fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments mean-area
RiparianDevHigh: NLCD 2011 code 24 in 50 m buffer around streams fraction of area Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments mean-area
Land Management
NativeAmerican: Fraction of IGA or HUC12 managed by Native American tribes fraction of area USGS (2014) CONUS; spatially continuous mean-area
BLM: Fraction of IGA or HUC12 managed by Bureau of Land Management fraction of area USGS (2014) US; spatially continuous mean-area
NPS: Fraction of IGA or HUC12 managed by National Park Service fraction of area USGS (2014) US; spatially continuous mean-area
FWS: Fraction of IGA or HUC12 managed by US Fish and Wildlife Service fraction of area USGS (2014) US; spatially continuous mean-area
FS: Fraction of IGA or HUC12 managed by US Forest Service fraction of area USGS (2014) US; spatially continuous mean-area
DOD: Fraction of IGA or HUC12 managed by Deparment of Defense fraction of area USGS (2014) US; spatially continuous mean-area
Population
Population: Number of people count Wieczorek and others (2018) CONUS; NHD catchments value-value

Sources

Maupin, M.A, Senay, G.B., Kenny, J.F., and Savoca, M.E., 2012, A comparison of consumptive-use estimates derived from the simplified surface energy balance approach and indirect reporting methods: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5005, 8 p.

National Wild and Scenic Rivers System,2019, Wild and Scenic Rivers, accessed at https://www.rivers.gov/mapping-gis.php on March 25, 2021.

NOAA, 2020, Climate Divisions, accessed at ftp://ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/cirs/climdiv/ on December 21, 2020.

Saad, D.A., Schwarz, G.E., Argue, D.M., Anning, D.W., Ator, S.W., Hoos, A.B., Preston, S.D., Robertson, D.M., and Wise, D.R., 2019, Estimates of long-term mean daily streamflow and annual nutrient and suspended-sediment loads considered for use in regional SPARROW models of the conterminous United States, 2012 base year: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2019–5069, 51 p., accessed at https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20195069 on June 16, 2022.

Soller, D.R., Reheis, M.C., Garrity, C.P., and Van Sistine, D.R., 2009, Map database for surficial materials in the conterminous United States: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 425, scale 1:5,000,000.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2013, National Inventory of Dams, accessed at https://nid.sec.usace.army.mil/ on March 22, 2022.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2014), 303(d) Listed Impaired Waters, accessed at https://www.epa.gov/ceam/303d-listed-impaired-waters#national on March 22, 2022.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2000, Wilderness Areas in the United States, accessed at https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/4fc8f0e4e4b0bffa8ab259e7 on April 15, 2020.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2014, 1:1,000,000-Scale Federal Lands of the United States, accessed at https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/5d150464e4b0941bde5b7654 on October 18, 2020.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2014, 1:1,000,000-Scale Indian Lands of the United States, National Atlas of the United States, accessed at https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/5d150464e4b0941bde5b7658 on October 18, 2020.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2021, National Water Information System, accessed at http://dx.doi.org/10.5066/F7P55KJN on November 7, 2021.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2022, Watershed Boundary Dataset, accessed at https://www.usgs.gov/core-science-systems/ngp/national-hydrography/watershed-boundary-dataset on April 8, 2022.

Wieczorek, M.E., Jackson, S.E., and Schwarz, G.E., 2021, Select Attributes for NHDPlus Version 2.1 Reach Catchments and Modified Network Routed Upstream Watersheds for the Conterminous United States (ver. 3.0, January 2021): U.S. Geological Survey data release, accessed at https://doi.org/10.5066/F7765D7V on June 16, 2022.