Section 3 Basin Characteristics
The basin characteristics (aka covariates) dataset provides a variety of landscape and climate metrics associated with the NECD catchments. These covariates were computed to support the EcoSHEDS stream temperature and brook trout occupancy model. A full list of available variables is provided below.
Each variable was computed both locally within each catchment area, as well as across the entire drainage area of each catchment (i.e., the local catchment plus all upstream catchments). In addition, each variable was computed both across the entire catchment area as well as within riparian buffers of varying distances (50, 100, 200 ft) of the catchment flowlines.
The covariate files can be joined to the Catchment Delineation shapefiles using the mutual featureid column.
Documentation: The following spreadsheet contains a detailed list of the covariates including descriptions, units, and data sources.
Downloads: the covariate datasets are available for download in pre-staged HUC2 regions (corresponding to the Catchment Delineation shapefiles)
- covariates_01.zip: Region 01
- covariates_02.zip: Region 02
- covariates_03.zip: Region 03
- covariates_04.zip: Region 04
- covariates_05.zip: Region 05
- covariates_06.zip: Region 06
Each zip file contains four files:
Catchments##.csv: values computed over entire catchment polygonszonalStatsForDB_riparianBufferDetailed50ft_##.csv: values computed within 50 ft riparian bufferzonalStatsForDB_riparianBufferDetailed100ft_##.csv: values computed within 100 ft riparian bufferzonalStatsForDB_riparianBufferDetailed200ft_##.csv: values computed within 200 ft riparian buffer
Each csv file contains the following columns:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| featureid | catchment ID (joins to FEATUREID attribute in catchments shapefile) |
| variable | variable name |
| value | value |
| zone | local = value computed within catchment polygonupstream = value computed within this and all upstream catchments |
| riparian_distance_ft | riparian buffer distance (ft) if NA then value computed over entire catchment, otherwise value is computed only within this distance from the flowlines |
Variable List: this table lists the available variables (see EcoSHEDS NECD Covariates List.xlsx for more details):
| Group | Variable | Units | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land Cover | agriculture | % | Percent Agriculture | National Land Cover Database (NLCD) - Land Cover |
| Land Cover | alloffnet | % | Off Stream Network Water Bodies | Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) Nat ional Wetlands Inventory |
| Land Cover | allonnet | % | On Stream Network Water Bodies | Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) Nat ional Wetlands Inventory |
| Land Cover | devel_hi | % | Percent Developed, High Intensity | National Land Cover Database (NLCD) - Land Cover |
| Land Cover | devel_low | % | Percent Developed, Low Intensity | National Land Cover Database (NLCD) - Land Cover |
| Land Cover | devel_med | % | Percent Developed, Medium Intensity | National Land Cover Database (NLCD) - Land Cover |
| Land Cover | devel_opn | % | Percent Developed, Open | National Land Cover Database (NLCD) - Land Cover |
| Land Cover | developed | % | Percent Developed | National Land Cover Database (NLCD) - Land Cover |
| Land Cover | forest | % | Percent Forest | National Land Cover Database (NLCD) - Land Cover |
| Land Cover | forest_decid | % | Percent Deciduous Forest | National Land Cover Database (NLCD) - Land Cover |
| Land Cover | forest_evgrn | % | Percent Evergreen Forest | National Land Cover Database (NLCD) - Land Cover |
| Land Cover | forest_mixed | % | Percent Mixed Forest | National Land Cover Database (NLCD) - Land Cover |
| Land Cover | fwsopenwater | % | Percent Open Water | Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) Nat ional Wetlands Inventory |
| Land Cover | fwswetlands | % | Percent Wetland | Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) Nat ional Wetlands Inventory |
| Land Cover | herbaceous | % | Percent Herbaceous | National Land Cover Database (NLCD) - Land Cover |
| Land Cover | impervious | % | Percent Impervious | National Land Cover Database (NLCD) - Impervious |
| Land Cover | openoffnet | % | Off Stream Network Open Water | Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) Nat ional Wetlands Inventory |
| Land Cover | openonnet | % | On Stream Network Open Water | Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) Nat ional Wetlands Inventory |
| Land Cover | tree_canopy | % | Percent Tree Canopy | National Land Cover Database (NLCD) - Tree Canopy |
