Modern instrumentation and machine learning methods are increasingly used in the ecology community to supplement human effort. Could some of these methods be applied at the NEON field sites? A recent paper in Ecosphere explores the possibilities.
NEON collects aquatic data in wadeable streams. A study shows that measurements taken by stream sensors mounted on an overhead cable are as good as measurements taken using the standard in-water monopod design. The new overhead cable mounting infrastructure provides improved sensor uptime and reliability in streams prone to extreme flow changes and shifting channel morphology.
This is an update regarding incorrect sensorDepth values at BARC and CRAM for some time ranges in provisional and RELEASE-2022 data for Temperature at specific depth in surface water (DP1.20264.001). The previous post contains information on how to fix the issue in downloaded data.
Thanks to the neonMicrobeR package, researchers can now automate much of the work of downloading, processing, and assembling microbial data from NEON terrestrial field sites.
NEON recently discovered that the Relative humidity above water on-buoy (DP1.20271.001) data product had been over-flagged with the automated step test. NEON has adjusted the step test threshold and re-processed the data product for all time and all sites where it is produced.
Delay in external lab particulate carbon and nitrogen data: Affects the Periphyton, seston, and phytoplankton chemical properties, Stable isotopes in surface water, and Chemical properties of surface water data products.
We spoke with Dr. Corinna Gries, one of the Environmental Data Initiative (EDI) leads at the University of Wisconsin with decades of experience in data management, about the benefits of digitizing data and making it more publicly accessible. Her unique career path provides a window into the increasingly critical—yet often overlooked—intersection of technology, scientific research, and data management in STEM fields.
Corrections were made to 2D wind speed and direction statistics in RELEASE-2022 and provisional data. Additional corrections to the quality metrics for this product are pending.
NEON's second data release [RELEASE-2022] is now available for download. Note that there are some open issues with AOP data that are being investigated.
Have you ever wondered what happens across NEON as winter settles into our colder Domains? Our field staff are still hard at work to keep our open data flowing. In this blog, a handful of our field staff share their experiences and incredible surroundings. Take a look at what NEON life and operations are like during these snowy months.
Using phenocams, Dr. Alesia Hallmark saw rhythmic and predictable branch movement in creosote bushes in New Mexico—even in dead branches. Now, she's looking through NEON phenocam data to see if she can document the phenomenon in other sites and species. Her results could upend common assumptions about movement—or lack thereof—in woody species.
Based on recommendations from our Aquatics Technical Working Group (TWG) and feedback from data users, we have made several updates to the Water quality (DP1.20288.001) data product.
In July 2021, more than 680 people across the world came together for a virtual summit on data science and aquatic research. The four-day "Hacking Limnology" Workshop Series, organized by AEMON-J and DSOS, explored applications for remote sensing, machine learning, numerical modeling and "Big Data" in aquatic ecology. The NEON program put together a one-day workshop introducing researchers to our open data products in aquatics.
Guess what—we have an all-new data product! The “L1 Methane Concentration” is now available on the NEON Data Portal, with data from July 15, 2021, and going forward.
As 2021 comes to a close, we want to highlight the exceptional work delivered this year by the National Ecological Observatory Network. Here are some of the most exciting news items involving the NEON program over the past year.
One of the hallmarks of the scientific method is that when new evidence comes to light, previously held assumptions must be reassessed. That is true of the NEON program, as it is for any scientific endeavor. That's why we work closely with scientific experts in the community, continually examining methods with the goal of maintaining the high standards of data quality, continuity, and repeatability required for good science.
In order to improve data product usability, we have repackaged two data products to deliver all analyses for sediment chemical and physical properties all in one download.
More than 60% of the over-100,000 physical samples from NEON field sites collected each year need to stay frozen. A 4000 square foot renovation to the NEON Biorepository at Arizona State University, completed in August 2020, ensures there will be plenty of cryostorage for the 30-year life of the program.
Following the data notification published on November 17, 2020, NEON suspended production of the Canopy Nitrogen, Canopy Xanthophyll, Canopy Lignin and Total biomass data products, and removed already published data products from the NEON data portal.
In August 2021, Domain 09 (Northern Plains) welcomed ten students from regional Tribal colleges and universities, along with some of their parents, for a day of hands-on activities and exploration at two NEON field sites. The day was planned in collaboration with the American Indian Higher Education Consortium.
We recently asked Hawaii-born NEON Senior Field Ecologist Shea Uehana to share about his work with the ecological project, his path into the field of ecology, and how his background informs his current work.
Dr. Laura Meredith is working at NEON sites in Alaska to validate the use of carbonyl sulfide as a tracer molecule to better estimate of the amount of carbon taken up by plants. Her study was made possible through the NEON Assignable Assets Program and an NSF award.
