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  1. Field Sites
  2. Onaqui NEON

Field Site

Onaqui NEON / ONAQ

brown square white mountain icon

Core Terrestrial, UT, D15: Great Basin

Onaqui (ONAQ) field site in Utah after snow.

About Field Sites

Onaqui (ONAQ) is a terrestrial NEON field site located in Tooele County, UT, approximately 80 km (50 mi.) southwest of Salt Lake City. It consists of a sampling area of 68 km2 (15,300 acres) and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. It is characterized by the sagebrush and western juniper community that dominates the Great Basin. The site is part of NEON's Great Basin Domain (D15), which is bordered by the Sierra Nevada to the west, the Rocky Mountains and Colorado Plateau to the east, the Mojave Desert to the south, and the Columbia Plateau to the north. D15 has one other field site, the aquatic site REDB. [4] [6]

Climate

ONAQ is characterized by an arid and warm climate with little precipitation, hot summers, and cool winters. During any season, large diurnal temperature swings are common. The Sierra Nevadas and the Rocky Mountains block moisture from the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, resulting in a very dry climate at ONAQ. The mean annual temperature at ONAQ is 9°C (48°F). The mean annual precipitation at ONAQ is 288mm (11.3 in.). [8] [9]

Geology

The geology at this site is characteristic of alluvium and colluvium derived from Paleozoic age limestone and quartzite. [1] [5]

Soils

Taylorsflat, Onaqui, Onaqui taxadjunct, Sterling, Sevy, Strevell, Benning taxadjunct, Borvant taxadjunct, and Jardal soils are the series that are encountered at the site. They are located on fan remnants and mountain slopes. [1]

Hydrology

Onaqui is situated in the Rush-Tooele Valleys Watershed. The site is immediately east of Faust Creek. Faust Creek has a drainage area of 376 km2 (145 sq. mi.), an annual discharge of 7606 cfs, and peak stream flow of 22 cfs. [2] [3]

Vegetation

The eastern half of the site is dominated by Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata). Along the base of the Onaqui Mountains the vegetation transitions into Utah Juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) and Pinyon Pine (Pinus edulis) woodland. [4]

Fauna

Some of the fauna present at this site include pronghorn (Antilocapra Americana), coyote (Canis latrans), jackrabbit (Lepus townsendii), common sagebrush lizard (Sceloporus graciosus), Great-Basin rattlesnake (Crotalus lutosus), and midget faded rattlesnake (Crotalus concolor). NEON provides data on small mammals, birds, ticks, mosquitoes, and ground beetles. Small mammal species commonly sampled include Great Basin pocket mouse (Perognathus parvus), Ord's kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ordii), and chisel-toothed kangaroo rat (Dipodomys microps). [7]

Past Land Management and Use

The Onaqui site is on the traditional territory of the Goshute people, who lived on the delicate desert environment. Mormons moved into Tooele Valley by 1855, resulting in conflict as competition for resources in the desert arose. By 1869, most Goshute had settled to Deep Creek and Skull Valley and ranches, mills, mines, and the Pony Express traversed the area.

In 1946, the General Land Office merged with the Grazing Service to become the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the current host of the D15 Onaqui site. The BLM has a multi-use approach to management with "create a conservation stewardship legacy" listed as a top priority. [11] [12]

Current Land Management and Use

ONAQ is located on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The BLM has a multiple-use approach to land management, as outlined in Resource Management Plans, prepared in accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act. This site is located within the BLM's Onaqui Herd Management Area, where wild horses have roamed since the late 1800s. The land is also used for recreation, hunting, and grazing. [10] [12]

NEON Site Establishment

A sampling readiness review was conducted in May 2014. Plot establishment at Onaqui commenced August 2014. Terrestrial Observation Systems (TOS) operations started December 2014 and Terrestrial Instrumentation Systems (TIS) operations started April 2017.

Additional Resources

[1] Lewis, Randy. (2017). NEON Site-Level Plot Summary, Onaqui Site (ONAQ), July 201. https://data.neonscience.org/documents/10179/2361410/ONAQ_Soil_SiteSumm…

[2] https://snoflo.org/report/flow/utah/faust-creek-near-vernon/

[3] https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/inventory/?site_no=10172727&agency_cd=U…;

[4] Terrestrial Observation System (TOS) Site Characterization Report: Domain 15. NEON.DOC.003898vB.

