Observatory Blog

Earlier this month, while most of NEON's science staff was soaking up the science at the Ecological Society of America's Annual Meeting in Portland

Big Data has already altered the way scientists view, study, and analyze the world, and appears poised to change the fields of ecology and

NEON technicians will collect and identify countless insect specimens over the lifetime of the observatory. To put it into perspective, during a short

By M. JohnsonI got a little nervous as I watched the first group of people disembarking the plane and saw one of my AOP team members carrying two

NEON broke ground on its first two sites this week, marking the official start of observatory construction. To commemorate this historic moment, NEON

By Leah WasserA few summers ago, I spent my time in the field hugging trees. While I’ve been called a hippie in the past, this was hardly hippie

NEON's Airborne Observation Platform (AOP) will depart on its inaugural test flights out of the Grand Junction Regional Airport starting this Sunday

By Michael FitzgeraldFor most people, water is just something that comes out of a faucet in their house. We pay little attention to how it gets there

By Dr. Dave SchimelLast month, I participated in the first Principal Investigator meeting of NSF’s new Macrosystems Biology program. The NSF solicits

By Michael SanClements Just before I became a staff scientist at NEON, I and colleagues from the University of Colorado, Environmental Protection

By Jeff TaylorI stare intently at the Senior Congressional Legislative Assistant seated opposite me. He stares back, his eyes equally intent. I wet my

NEON will break ground on three sites starting early Summer 2012: Ordway-Swisher Biological Station in Florida, Harvard Forest in Massachusetts, and

In just under four months, civil construction will begin at the first NEON site. The timing couldn’t be better. Ecosystems are increasingly stressed

By Jacob ParnellEven after more than a decade of working with microbes, I still find it amazing that more than 99% of the biodiversity on Earth is

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has completed the first of three high fidelity imaging spectrometers for use on the NEON project, known as the

The Long-term Ecological Research Network (LTER) and NEON are highly complementary networks that support ecological research in different ways, but

Imagine the scene: a sunny spring day on the plains of eastern Colorado, grasses gently swaying in the breeze, and a clear, gurgling stream winding its way across the landscape. Standing on the stream bank, suddenly there’s a loud splash, and you see a huge, dark shape gracefully plunge into the stream in front of you. Your mind irrationally flips through a list of mental images...

By Sandra HendersonWildflowers, bats, and live music are just some of the pleasant things I associate with Austin, Texas. However, after recently

By Keith KrauseIt’s hot. Like, 100 degrees F hot. And I’m carrying around this heavy, ultra nerdy backpack (which engineering school definitely

NEON’s Airborne Observation Platform (AOP) team went to unusual heights in late September, taking only ground-based observations in the first of

By Kate ThibaultThe majestic, 500-pound lion lazing in the grass awaiting its next meal (provided generously by the females in his pride). The

Insects come in a variety of shapes and colors that dazzle our eyes. But there’s one insect that you almost always hear before you see it (if you see

Jeff Taylor wrote in his last post:When I originally heard that NEON was going to be the world’s first continental-scale observatory, I was a bit

By Jeff TaylorIt’s been about 3 months since I started working in the Fundamental Instrument Group at NEON and it’s been a mix of exciting new science

By Sandra ChungIn the East Wing of NEON headquarters, a door marked “Data Center” opens to a chilly, white-walled room. Eight tall cabinets with black

By Kate ThibaultI love rats. Not the big, slimy ones that live in the sewers or stow away on ships and then wreak havoc on pristine island ecosystems

Climate is changing rapidly and rates of climate change may well be more rapid than ecological systems can respond. This year’s 30-year climate

Scientists and decision makers will soon have access to information critical for understanding the effects of environmental change on a massive scale

While our ability to describe and predict environmental change has come a long way in the past 30 years, there’s still much to learn and discuss

By Sandra ChungDeep inside the technical facility at NEON’s headquarters, test design engineer Guillermo Oviedo walks into a room with solid black