Subject: USENET
The Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active
Archive Center (ORNL DAAC)
ORNL DAAC Home Page URL -
http://www-eosdis.ornl.gov
The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Distributed Active Archive
Center (DAAC) for Biogeochemical Dynamics is an integral part of the
nine NASA Earth Observing Data and Information System (EOSDIS) DAACs.
In general terms, biogeochemical dynamics can be described as the
biological and chemical interactions among the elements that comprise
the Earth system. The DAAC is operated within the Environmental Sciences
Division at ORNL with the advantage of access to staff conducting
research and assessments on biogeochemical dynamics as related to global
change issues. Data at the ORNL DAAC are of interest to the global
change research community, policy makers, educators, and to the public
at large.
Users may request information through the EOSDIS Wide Information
Management System (IMS), directly through the local ORNL DAAC IMS; or by
contacting the User Services Office.
Data Availability
-----------------
The ORNL DAAC currently archives and distributes data from CDIAC
and from the FIFE & OTTER research projects. Future data holdings
include information gathered from the BOREAS project. Additionally,
the ORNL DAAC is currently working with the FIFE Follow-on project
investigators to receive and distribute additional FIFE data.
A pilot project, coordinated with the International Geosphere Biosphere
Program (IGBP), has been initiated to develop a global terrestrial net
primary productivity reference database. Plans are also underway for
acquiring background data for an international Amazon Basin field
investigation. Additional information about our data holdings, both
current and future, are provided below.
CDIAC
-----
The Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC) provides
information related to atmospheric trace-gas concentrations and global
climate change. CDIAC is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy to
support the Global Change Research Program and is located at ORNL. The
preponderance of the data deal with historic and atmospheric carbon
dioxide and methane concentrations and historic weather and climate
readings from throughout the world. Thus, CDIAC data are relevant to
the DAAC user community.
CDIAC datasets are maintained by CDIAC; however, the user community can
access these data through the EOSDIS System-Wide IMS as well as through
the ORNL DAAC IMS.
FIFE
----
The First ISLSCP (International Satellite Land Surface Climatology
Project) Field Experiment (FIFE) was conducted on the Konza Prairie
located just outside of Manhattan, Kansas, USA, during the summer of
1987 and 1989. The FIFE project is part of NASA's plan to develop a
physically-based approach to the use of satellite remote-sensing
systems. Project data include: fluxes of heat, moisture, CO2 and
radiation measured with surface and airborne equipment; soil moisture
data; atmospheric boundary layer data; vegetative indices; surface
radiance and biological data; and satellite measurements: AVHRR,
LANDSAT, SPOT, GOES.
FIFE tabular data are available on-line through the local ORNL DAAC IMS
and are also available through the System-Wide IMS.
OTTER
-----
The purpose of the Oregon Transect Ecosystem Research (OTTER) Project
was to estimate major fluxes of carbon, nitrogen, and water in forest
ecosystems using an ecosystem-process model driven by remotely-sensed
data. Study sites included a coastal forest of western hemlock; a
mid-elevation forest of mature Douglas fir; and an inland forest of
ponderosa. Meteorological data and remotely-sensed measurements of
foliar nitrogen and leaf area index drove the model, while field
measurements of monthly changes in canopy leaf area, photosynthetic
capacity, stomatal conductance, foliage biochemistry, litterfall, and
other components of plant production were used to validate
the model. Each site was instrumented for continuous measurement of
surface meteorology and monitored frequently for carbon exchange,
nutrient cycling rates, and water transport. ASAS, AVHRR, AVIRIS, TMS
aircraft and satellite measurements data were also compiled for the
project.
OTTER tabular data are available on-line through the local ORNL DAAC IMS
and are alos available through the System-Wide IMS.
BOREAS
------
The Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) was initiated in 1990 to
investigate the interactions between the boreal forest biome and the
atmosphere. Surface, airborne, and satellite based observations are
being used to develop techniques to measure biological and physical
processes and conditions that govern the exchanges of energy, water,
heat, carbon, and trace gases between boreal forest ecosystems and the
atmosphere, particularly those processes that may be sensitive to global
change.
Remote-sensing techniques, along with field measurements, are being used
to develop and test models and algorithms in order to transfer the
understanding of processes from the local to regional scale. The
investigation is being conducted in the boreal forest of Canada and is
scheduled for completion in 1997. Intensive Field Campaigns (IFCs) were
conducted throughout the summer of 1994.
BOREAS data will be transferred to the ORNL DAAC as the investigators
complete documentation, quality assurance, and within-project
integration and verification.
