Smithsonian Environmental Research Center - SERC

Relocatable Terrestrial | Maryland | D02: Mid-Atlantic

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NEON Sampling Boundaries

Tower Airshed Boundary

Tower Location

Distributed Plot Types ^{Distributed Base Plots are located throughout the TOS Sampling boundary in an effort to describe organisms and process with plot, point, and grid sampling. Plots were established according to a stratified-random and spatially balanced design.}
- Distributed Base Plot ^{30/site: Distributed Base Plots support a variety of plant productivity, plant diversity, soil, biogeochemistry, microbe and beetle sampling. Distributed Base Plots are 40m x 40m.}
- Distributed Bird Grid ^{5-15/site: Bird Grids consist of 9 sampling points within a 500m x 500m square. Each point is 250m apart. Where possible, Bird Grids are colocated with Distributed Base Plots by placing the Bird Grid center (B2) in close proximity to the center of the Base Plot. At smaller sites, a single point count is done at the south-west corner (point 21) of the Distributed Base Plot.}
- Distributed Mammal Grid ^{6–8/site: Mammal Grids are 90m x 90m and include 100 trapping locations at 10m spacing. Where possible, these grids are colocated with Distributed Base Plots by placing them a specified distance (150m +/- 50m) and random direction from the center of the Base Plot.}
- Distributed Mosquito Plot ^{10/site: At each Mosquito Point, one CO2 trap is established. Due to the frequency of sampling and temporal sampling constraints, Mosquito Points are located within 45m of roads.}
- Distributed Tick Plot ^{6/site: Tick Plots are sampled by conducting cloth dragging or flagging around the perimeter of a 40m x 40m plot. Tick plots are colocated with Distributed Base Plots by placing them a specified distance (150m +/- 15m) and random direction from the center of the Base Plot.}
Tower Plot Types ^{Tower plots provide a direct link between NEON’s Terrestrial Observation System and Terrestrial Instrument System. Tower Plots are located in and around the NEON tower primary and secondary airsheds.}
- Tower Base Plot ^{20-30/site: Tower plots support a variety of plant productivity, plant diversity, soil, biogeochemistry and microbe sampling. The number and size of Tower Base Plots is determined by the vegetation of the tower airshed. In forested sites, twenty 40m x 40m plots are established. In herbaceous sites, thirty 20m x 20m plots are established. Of these thirty tower plots, four have additional space to support soil sampling.}
- Tower Phenology Plot ^{1-2/site: Plant phenology observations are made along a transect loop or plot in or around the primary airshed. When possible, one plot is established north of the tower to calibrate phenology camera images captured from sensors on the tower. If there is insufficient space north of the tower for a 200m x 200m plot or if the vegetation does not match the primary airshed an additional plot is established.}

This map depicts the spatial layout of this field site. Please note that some locations may have moved over time due to logistics, safety and science requirements. This map was updated on January 11, 2019

Construction Status for this Site

Construction Status
Civil Construction	Sensor Installation	Field Sampling	Data Status
Complete	Complete	ongoing	Partially Available

Overview

Total data products planned for this site: 116

Site Host & Access

Site Host:Smithsonian InstitutionIs additional non-NEON research allowed at this site?:

Yes, non-NEON research activities are allowed in this area. Researchers must obtain their own permits with the site host(s).

Site Characteristics

Latitude/Longitude:38.89008, -76.56001

Elevation:15 m

Mean Annual Temperature:14C/57.2F

Mean Annual Precipitation:1107 mm

Dominant NLCD Classes:

Cultivated Crops

Deciduous Forest

Geology:

Nanjemoy Formation, sand, clay, and mud. Eocene.

USGS HUC: h02060004

Dominant Phenology Species:

Liriodendron tulipifera, Fagus grandifolia, Lindera benzoin

Mean Canopy Height:

The mean canopy height is 38 m.

Soil Family:

Fine, loamy, mixed, active, mesic. Aquic Hapludults.

Wind Direction:

The dominant wind direction is north-northwest.

Data Collection Types

Airborne Remote Sensing Surveys

Remote sensing surveys of this field site collect lidar, spectrometer and high-resolution RGB camera data.

Meteorological Measurements

The flux/meteorological tower at this site is 204’ with 6 measurement levels. The tower top extends above the vegetation canopy to allow sensors mounted at the top and along the tower to capture the full profile of atmospheric conditions from the top of the vegetation canopy to the ground. The tower collects physical and chemical properties of atmosphere-related processes, such as humidity, wind, and net ecosystem gas exchange. Precipitation data are collected by a tipping bucket at the top of the tower and a series of throughfalls located in the soil array.

Phenocams

This site has one phenocam on the top of the flux tower and one near the bottom of the tower.

Soil Sensor Measurements

This site has five soil plots placed in an array within the airshed of the flux tower. The following measurements may be collected at the soil surface in each soil plot: