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Multiple types of data were collected at four sites along West Creek in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Each site had a large piece of anthropogenic debris; water tank, shopping cart, concrete pipe, round metal and concrete base. GPS survey data were collected in spring and fall of 2023 and spring and summer of 2024. Data was also collected on between 10 and 16 0.5msq patches at each site. They were photographed in the fall of 2022, spring and fall of 2023 and spring and summer of 2024. A modified Pebble Counts workflow (Purinton and Bookhagen 2021) was used to create a dataset of b-axis measurements. 

Trash is a pervasive form of pollution in aquatic ecosystems. A lot of work has been done on trash in the ocean, but less work on trash in streams and rivers and how they contribute to this worldwide problem. This work is focused on trash in urban stream ecosystems, where it is, and how it moves. Mark-recapture trash surveys were performed in Potash Brook, an urban stream in South Burlington, Vermont. In four reaches, data on the location of the trash and its properties were recorded along 30 m transects. Repeat surveys were conducted on at least 4 subsequent dates during summer and fall 2024, and 5 dates in 2025. The trash was only removed during the last fall sampling date each year. Residence times were calculated as days between the surveys when the trash was first seen and when it was no longer found. 

This study was on anthropogenic debris (trash) in urban streams around Cuyahoga County, Ohio and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Ten stream reaches were visited in North Carolina. Fourteen stream reaches were visited in 2021 and 11 were re-visited in 2024 in Ohio. The data collected were on the physical properties of the trash and their location within the stream. Within each 50 m reach, 4-6 transects were created across the stream channel and every piece of trash within 2 m of the transect was included. Cluster analysis on the variables collected was used to create morphospecies of trash and microhabitats within the stream. Data analysis was done using those clusters and including environmental and land use data from the reaches and surrounding areas. Manuscript in prep (Stumpf et al.) 

Clay tiles and tracer particles were deployed in Mill Creek in Cleveland, OH to investigate how biofilm and streambed materials respond to high flow events. Ten cross-sectional transects were established evenly across a 100-meter reach where cinderblocks with 16 unglazed clay tiles were buried in the streambed near the deepest part of the channel to promote biofilm growth. Particles of sizes corresponding to the 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile of the substrate size classes at each transect were painted and numbered for use as tracer particles. Samples from the tiles were collected after each high-flow event and measured their biomass using chlorophyll a (chla) and ash-free dry mass (AFDM). Movement of tracer particles (yes/no) was recorded to estimate how much of the streambed moved. 

Water quality sensors were placed in 3 urban streams in Cleveland, OH and 4 urban streams in Denver, CO to estimate stream metabolism and assess response to high flow events. MiniDOT (dissolved oxygen and temperature) and Onset (specific conductance) sensors were placed mid-channel near USGS gages. Light was measured as global horizontal irradiance (GHI) and supplied by SolCast. Data collection was part of the NSF STORMS project (PI Jefferson, co-PIs Costello, Bhaskar, Turner). Specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, and light were measured every 10 minutes. Sensors were removed during winter months to avoid damage. Datasets were cleaned to remove values when sensors were out of water, buried, and removed for maintenance/calibration. 

To examine relationships between in-stream debris concentrations and different geomorphologic characteristics, catchment characteristics, and catchment and riparian land cover in US urban streams, we collected data on debris (>5 cm), large wood, cross-section and longitudinal profiles, and sediment sizes in 24 stream reaches in two metropolitan areas (Cleveland, Ohio; Charlotte, North Carolina). This dataset supports analyses published in: Farooq, N., Jefferson, A.J., Greising, C., Kearns, K., Muratori, S., Snyder, K. 2025. Prediction of anthropogenic debris and its association with geomorphology in US urban streams. Science of the Total Environment. 975: 179317. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179317 (open access) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969725009532 

Anthropogenic debris in urban streams is a persistent environmental problem, yet previous studies have focused largely on how land use influences debris concentrations, while neglecting the potential role of fluvial geomorphology in mediating storage. To examine relationships between in-stream debris concentrations and different geomorphologic characteristics, catchment characteristics, and catchment and riparian land cover in US urban streams, we collected data on debris (>5 cm), large wood, cross-section and longitudinal profiles, and sediment sizes in 24 stream reaches in two metropolitan areas (Cleveland, Ohio; Charlotte, North Carolina). Debris concentrations ranged from 0.18 to 4.7 pieces/m bankfull width, with an average of 1.55 pieces/m. Plastic comprised 71.8 % of the collected debris, and in two reaches with repeated measurements, debris re-accumulated quickly following removal. In city-specific multiple linear regression models, debris concentrations across stream reaches was explained as well or better by geomorphologic variables than GIS variables, but when data from the two cities were combined, the opposite was true. Cross-section characteristics were among the strongest predictors of debris concentration in both cities. Our analysis suggests that roughness associated with stream banks plays an important role in debris storage, through trapping debris on riparian vegetation and by creating width constrictions that lead to low velocity zones and debris settling on the bed. Future work on interactions between bank and vegetative roughness and anthropogenic debris may reveal generalizable predictors of debris storage in urban streams. 

This dataset contains turbidity data and storm event characters of three urban watersheds in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Turbidity data were collected at a frequency of 10 minutes using in-situ Cyclop-7 turbidimeters designed by Turner Designs and integrated with a Cyclops-7 logger by Precision Measurement Engineering, Inc. Data were collected for three years from September 2018 to 2021. Turbidity data is harmonized with instantaneous discharge data from USGS stream gages. Event characteristics contains runoff, precipitation and antecedent characteristics. The data support the findings of the study titled "Urbanization and Suspended Sediment Transport Dynamics: A Comparative Study of Watersheds with Varying Degree of Urbanization using Concentration-Discharge Hysteresis". 

Suspended sediment is a critical water quality parameter and an indicator of geomorphic processes, but suspended sediment dynamics in urban streams may not conform to the first-flush model widely used for other pollutants. We analyzed discharge and turbidity data for 367 events from three urban watersheds (impervious cover 16–45%) in Cleveland, Ohio (USA). Less intensely urbanized watersheds exhibit higher turbidity compared to that of the most highly urbanized watershed. Proportionally, more counterclockwise hysteresis is observed in the two less urbanized watersheds, and more clockwise hysteresis occurs in the highly urbanized watershed. However, hysteresis patterns are driven by different mechanisms in each watershed, and geomorphic analysis was critical to identifying the underlying mechanisms. In the least urbanized watershed, spatial rainfall variability controls sediment hysteresis. In the intermediate watershed, the erosion of upstream weathered shale banks during dry periods plays a significant role in the sediment supply and shaping hysteresis. In the most urbanized watershed, high eroding banks in downstream reaches lead to more frequent clockwise hysteresis. Overall, we suggest that as the impervious surfaces increase, the availability of instream sediments (bed and banks) plays an increased role in suspended sediment dynamics, and geomorphology remains essential for guiding management decisions.