StreamChem DB and cross site synthesis
Cross-site studies are a useful for understanding ecosystem processes and placing findings into a broader context. Long-term stream chemistry has been collected at numerous LTERs but the spatial and temporal dynamics have not been compared across sites. The Stream Chemistry Synthesis project has begun to examine long term stream chemistry data from Experimental Forests and LTERs. In this working group we will discuss ideas for new synthesis including the comparison of different methods for fluxes calculations after presenting analyses of trends in reference sites and responses to disturbances.
We will also present an update on StreamChemDB, a publicly accessible database of stream chemistry data. In previous workshops, with representatives of multiple sites, we have created a template that would help to standardize metadata and data formats. We will share this design and discuss possible improvements to facilitate future cross-site studies.