MV005

Meteorological data from the Discovery Tree at the Andrews Experimental Forest, 2015 to present

• Creator(s): Christopher J. Still
• PI(s): Christopher J. Still
• Originator(s): Christopher J. Still
• Other researcher(s): Youngil Kim, Elise Heffernan, Mark D Schulze, Adam Sibley, Adam M Kennedy
• Dates of data preparation: Oct 1 2015 - Mar 15 2023
• Data collection status: Study continues and further data collection is planned
• Data access: Online
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/88040f52946c09c74ac0bfc2a3167717
• Last update: Apr 8 2023 (Version 3)

<Citation>     <Acknowledgement>     <Disclaimer>    

Still, C. 2023. Meteorological data from the Discovery Tree at the Andrews Experimental Forest, 2015 to present. Long-Term Ecological Research. Forest Science Data Bank, Corvallis, OR. [Database]. Available: http://andlter.forestry.oregonstate.edu/data/abstract.aspx?dbcode=MV005. https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/88040f52946c09c74ac0bfc2a3167717. Accessed 2025-05-20.

Data were provided by the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest research program, funded by the National Science Foundation's Long-Term Ecological Research Program (DEB 2025755), US Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, and Oregon State University.

While substantial efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of data and documentation, complete accuracy of data sets cannot be guaranteed. All data are made available "as is". The Andrews LTER shall not be liable for damages resulting from any use or misinterpretation of data sets.

ABSTRACT:
	The upper-canopy of forests is known to experience a very different leaf wetness than the rest of the forest: it is often simultaneously brighter, hotter, windier, and drier. The upper canopy also contains most of the leaf area, and because it absorbs most of the solar radiation, it accounts for the great majority of carbon and water exchanges in most forests. Critically, this is also the zone where most climate variations and stress likely manifest. The upper canopy is also the region of the forest that is sampled by satellite imagery. Intensive canopy microclimate monitoring provides connections to satellite-based imagery at varying temporal and spatial scales in order to scale across the Andrews landscape and improves our understanding of forest function and its response to climate change. A 50 meter old growth tree, called the Discovery Tree, was instrumented with various sensors. A thermal infrared camera was installed in March 2014, which collects surface temperatures of the old-growth forest and the adjacent secondary-growth forest. Since then, the scope of information being acquired in real-time has increased to include temperature, leaf wetness, relative humidity, soil temperature, soil moisture, wind direction and speed. This suite of data serves as a glimpse into the canopy and soil processes we are unaware of when our feet are planted firmly on the ground. These measurements complement and leverage ongoing, long-term climate measurements collected in the sub-canopy and at the climate stations located across the Andrews forest, and potentially link with Lidar data on canopy structure and planned soil moisture measurements. Canopy thermal imaging and microclimate measurements have been established for ecophysiological applications such as monitoring the response of forest tree canopies to climate variations, including heat and drought stress.

Study Description

Study Site Map

Download Study Location Information: (CSV) Ecological Metadata Language: (EML)

ENTITY TITLES:
1	Air temperature (Aug 2 2016 - Mar 15 2023)	METADATA	DATA
	Includes probes at 6 different heights up the tree.
2	Dewpoint temperature (Aug 2 2016 - Mar 15 2023)	METADATA	DATA
	Includes probes at 2 different heights up the tree.
3	Relative humidity (Aug 2 2016 - Mar 15 2023)	METADATA	DATA
	Includes probes at 2 different heights up the tree.
4	Saturated vapor pressure at air temperature and dewpoint temperature (Aug 2 2016 - Mar 15 2023)	METADATA	DATA
	Includes probes at 2 different heights up the tree.
5	Water vapor pressure deficit (Aug 2 2016 - Mar 15 2023)	METADATA	DATA
	Includes probes at 2 different heights up the tree.
6	Leaf wetness (Aug 2 2016 - Mar 15 2023)	METADATA	DATA
	Includes probes at 6 different heights up the tree. Values reported in mV – user must choose their own wet/dry threshold.
7	Wind speed and direction from sonic anemometer (Nov 10 2016 - Mar 15 2023)	METADATA	DATA
	Includes probes at 2 different heights up the tree.
8	Soil temperature (Oct 1 2015 - Mar 15 2023)	METADATA	DATA
	Includes probes at 4 different depths in the soil.
9	Soil water content (Oct 1 2015 - Mar 15 2023)	METADATA	DATA
	Includes probes at 4 different depths in the soil.