The Sierra Nevada Network (SIEN) conducts long-term monitoring projects in Yosemite National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, and Devils Postpile National Monument. SIEN has recently published two protocols on lake monitoring and climate reporting.

The lake monitoring protocol describes the purpose, objectives, methods, data management and analyses, reporting, budget, and staffing for monitoring lakes in Sequoia & Kings Canyon and Yosemite national parks. Lake monitoring focuses primarily on water chemistry (such as concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorous, and other constituents that characterize lake water quality). This is the network’s fifth season of monitoring lakes in SIEN parks, and the first comprehensive report will be prepared in the coming year. A report on the 2008-2009 seasons will be published soon. Project lead is Andi Heard. You can download this publication from: http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/sien/monitoring/Lake_Protocol/LakeMonitoringProtocol.cfm

The climate reporting protocol describes how data are obtained, analyzed, and reported on from a subset of SIEN park meteorological stations to provide summary information about weather and climate annually to SIEN parks. In addition, this protocol describes SIEN’s role in facilitating periodic trend analyses and providing information to the parks on climate trends and relationships to other large-scale climate patterns. Project lead is Jennie Skancke. You can download this protocol from: https://irma.nps.gov/App/Reference/DownloadDigitalFile?code=453340&file=SIEN_Climate_Protocol_20120808_Final_JS_nrss.pdf