Attribution of benthic macroinvertebrate sampling data to NHDPlus V2 and NHDPlus HR catchments within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

Publication Date

2024-02-02

Start Date

1992

End Date

2019

Boyle, L.J., and Maloney, K.O., 2024, Attribution of benthic macroinvertebrate sampling data to NHDPlus V2 and NHDPlus HR catchments within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9X6JDHN.

Benthic macroinvertebrate (Chessie BIBI) sampling data points were assigned to the NHDPlus Version 2 and NHDPlus High Resolution Region 02 (V2 and HR) catchments to enhance the spatial accuracy of various geospatial landscape data that would be summarized to NHD catchments and attributed to represent the local and upstream landscape influencing the sampling data. These data links are of better quality than a naive intersection of sampling points and NHD catchments via coordinates, since all points with multiple potential flowline matches were visually checked for accuracy using topographic maps and data provider ancillary site information. This process limits linking errors, especially erroneous linking of points representing flowlines that are not present in the NHD network, or points with low resolution spatial data that can be corrected by consulting data provider notes. This vetted linking makes the data potentially useful for a variety of landscape ecology approaches utilizing the V2 and HR catchments and/or networks.

• Eastern Ecological Science Center
• USGS Data Release Products