NorWeST Observed Stream Temperature Points General Metadata

These data were originally intended to be used for managing biological resources and predicting species distributions that are affected by August mean stream temperature.

Note when joining tables that the observed temperature point shapefile for an area may not exactly match the observed database also available for download. Some contributors have chosen not to distribute their data, but have shared their thermograph locations.

These data represent stream temperature observation locations for a portion of a larger study area known as the Great Northern Landscape Conservation Cooperative (GNLCC) http://greatnorthernlcc.org/. These data were collected and processed as part of the NorWeST stream temperature project https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/boise/AWAE/projects/NorWeST.html 
These thermograph locations and the attendant temperature observations were used as the baseline data for the NorWeST stream temperature modeling project. As a result, modeled temperatures will be most reliable in areas with the greatest density of thermographs. These data reside in ESRI shapefile format, ArcGIS version 9.3. The point shapefile extents correspond to NorWeST production units, which generally relate to 6 digit (3rd code) hydrologic unit codes (HUCs). 
The points in this shapefile represent the locations of in-stream thermographs (temperature sensors). These point locations have been modified slightly from their original locations as they were repositioned to overlay with 1:100,000 scale NHDPlus stream lines. (http://www.horizon-systems.com/NHDPlus/index.php) (USEPA and USGS, 2010) These points are intended to be used with a table (.xlsx format) of summarized temperature observations. 
The points in this shapefile may be linked to the temperature observations through a field in the attribute table called: OBSPRED_ID. “Due to privacy restrictions, some temperature observations that were used in the modeling process have been omitted and are not displayed in the observation shapefile.”

Fields: 
OBSPRED_ID - Unique ID assigned to each temperature deployment. A deployment is a site + year combination of data. Individual sites have multiple deployments when temperature monitoring occurs in more than one year.

PermaFID - ID given to a single temperature sensor site. A site may contain multiple years of data. 

SampleYear - The year that temperature data were recorded at the location

UOM - Unit of measure of the original data (DegC = Celsius; DegF=Fahrenheit). Note that this field is removed in later shapefiles. If your download does not include this field, the Unit of Measure is "DegC".

GNIS_NAME - The stream name from the Geographic Names Information System database

Source - The name of the organization that contributed the stream temperature data

COMID - COMID for the underlying 1:100,000 scale NHDPlus stream lines version one or version two. Check individual layer metadata.
Reference Cited: USEPA and USGS, 2010. NHDPlus Version 1 (NHDPlusV1) User Guide, available online at http://www.horizon-systems.com/NHDPlus/NHDPlusV1_documentation.php; http://www.horizon-systems.com/NHDPlus/NHDPlusV2_data.php

U.S. Forest Service; Rocky Mountain Research Station; Air, Water, and Aquatic Environments Program (AWAE).
https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/boise/awae_home.shtml

The USDA Forest Service makes no warranty, expressed or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, nor assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, reliability, completeness or utility of these geospatial data, or for the improper or incorrect use of these geospatial data. These geospatial data and related maps or graphics are not legal documents and are not intended to be used as such. The data and maps may not be used to determine title, ownership, legal descriptions or boundaries, legal jurisdiction, or restrictions that may be in place on either public or private land. Natural hazards may or may not be depicted on the data and maps, and land users should exercise due caution. The data are dynamic and may change over time. The user is responsible to verify the limitations of the geospatial data and to use the data accordingly.