Photo of the Week: Knee-deep in the Data

Postdoctoral researcher Forest Cannon of Scripps Oceanography's Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) takes manual streamflow measurements on Mill Creek in the west fork of the Russian River watershed in Northern California earlier this month.  The work is part of research being done as atmospheric rivers make landfall in Northern California, spurring increased water flow in rivers and streams throughout California.

 

Cannon is using a pygmy current meter along with a tape measure to take measurements along the transect. These measurements, taken during various river stages, allow researchers to create a rating curve to relate measurements of stream depth to flow speed.

 

Measurements of stream depth are being recorded automatically by Solinst level loggers every 15 minutes and combined with streamflow measurements to allow CW3E to assess the impact of individual rain events on the watershed. Instrumentation is at Mill Creek, in partnership with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Sonoma County Water Agency, thanks to an agreement with private landowners. Photo: Carly Ellis