The Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory and the Coweeta Long‐Term Ecological Research Project

Abstract

AbstractThe Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory (CHL) is a USDA Forest Service (FS) Experimental Forest, located in western North Carolina, in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Established in 1934, CHL has long‐term data records that include climate, streamflow, stream and atmospheric chemistry, and vegetation in several small, experimentally‐manipulated and reference watersheds. In addition to these long‐term data, additional data associated with specific projects have been collected and are available through publications and electronic archives. Notably, CHL was a member of the National Science Foundation‐funded Long‐Term Ecological Research (LTER) program from 1980–2020, which resulted in significant scientific advances and rich data sets on the five core LTER research areas: primary productivity, population studies, movement of organic matter, movement of inorganic matter, and disturbance patterns. Here we provide a brief site description and history of the CHL, including descriptions of gauged watersheds and data archives.