McDiffett Creek NEON / MCDI

McDiffett Creek (MCDI) is an aquatic NEON field site located in the Flint Hills region of Kansas south of Manhattan, KS. It is within the Urban Prairie Research Area, approximately 25 km (15 mi.) southeast of the KONZ tower. It is a second-order perennial stream flowing through the middle of agricultural land. The Urban Prairie Research Area is a small tract of land composed of native prairie, grazing, hay, and historically cultivated fields. It is managed by the Konza Prairie Biological Station in association with Kansas State University. The surrounding region consists of grasslands, forests, and agricultural land cover types and includes the largest remaining areas of unplowed tallgrass prairie in North America. MCDI is part of the NEON Prairie Peninsula Domain (D06), which stretches from Kansas through Nebraska and Iowa to southern Minnesota, and moves east to encompass Illinois and most of Indiana. The Domain hosts four other NEON field sites: one other aquatic and three terrestrial, all of which are located in Kansas. Land use and land use management are key grand challenge themes for this Domain. [1] [2]

The climate of MCDI is characterized by warm, wet and humid summers and cold, dry winters. July tends to be the hottest month with highs around 32°C (90°F) and lows around 19°C (66°F). While July is the hottest month, June tends to be the wettest with average precipitation of 141 mm (5.5 in.). January is both the coldest and driest month with average highs around 4°C (39°F), lows of -7°C (19°F), and precipitation around 20 mm (0.8 in.). The average annual temperature is 12.2°C (54°F), and the average annual precipitation is 921mm (36.3in). Because of a warm moist air current flowing up from the Gulf of Mexico, the Flint Hills region experiences high-volume precipitation events as well as convectional thunderstorms and tornadic activity. [1] [8] [9] [11]

The geology at MCDI can be characterized as metavolcanic bedrock. [10]

The soil at MCDI is classified as Ivan silt loam that is occasionally flooded. This classification is characterized as being a fine-silty, mixed, superactive, and having a Cumulic Hapludolls taxonomic classification. [5]

McDiffett Creek is a second-order perennial stream flowing through the middle of typical Kansas crop land. The stream includes a small waterfall at the top of the reach with a large pool and several other riffle and pool segments. [1]

The riparian area adjacent to McDiffett Creek consists of steep banks lined with a forest buffer and is located within a historically farmed field with regular crop rotation. Grasses, woody shrubs, and larger timber are present in the riparian zone. A mix of small woody species, small herbaceous, and some invasive vetch are present within the channel. [1]

The fauna of the region consists of many different types of species including white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginiaus), bobcat (Lynx rufus) and coyote (Canis latrans). The Flint Hills region also represents an important habitat for grassland nesting birds including the greater prairie chicken (Tympanuchus cupido), eastern meadowlark (Sturnella magna), and upland sandpiper (Batramia longicauda). Additionally, the area hosts a variety of snakes, turtles, and amphibians. McDiffett Stream is also home to several species of non-game fish, which include fish from the families of Ictaluridae, Cyprinidae, Percidae, and Centrachidae. The most notable non-game species found in the creek is the endangered Topeka shiner (Notropis topeka). [4] [6] [7]

Historically the area was comprised of cultivated fields in which various crops including corn, wheat, and soybeans were rotated. [4]

MCDI is managed by Kansas State University, the KSU Charitable Real Estate Foundation, and The Nature Conservancy. The stream is located between agricultural fields and native prairie pastures. The agricultural fields are rotated with multiple crops including corn, wheat, and soybeans. The native prairie pastures are regularly hayed and burned. Both the agriculture fields and the pastures are grazed by cattle over the winter. [1] [3] [4]

Site establishment for MCDI started in early 2016 and was completed by late 2017. Observation systems were operational in June 2017 while instrumentation started full operations in November 2017.