In this issue: New data products, NEON at ESA and more
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New eddy covariance data product bundle available
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The automated instruments system is used to collect atmospheric, soil and aquatic data from field sites across the United States. Currently, there are 35 data products available on the NEON data portal from this system including a new eddy covariance data product bundle (DP4.00200.001) which includes 3D wind speed, direction and sonic temperature; 3D wind attitude and motion reference; CO2 concentration – turbulent; and H2O concentration - turbulent. Future eddy covariance data will be added to the data portal in the months ahead. Check out our video about eddy covariance to learn more. Other new additions include sensor-based nitrate concentration data from aquatic sensor stations as well as sun photometer data from our flux towers.
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Observational sampling active at 70 sites
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This summer, observational sampling is taking place at
70 of our 81 sites. Our field technicians collect standardized data characterizing chemical constituents, flora and fauna, biogeochemical and physical attributes. In the last month, we have added 14 resulting products to the data portal. To discover which data products are now available,
visit our interactive data product catalog.
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NEON Airborne flies two payloads
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The 2017 flight season marks a significant milestone for the NEON program, --flying two
Airborne Observation Platforms (AOPs) to collect remote sensing data from across the United States.
The first team is currently in Virginia to cover the D02:Southeast field sites. The second team is in Alaska to survey the Domain 18:Tundra/Domain19:Taiga field sites. Back at headquarters, the rest of NEON Airborne has been busy processing terabytes of data from the 2017 season and most data are already
available upon request.
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To complete the construction of a field site there are four milestones: 1) Civil construction in which the physical infrastructure of the site is completed 2) Sensor installation 3) Field sampling begins and continues on an annual basis and 4) Data are successfully collected from the site and made available via the
data portal
and/or the
airborne data request form
.
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Explore our interactive field site maps
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Trying to understand where and what types of data are collected at a NEON field site can be a bit overwhelming. For example, at a terrestrial field site there is a flux tower with multiple measurement levels, an array of soil plots, observational sampling plots within the tower airshed and many more sampling plots scattered across the ecosystem of the field site. Some field sites are
very small while others can
span several kilometers.
Check out our new interactive terrestrial
field sites maps on neonscience.org to discover where we conduct plant diversity sampling, beetle and tick sampling, as well as details each site’s tower height and measurement levels. We plan to add additional location data for our aquatic sites in the upcoming months, so stay tuned.
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What can ants tell us about changing climates?
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Scientists
Dr. Michael D. Weiser and
Dr. Michael Kaspari from the University of Oklahoma, Department of Biology, saw a creative opportunity in 2015 to leverage the NEON project by using archived bycatch collected at our field sites to enhance their research of ant communities. After receiving funding for an NSF NEON-EAGER grant project in late 2015, the self-named NEONAnts team began their fieldwork in May 2016, on “20-year dynamics of North American ant communities: Evaluating the role of climate and biogeochemistry on ecological change.”
Read more about their research on our Observatory blog.
Are you using NEON data, samples or infrastructure? We’d love to share your story, please contact us.
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Video Feature: Ty Lindberg on the importance of the NEON project
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A short video interview with Battelle’s field operations manager for Domain 02:Mid-Atlantic on how NEON field sites can impact science by providing important, long term data and a better understanding of the causes and impacts of our changing ecosystems.
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The NEON program at ESA 2017
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The NEON program booth (#410) will include data portal demos on August 7th through 10th from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and many of our scientists will be on-hand throughout the week at the booth to answer your questions about the observatory.
Also, the NEON Mobile Deployment Platform (MDP) will be at ESA on Tuesday, August 8, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. in the convention center plaza. The MDP is a self-contained suite of sensors, power systems and data logging capabilities for capturing atmospheric, soil, and aquatic data. Central to the concept of the MDP is the ability for rapid deployment to capture stochastic ecological events (e.g. fires, flood events, pest outbreaks) across the landscape. Five MDPs will be available for deployments of up to one year for Principal Investigators via the
Assignable Assets program where you can request access to NEON field sites and infrastructure.
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Work for the NEON program
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Currently featured Battelle jobs include Observatory Director/Chief Scientist, Project Manager (NEON Operations), Airborne Remote Sensing Laboratory Lead, and a Senior Marketing and Communications Specialist.
Explore all currently open positions for the National Ecological Observatory Network.
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