[5] U.S. Geological Survey, 2005, Mineral Resources Data System: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia. https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/

[6] Terrestrial Instrument System (TIS, FIU) Site Characterization Supporting Data: Domain 15. NEON.DOC.011043vC.

[7] Rissler, Eric, et al. (2016). NEON Site-Specific EHS Plan: D15C ONAQ.

[8] PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, http://prism.oregonstate.edu, created 4 Feb 2004.

[9] Western Regional Climate Center https://wrcc.dri.edu/narratives/UTAH.htm#:~:text=In%20summer%20northwes….

[10] https://www.blm.gov/programs/wild-horse-and-burro/herd-management/herd-…

[11] https://historytogo.utah.gov/goshute-indians/

[12] https://www.blm.gov/about/how-we-manage

Field Site Information

Latitude/Longitude

40.177599, -112.45245

Geodetic Datum

WGS84

Location

Tooele County
UT, US

Elevation

Mean: 1662m
Minimum: 1599m
Maximum: 2061m

Mean Annual Temperature

9.0°C

Mean Annual Precipitation

288mm

Dominant Wind Direction

SW

Mean Canopy Height

1.2m

Dominant NLCD Classes

Evergreen Forest, Shrub/Scrub

Colocated Site(s)

Co-Located Research

Critical Zone Exploration Network
Ameriflux

Field Operations Office

2992 South Main Street
South Salt Lake City, UT 84115

Research Access

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

Request Access

Observation Types

Remote Sensing

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

Meteorological Measurements

This site has a flux/meteorological tower that is 8 m (26 ft) tall with four 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 may be collected by a tipping bucket at the top of the tower and a Double Fence Intercomparison Reference (DFIR) near the tower.

Phenocams

Tower top|Tower bottom

Soil Sensor Measurements

This site has five soil plots placed in an array within the airshed of the flux tower. Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) at soil surface, soil heat flux, and solar radiation are measured at the soil surface in each soil plot. Soil moisture, soil temperature, and CO2 concentration are measured at multiple depths in each soil plot.

Observational Sampling

At terrestrial sites, field ecologists observe birds and plants, and sample ground beetles, mosquitoes, small mammals, soil microbes, and ticks. Lab analyses are carried out to provide further data on DNA sequences, pathogens, soils, sediments, and biogeochemistry. Learn more about terrestrial observations or explore this site's data products.


Field Site Data

Site

Site Host

Bureau of Land Management

Site Access Allowed

Limited

Site URL

https://www.blm.gov/office/salt-lake-field-office

Site Access Details

Reseachers should coordinate with the site manager and submit a site research permit.

Operations Office

NEON Field Operations Office

Domain 15 Support Facility

NEON Field Operations Address

2992 South Main Street
South Salt Lake City, UT 84115

NEON Field Operations Phone

385.235.7975

Location

Latitude

40.177599

Longitude

-112.45245

Geodetic Datum

WGS84

UTM Northing

4448479.61m

UTM Easting

376339.69m

UTM Zone

12N

County

Tooele

State

UT

Country

US

Mean Elevation

1662m

Minimum Elevation

1599m

Maximum Elevation

2061m

Climate

Mean Annual Temperature

9.0°C

Mean Annual Precipitation

288mm

Dominant Wind Direction

SW

Vegetation

Mean Canopy Height

1.2m

Dominant NLCD Classes

Evergreen Forest, Shrub/Scrub

Average number of green days

205

Average first greenness increase date

75 DOY

Average peak green date

130 DOY

Average first greenness decrease date

170 DOY

Average minimum greenness date

280 DOY

Tower

Tower Height

8m

Number of Tower Levels

4

Geology

USGS Geology Unit

UTQa;0

USGS Geology Name

Alluvium and colluvium

USGS Lithologic Constituents

Alluvium and colluvium

USGS Geology Age

Quaternary

Soils

Megapit Soil Family

Fine, loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic. Xeric Haplocalcids.

Soil Subgroup

Xeric Haplocalcids


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