| Land Cover | undev_forest | % | Percent Undeveloped Forest | National Land Cover Database (NLCD) - Land Cover |
| Land Cover | water | % | Percent Open Water | National Land Cover Database (NLCD) - Land Cover |
| Land Cover | wetland | % | Percent Wetland | National Land Cover Database (NLCD) - Land Cover |
| Human Impacts | deg_barr_1 | % | TNC Dams - Degree Barrier 1 | TNC Dams dataset snapped to high res flowlines (Umass Land Eco Lab) |
| Human Impacts | deg_barr_2 | % | TNC Dams - Degree Barrier 2 | TNC Dams dataset snapped to high res flowlines (Umass Land Eco Lab) |
| Human Impacts | deg_barr_3 | % | TNC Dams - Degree Barrier 3 | TNC Dams dataset snapped to high res flowlines (Umass Land Eco Lab) |
| Human Impacts | deg_barr_4 | % | TNC Dams - Degree Barrier 4 | TNC Dams dataset snapped to high res flowlines (Umass Land Eco Lab) |
| Human Impacts | deg_barr_5 | % | TNC Dams - Degree Barrier 5 | TNC Dams dataset snapped to high res flowlines (Umass Land Eco Lab) |
| Human Impacts | deg_barr_6 | % | TNC Dams - Degree Barrier 6 | TNC Dams dataset snapped to high res flowlines (Umass Land Eco Lab) |
| Human Impacts | deg_barr_7 | % | TNC Dams - Degree Barrier 7 | TNC Dams dataset snapped to high res flowlines (Umass Land Eco Lab) |
| Human Impacts | deg_barr_all | % | TNC Dams - All Degrees of Barrier | TNC Dams dataset snapped to high res flowlines (Umass Land Eco Lab) |
| Human Impacts | dep_no3_2011 | kg/ha | Atmospheric Deposition of NO3 (2011 Total) | National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) |
| Human Impacts | dep_so4_2011 | kg/ha | Atmospheric Deposition of SO4 (2011 Total) | National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) |
| Topography | AreaSqKM | km2 | Total Drainage Area | High Resolution Delineation |
| Topography | elevation | m | Basin Elevation | National Elevation Dataset (NED) - processed by UMass |
| Topography | slope_pcnt | % | Basin Slope | National Elevation Dataset (NED) - processed by UMass |
| Geology | drainageclass | Categorical Average (1-7) | Soil Drainage Class | USDA National Resources Conservation Sciences (NRCS) - Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO) |
| Geology | hydrogroup_a | % | Soil Hydrologic Group A | USDA National Resources Conservation Sciences (NRCS) - Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO) |
| Geology | hydrogroup_ab | % | Soil Hydrologic Group A & B | USDA National Resources Conservation Sciences (NRCS) - Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO) |
| Geology | hydrogroup_cd | % | Soil Hydrologic Group C &D | USDA National Resources Conservation Sciences (NRCS) - Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO) |
| Geology | hydrogroup_d1 | % | Soil Hydrologic Group D (Only) | USDA National Resources Conservation Sciences (NRCS) - Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO) |
| Geology | hydrogroup_d4 | % | Soil Hydrologic Group D (All) | USDA National Resources Conservation Sciences (NRCS) - Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO) |
| Geology | percent_sandy | % | Percent Sandy | USDA National Resources Conservation Sciences (NRCS) - Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO) |
| Geology | surfcoarse | % | Surficial Coarseness | USDA National Resources Conservation Sciences (NRCS) - Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO) |
| Climate | ann_tmax_c | degrees C | Average Maximum Annual Temperature | PRISM Climate Group |
| Climate | ann_tmin_c | degrees C | Average Minimum Annual Temperature | PRISM Climate Group |
| Climate | apr_prcp_mm | mm | Average April Precipitation | PRISM Climate Group |
| Climate | aug_prcp_mm | mm | Average August Precipitation | PRISM Climate Group |
| Climate | dec_prcp_mm | mm | Average December Precipitation | PRISM Climate Group |
| Climate | feb_prcp_mm | mm | Average February Precipitation | PRISM Climate Group |
| Climate | jan_prcp_mm | mm | Average January Precipitation | PRISM Climate Group |
| Climate | jul_prcp_mm | mm | Average July Precipitation | PRISM Climate Group |
| Climate | jun_prcp_mm | mm | Average June Precipitation | PRISM Climate Group |
| Climate | mar_prcp_mm | mm | Average March Precipitation | PRISM Climate Group |
| Climate | may_prcp_mm | mm | Average May Precipitation | PRISM Climate Group |
| Climate | nov_prcp_mm | mm | Average November Precipitation | PRISM Climate Group |
| Climate | oct_prcp_mm | mm | Average October Precipitation | PRISM Climate Group |
| Climate | sep_prcp_mm | mm | Average September Precipitation | PRISM Climate Group |