Skip to main content
NSF NEON, Operated by Battelle

Main navigation

  • About Us
    • Overview
      • Spatial and Temporal Design
      • History
    • Vision and Management
    • Advisory Groups
      • Science, Technology & Education Advisory Committee
      • Technical Working Groups (TWGs)
    • FAQ
    • Contact Us
      • Contact NEON Biorepository
      • Field Offices
    • User Accounts
    • Staff
    • Code of Conduct

    About Us

  • Data & Samples
    • Data Portal
      • Explore Data Products
      • Data Availability Charts
      • Spatial Data & Maps
      • Document Library
      • API & GraphQL
      • Prototype Data
      • External Lab Data Ingest (restricted)
    • Data Themes
      • Biogeochemistry
      • Ecohydrology
      • Land Cover and Processes
      • Organisms, Populations, and Communities
    • Samples & Specimens
      • Discover and Use NEON Samples
        • Sample Types
        • Sample Repositories
        • Sample Explorer
        • Megapit and Distributed Initial Characterization Soil Archives
      • Sample Processing
      • Sample Quality
      • Taxonomic Lists
    • Collection Methods
      • Protocols & Standardized Methods
      • Airborne Remote Sensing
        • Flight Box Design
        • Flight Schedules and Coverage
        • Daily Flight Reports
          • AOP Flight Report Sign Up
        • Camera
        • Imaging Spectrometer
        • Lidar
      • Automated Instruments
        • Site Level Sampling Design
        • Sensor Collection Frequency
        • Instrumented Collection Types
          • Meteorology
          • Phenocams
          • Soil Sensors
          • Ground Water
          • Surface Water
      • Observational Sampling
        • Site Level Sampling Design
        • Sampling Schedules
        • Observation Types
          • Aquatic Organisms
            • Aquatic Microbes
            • Fish
            • Macroinvertebrates & Zooplankton
            • Periphyton, Phytoplankton, and Aquatic Plants
          • Terrestrial Organisms
            • Birds
            • Ground Beetles
            • Mosquitoes
            • Small Mammals
            • Soil Microbes
            • Terrestrial Plants
            • Ticks
          • Hydrology & Geomorphology
            • Discharge
            • Geomorphology
          • Biogeochemistry
          • DNA Sequences
          • Pathogens
          • Sediments
          • Soils
            • Soil Descriptions
        • Optimizing the Observational Sampling Designs
    • Data Notifications
    • Data Guidelines and Policies
      • Acknowledging and Citing NEON
      • Publishing Research Outputs
      • Usage Policies
    • Data Management
      • Data Availability
      • Data Formats and Conventions
      • Data Processing
      • Data Quality
      • Data Product Bundles
      • Data Product Revisions and Releases
        • Release 2021
        • Release 2022
        • Release 2023
        • Release 2024
        • Release-2025
      • NEON and Google
      • Externally Hosted Data

    Data & Samples

  • Field Sites
    • About Field Sites and Domains
    • Explore Field Sites
    • Site Management Data Product

    Field Sites

  • Impact
    • Observatory Blog
    • Case Studies
    • Papers & Publications
    • Newsroom
      • NEON in the News
      • Newsletter Archive
      • Newsletter Sign Up

    Impact

  • Resources
    • Getting Started with NEON Data & Resources
    • Documents and Communication Resources
      • Papers & Publications
      • Document Library
      • Outreach Materials
    • Code Hub
      • Code Resources Guidelines
      • Code Resources Submission
      • NEON's GitHub Organization Homepage
    • Learning Hub
      • Science Videos
      • Tutorials
      • Workshops & Courses
      • Teaching Modules
    • Research Support Services
      • Field Site Coordination
      • Letters of Support
      • Mobile Deployment Platforms
      • Permits and Permissions
      • AOP Flight Campaigns
      • Research Support FAQs
      • Research Support Projects
    • Funding Opportunities

