Harvard Forest Soil and Tree Measurements for AirMOSS Validation

AirMOSS project data contains in situ measurements from Harvard Forest in Petersham, Massachusetts. The dataset includes soil temperature, moisture, conductivity, tree diameter at breast height (DBH), and total tree height, collected during October 2012 and July-August 2013. Measurements were gathered by ORNL_CLOUD to validate root-zone soil data and carbon flux models for the Airborne Microwave Observatory of Subcanopy and Subsurface project.

Use Cases

• Validating airborne microwave-derived root-zone soil moisture estimates using in-situ soil moisture and temperature measurements.
• Calibrating forest carbon flux models with ground measurements of tree diameter at breast height (DBH) and total height.
• Analyzing relationships between soil conductivity, moisture, and temperature in a temperate forest ecosystem.
• Providing a ground reference dataset for the AirMOSS mission's subsurface and subcanopy observation goals.

Strengths

• Data provides direct in-situ validation for a specific NASA airborne mission (AirMOSS).
• Includes multiple complementary forest and soil variables: soil moisture, temperature, conductivity, DBH, and tree height.
• Measurements cover two distinct seasonal periods: October 2012 and July-August 2013.

Limitations

• Exact row count, file size, and complete column list are unavailable from all sources.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date: one lists 2013-08-22, while others list 2026-03 13 (likely a metadata refresh).
• License is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without explicit terms.

Provenance

Source

ORNL_CLOUD, collected for the NASA AirMOSS project.

Collection Method

In situ field measurements.

Time Range

October 2012 to August 2013

Freshness

2026-03-13 17:56:16.077997

Geography

Harvard Forest, Petersham, Massachusetts, USA