Desert Data Labs
Part of the NEON Explorer Suite · Water

NEON Water Chemistry

A Shiny web app for exploring the National Ecological Observatory Network's surface-water chemistry data. It turns lab and sensor readings of what is dissolved in the water at 34 stream and lake sites into trends through time, relationships between two analytes, seasonal patterns, and a quick prediction, with every chart showing the sample size it rests on.

What it does

The app opens to a map of all the NEON aquatic sites, with one stream or lake already selected. Tap a site to dive into its water chemistry. Each site loads instantly from a data bundle that ships with the app, so there is no waiting on a network call. From there you pick a date range and two of the things measured in the water, then watch how they move together through time, how they relate, what else they track with, their seasonal rhythm, and a quick estimate from a small model.

It is built for two audiences: anyone curious about what is dissolved in NEON's streams and lakes, and new field technicians getting to know the analytes measured at their site.

Highlights

Compare two analytes · Two things in the water through time. A normalized view compares their shape honestly, a raw dual-axis view keeps the original units, and readings too low to measure are drawn as open markers.
Relationship · A straight-line fit between the two analytes with a 95% confidence band, the R-squared, slope, p-value and sample size, and a flag when readings close in time may overstate the link.
Correlations · The main analyte against every other one, as a lollipop chart and a sortable table. Spearman by default with Pearson alongside, the sample size shown per row, and anything under 8 readings flagged as unreliable.
Seasonal pattern · The month-by-month picture and a real STL decomposition of the actual record, splitting it into season and trend. No made-up forecasts.
Predictor · A small model that estimates the main analyte from its three best-correlated analytes, with a cross-validated error. Move the sliders for a live estimate.
Data table and download · The full table behind every chart, with CSV or Excel download for exactly the site and date range you are looking at.
Site map · All the NEON aquatic sites on one map, with the selected stream or lake highlighted.
34
streams & lakes
34
things measured
~197k
real measurements
NEON
published data
How it stays honest
Everything here is real NEON data, saved ahead of time and bundled with the app. Every number tells you how many measurements it is based on, so you can see when a result rests on plenty of data and when it rests on only a little. When the app draws a line between two things, it shows how well the line fits and warns when readings taken close together in time can make a link look stronger than it is. When it checks whether two things move together, it uses a method that holds up even when the numbers are lopsided, treats anything based on fewer than 8 measurements as shaky, and reminds you that checking many things at once turns up some matches by luck. The seasonal pattern is pulled straight from the real record, not a smooth curve made up to look nice. Amounts too low for the instruments to measure are marked, not hidden. Each thing in the water is named and labeled correctly (bromide is not bicarbonate, chloride is not chlorine). This is a tool for learning and exploring. It is not affiliated with NEON, Battelle, or the NSF.