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Neil Olson
DeVlieg Taylor Graduate Research Assistantship
2008-2010
Master's Thesis
Dept. of Geosciences
College of Arts and Science
Idaho State University
Professor: Dr. Ben Crosby
Dept. of Geosciences ISU
Effects of Topography on the Hydrology of a Snow Dominated Basin: How might Big Creek respond to projected changes in climate.
Research Proposal
Gaging Station and Water Quality Monitoring ISU Website
In 2008, with master's student Neil Olson, we have
 re-established a gaging and water quality sensor system at Taylor Ranch along Big Creek. This station will assist both studies of Aquatic and Riparian Ecology and Geomorphology done by both academics and agency scientists. This gaging station will be used to monitor discharge and water quality year round and transmit this data to a server for real-time monitoring by shareholders. 
Neil Olson’s two-year Graduate Research Assistantship will coordinate shareholder agencies (NOAA, USFWS, USFS, USGS) and academic institutions (UI, ISU, BSU) in order to establish a gauging station at the Taylor Ranch bridge. These records will be made available over the internet to in real-time to those with approved access. This project will provide a permanent infrastructure improvement that will benefit others within and beyond the Taylor Ranch community for decades to come. Neil will also be responsible for utilizing remote sensing techniques (such as MODIS imagery) to measure the distribution and longevity of seasonal snow packs in the basin. These measures will be calibrated by field gauging of tributary channels throughout the spring and summer, some of which may be performed by interns at Taylor Ranch.
 
A hydrologic model for the spatial and temporal distribution of flow in Big Creek and its tributaries will be developed, allowing flow prediction in ungauged locations. This hydrologic model will then be compared to long-term flow records along the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, to recreate what flows might have been like in Big Creek over the last 50+ ungauged years. Neil will be able to address hypotheses regarding the spatial and temporal availability of water in Big Creek while also making a significant contribution to the research infrastructure of Taylor Ranch Field Station.
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