The Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study officially began on 1 June 1963. This archive contains HBWatER, the results of >50 years of collection and analysis of weekly stream water and precipitation samples obtained from 1 June 1963 to the most recently approved water year. Stream chemistry is reported for nine gauged watersheds and the mainstem of Hubbard Brook. Precipitation chemistry is reported for rain collectors on both the north facing and south facing slopes of the Hubbard Brook valley. All solute data are reported as concentrations in (mg/l). HBWatER originated with the idea of applying the small watershed approach to study element flux and cycling through intact ecosystems. These chemical data have been used in conjunction with continuous streamflow and precipitation records to estimate watershed biogeochemical inputs and outputs. Such records have been instrumental in: identifying the existence and the impact of acid rain and then documenting its decline and legacy impacts on forested watersheds; documenting the effects of deforestation and natural forest disturbance on ecosystem nutrient exports; and in constructing element budgets for ecosystems over succession. Hundreds of published papers have taken advantage of HBWatER to understand how elements cycle through ecosystems.
These data were gathered as part of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study (HBES). The HBES is a collaborative effort at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, which is operated and maintained by the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station.