    Resources

  • Get Involved
    • Advisory Groups
      • Science, Technology & Education Advisory Committee
      • Technical Working Groups
    • Upcoming Events
    • NEON Ambassador Program
      • Exploring NEON-Derived Data Products Workshop Series
    • Research and Collaborations
      • Environmental Data Science Innovation and Inclusion Lab
      • Collaboration with DOE BER User Facilities and Programs
      • EFI-NEON Ecological Forecasting Challenge
      • NEON Great Lakes User Group
      • NEON Science Summit
      • NCAR-NEON-Community Collaborations
        • NCAR-NEON Community Steering Committee
    • Community Engagement
      • How Community Feedback Impacts NEON Operations
    • Science Seminars and Data Skills Webinars
      • Past Years
    • Work Opportunities
      • Careers
      • Seasonal Fieldwork
      • Internships
        • Intern Alumni
    • Partners

    Get Involved

  • My Account
  • Search

Search

Observation Types

  • Aquatic Organisms
  • Terrestrial Organisms
  • Hydrology & Geomorphology
  • Biogeochemistry
  • DNA Sequences
  • Pathogens
  • Sediments
  • Soils

Breadcrumb

  1. Data & Samples
  2. Collection Methods
  3. Observational Sampling
  4. Observation Types
  5. Hydrology & Geomorphology

Hydrology & Geomorphology

Stream sampling at BLUE

The NEON program provides open-access hydrology and geomorphology data products collected at aquatic field sites located in different ecosystems across the U.S. Hydrology data products characterize water level, stream reaeration, and stream and river discharge.  Geomorphology data products characterize the topographic (land surface) and bathymetric (underwater) features of aquatic sites.

Hydrology Data Collection

A biological habitat unit that transitions from a riffle to pool (D04 CUPE).

A biological habitat unit that transitions from a riffle to pool at the CUPE field site

Hydrology data are collected at each aquatic site using standardized methods to characterize the hydrologic nature of the stream, river, or lake system. At all aquatic sites, automated sensors installed in the water body continuously measure surface water level and various chemical properties. At stream and river sites, discharge is estimated based on staff gauge readings, continuous water level data, and empirical discharge measurements collected at discrete times throughout the year.

Groundwater hydrology is monitored at most NEON aquatic sites via shallow groundwater wells instrumented with sensors that measure groundwater elevation, temperature, and specific conductance. At sites with permafrost, where part of the water in the ground remains frozen year-round, physical measurements during the warmer months describe melt and freeze dynamics.

Geomorphology Data Collection

Geomorphology data are collected at each aquatic site using standardized methods to characterize the shape and features of aquatic landforms and how they change over time. At stream sites, stream morphology maps and metrics are produced using data collected during high-resolution total station surveys that are conducted at five-year intervals. At river and lake sites, bathymetry maps and metrics are produced using data collected during hydro-acoustic bathymetric surveys that are conducted annually at river sites and at five-year intervals at lake sites. 

Reach-level morphology at the ARIK aquatic field site

Reach-level morphology at the ARIK aquatic field site

Additional Data Collection

Salt and gas tracer injections are used to measure reach velocities and travel times, allowing researchers to understand gas transfer across the air-water boundary, also known as reaeration rates. An R package for working with reaeration data can be found on the NEON GitHub repository Salt tracer data can also be used to estimate transient storage and discharge including the saturated sediments around a stream, called the hyporheic zone.

Related Data Products include:

  • Reaeration field and lab collection (DP1.20190.001)
  • Salt based stream discharge (DP1.20193.001)

Additional physical data are collected at river and lake sites to measure water clarity and light penetration. Temperature, dissolved oxygen, and conductivity depth profiles are collected provide information on lake stratification.

Related Data Products include:

  • Secchi depth (DP1.20252.001)
  • Depth profiles at specific depths (DP1.20254.001)
NSF NEON, Operated by Battelle

Follow Us:

Join Our Newsletter

Get updates on events, opportunities, and how NEON is being used today.

Subscribe Now

Footer

  • About Us
  • Newsroom
  • Contact Us
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Careers
  • Code of Conduct

Copyright © Battelle, 2025

The National Ecological Observatory Network is a major facility fully funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation.

Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.