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{"Abstract":["Wet stream length and connectivity maps for 3 forested catchments (<75 ha) in each of 4 physiographic provinces of the Appalachian Highlands: the New England, Appalachian Plateau, Valley and Ridge, and Blue Ridge. Maps were developed for 12 headwater catchments under 7 different wetness conditions as represented by stream discharge and characterizing conditions between exceedance probabilities of <5% and >90% of the mean daily discharge. The dataset represents a map (shapefile) of the "wet" stream network on 7 different occasions for the 12 catchments. A \u201cwet stream\u201d location applies to visible surface water greater than 1 m in length at a GPS location.\n These data are described in detail and analyzed in: Jensen, C. K., McGuire, K. J., & Prince, P. S. (2017). Headwater stream length dynamics across four physiographic provinces of the Appalachian Highlands. Hydrological Processes, 31(19), 3350-3363."]} 

Abstract Looking across a landscape, river networks appear deceptively static. However, flowing streams expand and contract following ever-changing hydrological conditions of the surrounding environment. Despite the ecological and biogeochemical value of rivers with discontinuous flow, deciphering the temporary nature of streams and quantifying their extent remains challenging. Using a unique observational dataset spanning diverse geomorphoclimatic settings, we demonstrate the existence of a general hierarchical structuring of river network dynamics. Specifically, temporary stream activation follows a fixed and repeatable sequence, in which the least persistent sections activate only when the most persistent ones are already flowing. This hierarchical phenomenon not only facilitates monitoring activities, but enables the development of a general mathematical framework that elucidates how climate drives temporal variations in the active stream length. As the climate gets drier, the average fraction of the flowing network decreases while its relative variability increases. Our study provides a novel conceptual basis for characterizing temporary streams and quantifying their ecological and biogeochemical impacts.