Upper washita river experimental watersheds: sediment database

One main objective for studying sediment in the Upper Washita River Experimental Watersheds was to improve the scientific understanding of the effectiveness of watershed conservation practices and floodwater-retardation structures in controlling floods and soil erosion in southwest Oklahoma. This paper summarizes the sediment data collection program in the watersheds during the 1961 to 2012 time period. Gaging sites, record lengths, sampling procedures, data processing, and instrumentation are described. Examples of data use and analyses are presented to illustrate the potential use and relevance of the sediment data and to highlight past research findings. The sediment data, especially the breakpoint data from the unit source watersheds, are of great importance in understanding erosion processes, assessing the effectiveness of conservation practices, and evaluating and validating process-based soil erosion models. Data formats and availability are discussed, and the download URLs for accessing the data are specified.