Introduction to Special Section: Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed

Abstract

To understand how variations in climate, land use, and land cover will impact water supply and water quality, we must have access to long‐term hydrologic and climatic databases. The National Research Council [1999] recognized the value of experimental watersheds as the setting for the development of our current understanding of physical and biological watershed processes. Specifically, data from watersheds that include significant human activities, such as grazing, farming, irrigation, and urbanization, are critical for determining the signature of human‐induced changes on hydrologic processes and the water cycle. One of the primary components of effective watershed research is a sustained, long‐term monitoring and measurement program [ National Research Council , 1997].