ABSTRACT:

This seasonal synoptic survey (approach 2) was designed in support of the sampling goals of the NSF funded Aquatic Intermittency effects on Microbiomes in Streams (AIMS) Project. On four different occasions during 2022 and 2023, a field team co-collected datasets characterizing the hydrology, biogeochemistry, and microbiome across 7 sampling locations within a sub-drainage of the Talladega National Forest (Alabama, USA). The Talladega National Forest is in northeastern Alabama situated between the Valley and Ridge and Piedmont physiographic provinces. This data set specifically includes the Membrane Inlet Mass Spectrometer (MIMS) dissolved gas seasonal samples, including Argon (Ar), Oxygen (O2), Nitrogen (N2), N2:Ar ratio, and O2:Ar ratio, that was collected by the biogeochemistry team to better understand the effects of stream drying on dissolved gases in the southeastern US.

Included in the resources is the approach 2 sampling datasheet that is used during field collection, as well as four different excel files.The four excel files contain each seasonal (approach 2) sampling event: March 2022, August 2022, January 2023, and May 2023. Each file has the same naming format: MIMS_SE_Approach2_StartDate_EndDate_Version#. Within the excel files, the 'Working Files' tab includes raw data directly from the MIMS with the coolest standard at 12 degrees C and the warmest standard water bath at 18 degrees C. The 'Working Files_1' tab contains the processed MIMS data before taking averages of all the replicates. The 'Final Data' tab has the data that should be used for analyses with the averages of all 3 replicates and standard deviations (sd) in uM units. The raw MIMS data was processed and calculated via the package 'MIMSY' and has 3 data points per replicate.

ABSTRACT:

The following standard operating procedure (SOP) was created for the the Aquatic Intermittency effects on Microbiomes in Streams (AIMS), an NSF EPSCoR funded project (OIA 2019603) seeking to explore the impacts of stream drying on downstream water quality across Kansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Idaho, and Mississippi. AIMS integrates datasets on hydrology, microbiomes, macroinvertebrates, and biogeochemistry in three regions (Mountain West, Great Plains, and Southeast Forests) to test the overarching hypothesis that physical drivers (e.g., climate, hydrology) interact with biological drivers (e.g., microbes, biogeochemistry) to control water quality in intermittent streams. An overview of the AIMS project can be found here: https://youtu.be/HDKIBNEnwdM
This protocol will detail the process for collecting and storing dissolved gas samples to be analyzed on the Membrane Inlet Mass Spectrometer (MIMS) for the biogeochemistry theme. MIMS samples will be collected during seasonal sampling (Approach 2) and synoptic sampling (Approach 3). From this SOP, the following data types will be created: Concentrations of Nitrogen (N2), Oxygen (O2), and Argon (Ar) in μM. [AIMS rTypes: MIMS, GASS]