Global Database of Leaf Carbon and Nutrient Concentrations from 1970-2009

A global compilation of carbon and nutrient concentrations in green and senesced leaves from 86 studies across 31 countries. The data set includes approximately 1,000 data points for each leaf state, covering woody and non-woody vegetation, and was compiled by NASA as described in Vergutz et al (2012). Studies contributing to the compilation were conducted between 1970 and 2009.

Use Cases

• Modeling nutrient resorption efficiency in plants based on green and senesced leaf concentrations.
• Analyzing relationships between leaf traits like area and mass and their elemental composition.
• Comparing carbon and nutrient stoichiometry across different species growth habits and vegetation types.
• Calibrating Earth system models that simulate biogeochemical cycles based on global leaf nutrient data.

Strengths

• Compiled from 86 selected studies, providing a synthesized view.
• Covers 31 countries, offering a global geographic scope.
• Includes approximately 1,000 data points for both green and senesced leaves.
• Reports multiple vegetation characteristics like leaf area, mass, and mass loss.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to the compiled source studies.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Compiled from 86 selected studies as described in Vergutz et al (2012).

Time Range

1970-2009

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 19:38:38.135143; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global (31 countries)