The Role of Cross-Scale Interactions in Non-Perennial Stream Hydrology

This two-part module was designed to lead students to discover cross-scale interactions through a combination of individual and group work. The education module materials consist of the data needed to complete the module and an instructional document, provided as a pdf, that guides students through the module. The document contains R code, R outputs, and accompanying text explanations of code and output. The module assumes no prior knowledge of R or hydrologic modeling. The first part of the module, Part A: Understanding Stream Drying Patterns, is completed individually by students and is estimated to take 90 minutes. There are three versions of Part A, each focused on a different stream network in the United States. Part A is divided into three sections: prepare data, visualize stream drying, and measure stream drying. In the prepare data section, students are guided through preparing their R environment by installing the necessary packages and loading the provided data. The visualize stream drying section familiarizes students with the datasets through visualizations and summary statistics. Finally, students use a set of quantitative metrics to measure stream drying and its changes through time and between climate scenarios in the measure stream drying section. The final prompt in Part A asks students to research local and regional processes that may influence stream drying patterns.    The second part of the education module, Part B: Comparing Stream Drying Patterns, is completed by students in groups and is estimated to take 30 minutes. To complete Part B, students share their findings from Part A and discuss similarities and differences in spatial and temporal drying patterns among stream networks. Next, students create new visualizations to directly compare stream drying patterns among the stream networks. Finally, students work together to answer a series of questions that help them draw conclusions about how cross-scale interactions influence stream drying patterns.