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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". 

Assessing the uncertainty associated with projections of climate change impacts on hydrological processes can be challenging due to multiple sources of uncertainties within and between climate and hydrological models. Here we compare the effects of parameter uncertainty in a hydrological model to inter-model spread from climate projections on hydrological projections of urban streamflow in response to climate change. Four hourly climate model outputs from the RCP8.5 scenario were used as inputs to a distributed hydrologic model (SWMM) calibrated using a Bayesian approach to summarize uncertainty intervals for both model parameters and streamflow predictions. Continuous simulation of 100 years of streamflow generated 90 % prediction intervals for selected exceedance probabilities and flood frequencies prediction intervals from single climate models were compared to the inter climate model spread resulting from a single calibration of the SWMM model. There will be an increase in future flows with exceedance probabilities of 0.5 %-50 % and 2-year floods for all climate projections and all 21st century periods, for the modeled Ohio (USA) watershed. Floods with return periods of ≥ 5 years increase relative to the historical from mid-century (2046–2070) for most climate projections and parameter sets. Across the four climate models, the 90th percentile increase in flows and floods ranges from 17-108 % and 11–63 % respectively. Using multiple calibration parameter sets and climate projections helped capture the most likely hydrologic outcomes, as well as upper and lower bounds of future predictions. For this watershed, hydrological model parameter uncertainty was large relative to inter climate model spread, for near term moderate to high flows and for many flood frequencies. The uncertainty quantification and comparison approach developed here may be helpful in decision-making and design of engineering infrastructure in urban watersheds. 

This dataset contains stream bed material size distributions for 39 stream reaches along 12 streams in and near Cuyahoga County, Ohio. All data were collected using the Wolman pebble count technique (Wolman, 1954), in either transect or zig-zag forms (Bunte and Abt, 2001). Data were collected between 2016 and 2023 over the course of several projects. 

The CUAHSI Virtual University is an interinstitutional graduate training framework that was developed to increase access to specialized hydrology courses for graduate students from participating US institutions. The program was designed to capitalize on the benefits of collaborative teaching, allowing students to differentiate their learning and access subject matter experts at multiple institutions, while enrolled in a single course at their home institution, through a framework of reciprocity. Although the CUAHSI Virtual University was developed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the resilience of its online education model to such disruptions to classroom teaching increases the urgency of understanding how effective such an approach is at achieving its goals and what challenges multi-institutional graduate training faces for sustainability and expansion within the water sciences or in other disciplines. To gain faculty perspectives on the program, we surveyed (1) water science graduate program faculty who had served as instructors in the program, (2) water science graduate program faculty who were aware of the program, but had not participated, and (3) departmental chairs of participating instructors. Our data show widespread agreement across respondent types that the program is positive for students, diversifying their educational opportunities and increasing access to subject matter experts. Concerns and factors limiting faculty involvement revolved around faculty workload and administrative barriers, including low enrollment at individual institutions. If these barriers can be surmounted, the CUAHSI Virtual University has the potential for wider participation within hydrology and adoption in other STEM disciplines.