Harvard Forest

Data Archive

HF428

Soil Carbon Dioxide and Oxygen at the Soil Warming Plus Nitrogen Experiment at Harvard Forest since 2018

Related Publications

Data

• hf428-01: gas well sample data (preview)

Overview

• Lead: Caitlin Hicks Pries, Genevieve Goebel, Sarah Goldsmith
• Investigators:
• Contact: Information Manager
• Start date: 2018
• End date: 2020
• Status: ongoing
• Location: Prospect Hill Tract (Harvard Forest)
• Latitude: +42.54 degrees
• Longitude: -72.18 degrees
• Elevation: 365 meter
• Datum: WGS84
• Taxa:
• Release date: 2023
• Language: English
• EML file: knb-lter-hfr.428.2
• DOI: digital object identifier
• EDI: data package
• DataONE: data package
• Related links:
• Study type: long-term measurement
• Research topic: large experiments and permanent plot studies; soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics
• LTER core area: organic matter movement, mineral cycling
• Keywords: carbon, carbon dioxide, climate change, gas flux, oxygen, soil respiration, soil warming
• Abstract:

  This dataset includes soil air CO2 and O2 concentrations measured from the organic/mineral horizon interface and 10, 30, and 50 cm depths of the mineral soil at SWaN using permanently installed stainless steel gas wells. Measurements were made 4-8 times throughout the year in 2018, 2019, and 2020.

• Methods:

  This experiment takes place at the Harvard Forest Soil Warming and Nitrogen addition (SWaN) Experiment, which consists of four treatments (control, heated, heated +N, and +N only). The warming and N fertilization treatments were initiated in August 2006. The average soil temperatures in the heated plots are continuously elevated 5 deg C above ambient by the use of buried heating cables placed at 10 cm depth in the soil and spaced 20 cm apart. The N addition plots (heated +N, +N only) are fertilized using an aqueous solution of NH4NO3 is applied at a rate of 5 g m-2 yr-1 in equal monthly doses during the growing season (Apr-Oct). The unfertilized control plots and heated only plots are sprayed with water as a moisture control.

  Gas wells, consisting of ¼ OD stainless steel tubing, capped with septa, were installed in control and heated plots in Fall 2017 at 10, and 30 cm depths, as well as at the OA interface (between the organic and mineral horizons). Additional 50 cm deep gas wells were installed in June 2018. In April 2019, sets of wells were installed in the nitrogen and heated x nitrogen plots.

  Gas wells were sampled by drawing sample into air-tight plastic syringes. The first 10-15 ml aliquot of air inside the tubes was discarded and then a 60 ml sample (only 30 ml at OA) was collected and immediately analyzed. Snow measurements are made by sampling at the snow-soil interface. CO2 and O2 are measured with an infrared gas analyzer (PP Systems EGM 5) and fiber optic flow through O2 sensor (PreSens Fibox), respectively. Both the CO2 and O2 data are corrected with a standard curve and the O2 data are additionally corrected for instrument drift over the day of sampling. Soil temperature and volumetric water content (VWC) are collected with a TEROS 12 soil moisture and temperature probe (Meter) at the OA interface, and soil temperature is collected at the 10, 30, and 50 cm depths with omega thermistors that are inserted into the gas wells.

• Organization: Harvard Forest. 324 North Main Street, Petersham, MA 01366, USA. Phone (978) 724-3302. Fax (978) 724-3595.

• Project: The Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program examines ecological dynamics in the New England region resulting from natural disturbances, environmental change, and human impacts. (ROR).

• Funding: National Science Foundation LTER grants: DEB-8811764, DEB-9411975, DEB-0080592, DEB-0620443, DEB-1237491, DEB-1832210.

• Use: This dataset is released to the public under Creative Commons CC0 1.0 (No Rights Reserved). Please keep the dataset creators informed of any plans to use the dataset. Consultation with the original investigators is strongly encouraged. Publications and data products that make use of the dataset should include proper acknowledgement.

• License: Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal (CC0-1.0)

• Citation: Hicks Pries C, Goebel G, Goldsmith S. 2023. Soil Carbon Dioxide and Oxygen at the Soil Warming Plus Nitrogen Experiment at Harvard Forest since 2018. Harvard Forest Data Archive: HF428 (v.2). Environmental Data Initiative: https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/ed7195e63496043ad49e2fc5b9dcb705.

Detailed Metadata

hf428-01: gas well sample data

1. DT: date-time of sample collection
2. Date: date of sample collection
3. Time: time of sample collection
4. Plot: identification number of field plot
5. Treatment: warming/nitrogen treatment
   • Control: ambient 
   • Heated: 5 °C 
   • Heated-Nitrogen: +5 °C and +5 gN m-2 yr-1 
   • Nitrogen: +5 gN m-2 yr-1  
6. Depth: depth of gas well
   • 10: 10 cm below organic horizon
   • 30: 30 cm below organic horizon
   • 50: 50 cm below organic horizon
   • OA: organic/mineral horizon interface
   • Snow: snow/organic horizon interface
7. VWC: volumetric water content (percent) (unit: dimensionless / missing value: NA)
8. Temp: soil temperature (unit: celsius / missing value: NA)
9. corrCO2: corrected CO2 concentration (ppm) (unit: dimensionless / missing value: NA)
10. corrO2: corrected O2 concentration (percent) (unit: dimensionless / missing value: NA)