Net Primary Productivity (NPP)
-----------------------------
A global terrestrial Net Primary Production (NPP) reference database is
being compiled by the ORNL DAAC in coordination with the International
Geosphere Biosphere Program. Field measurements from worldwide sites
provide parameterization and validation data needed in support of
modeling global primary production and other applications. Currently
there are detailed biomass dynamics, climate, and site data for 13
grassland representing 6 biomes in the database with over 150
site-year-treatment combinations and an average of 30 years of climate
data for each site. An important component of the database is an
abstract of each site with investigator contact information and a list
of key references for each site.
Pending final approval from the Principal Investigators (PI's), release
to the overall user community is expected soon. A notification will be
posted to the appropriate USENET groups/Listservs upon release.
Hydrological Data Sets
(formerly held at the Marshall Space Flight Center DAAC)
--------------------------------------------------------
- Amazon River Basin Precipitation Data Set
This is a 0.2 degree gridded monthly precipitation data set from
January 1972 through December 1992, based upon monthly precipitation
data from Peru and Brazil. It includes empirical and modeling studies
of rainfall and runoff from sample hillslopes to the entire Amazon
basin. The purpose of the research project which generated these data
was to understand the biogeochemistry, hydrology, and sedimentation of
the Amazon River and its drainage basin. The Amazon was chosen as the
first target in the study of Earth's continental scale river systems,
which represent some of the largest and most dynamic environmental units
on the planet.
- GISS Matthews Wetlands Database and Methane Emmission
This is a global database of wetlands a 1-degree resolution and
calculated methane emissions. The wetlands database was developed from
the integration of three independent global, digital sources:
(1) vegetation, (2) soil properties, and (3) fractional innundation in
each 1-degree cell. The integration yielded a global distribution of
wetland sites identified with in-situ ecological and environmental
characteristics. The wetland sites have been classed into five major
wetland groups on the basis of environmental characteristics governing
methane emissions. The global wetland area derived in this study is
~5.3 x 10(12) m(2), approximately twice the wetland area previously used
in methane-emission studies. Methane emission was calculated using
methane fluxes for the major wetland groups, and simple assumptions
about the duration of the methane-production season.
- Hydro-Climatic Data Network: Streamflow Data Set
A streamflow data set specifically suitable for the study of
surface-water conditions throughout the U.S. The data set consists of
streamflow records for 1,659 sites throughout the U.S. and its
Territories, for the period 1874-1988.
- Wallis, Lettenmaier, and Wood Hydroclimatology
A daily hydro-meterological data set for the continental U.S. The data
are from 1,009 USGS streamflow stations, and 1,036 NOAA climatological
stations, for which long term (1948-1988) observations have been
assembled into a consistent daily data set, with missing observations
estimated using a simple closest station prorating rule. Care was taken
in the selection of the streamflow stations to assure that the records
were free from regulation. The climatological stations are a subset of
the Historical Climatology Network (HCN) for which monthly data are
described by Quinlan et al (1987).
World Wide Web Home Page
------------------------
The ORNL DAAC World Wide Web (WWW) Home Page contains detailed
information regarding the ORNL DAAC, EOSDIS, data holdings, and links to
many other relevant sources of information. The ORNL Home Page can be
accessed at the following location:
http://www-eosdis.ornl.gov
Accessing ORNL Data
-------------------
Users can search and order data through the EOSDIS System-Wide IMS
linked to all of the DAAC's or through the ORNL DAAC IMS, which is
tailored to meet the needs of users seeking ecologically-related data.
In order to access either IMS systems via a Graphical User Interface
(GUI), you must be using either a workstation or a PC/MAC running
X-terminal emulation software. You may however, access the System-Wide
IMS via a Character-Based Interface (ChUI) if you do not meet the
necessary system requirements. The telnet address
for the System-Wide IMS ChUI is the same as listed below for the GUI.
To access the EOSDIS System-Wide IMS: telnet eosims.ornl.gov 12345
To access the ORNL DAAC IMS: telnet ornlims.ornl.gov 6493
Also, the ORNL DAAC maintains, BIOME, the Biogeochemical Information
Ordering Management Environment. Via this new World Wide Web (WWW)
based interface, a user can both search and order ORNL
DAAC held data.
Data are available from the ORNL DAAC on a wide variety of media
formats. Both OTTER and FIFE data are currently available on a 5 volume
CD-ROM set.
Please contact the ORNL DAAC User Services Office for additional
information.
Merilyn J. Gentry
Jerry W. Curry
ORNL DAAC User Services Office
P.O. Box 2008, MS 6490
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6490
Voice: 423-241-3952 Fax: 423-574-4665
Internet: ornldaac@ornl.gov or ornl@eos.nasa.gov
Updated 07/08/96
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