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We developed a technique for reconstructing annual gravel yields and generated a 55‐year record of gravel transport for the North Fork catchment of the Caspar Creek Experimental Watersheds in Northern California. The technique relies on field data collection including annual surveys of weir pond volumes and suspended sediment measurements, as well as an accounting for settling of suspended sediment and organic matter in the pond. We compared these annual yields to gravel yields predicted by the Wilcock two‐fraction bed load transport model, which we calibrated from measured values at Caspar Creek. We considered three velocity‐discharge relationships and found that values of hydraulic variables measured during storms produced the best fit between reconstructed and predicted annual gravel yields when years with large disturbances were excluded. We also compared predicted gravel transport rates to bed load transport rates measured from 1988 to 1995 with bed load pit samplers. We found that the calibrated model predictions agreed well with the field‐measured bed load transport rates. To investigate the role of supply and storage on gravel transport, we compared the reconstructed gravel yields to predicted gravel yields and found that increased occurrence of landslides and headcut erosion in the 1990s and early 2000s did not lead to an increase in gravel yields. Instead, input of large downed wood in the 1990s created storage space and decreased bed load delivery to the weir pond. Plain Language Summary: Bed load sediment yields are important for understanding catchment responses to natural and human caused disturbances, but are difficult to measure. We demonstrate a method that uses pond sediment accumulations to quantify annual bed load yields at Caspar Creek, CA. We also use these data and data collected during more focused storm‐based sampling to show that a common bed load model provides relatively accurate estimates of gravel transport at Caspar Creek. Comparing annual gravel yields to predicted gravel yields reveals that gravel transport decreased in the 1990s and 2000s after a large number of trees blew down and increased the wood content in the channel. The approach presented here can be applied to other sites where similar data are available, such as other ponds or small reservoirs. Key Points: We reconstructed a 55‐year record of annual gravel yields from weir pond deposits at Caspar Creek, CAReconstructed gravel yields compare well to modeled gravel yields and to a continuous record of bed load transport ratesComparing reconstructed yields to predictions reveals a decrease in transport associated with increased downed wood and sediment storage [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The western United States is marked by limited water resources and a fast-growing population. Increasing climate variability as well as a growing demand on water resources highlights the need for improved understanding of connections between regional climate, surface water dynamics, and groundwater recharge. The current study focuses on the linkages between climate variability and groundwater levels in Calleguas Creek watershed located in southern California. The Calleguas Creek groundwater system serves as a critical source of water supply for agricultural and industrial use. Precipitation time series and groundwater levels were analyzed throughout the Calleguas Creek watershed for the period 1975-2004. Water level variability was analyzed for over 311 individual wells with a subset of 20 wells selected for further analysis. A correlation matrix was computed to establish well locations (or groups) with similar hydrologic behavior. Prewhitening methods were used to evaluate the effect of time series autocorrelation on the test statistics for trend detection using the Mann-Kendall test. Both climate and selected groundwater level (well) data were subjected to frequency analysis using fast Fourier transform. The time series of precipitation, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) index, and well levels were analyzed. A strong persistence was observed in the groundwater level time series, ranging from 66% to 99%. Results suggest the existence of significant periodicities between 2.0 and 7.0 years in both the precipitation and the well level data that are partially coincident with ENSO modes. A decadal oscillation was also observed in the well level data, which partially corresponds with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Assessment of the complex interactions between climate variability and groundwater levels will facilitate improved water resources planning and management in water-stressed regions where marginal changes in hydrologic budgets have significant implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]