BOREAS Boreal Forest Ecosystem Data from 1993-1996

BOREAS data provides surface, airborne, and satellite observations collected at selected sites in the boreal forests of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada. The project ran from 1993 through 1996 and was originally distributed across 12 CD-ROMs, now archived as 12 zip files by the ORNL DAAC. This collection includes separate datasets for atmospheric chemistry, soil properties, vegetation characteristics, and radiative properties.

Use Cases

• Analyzing carbon and methane fluxes using atmospheric chemistry and soil carbon columns.
• Modeling forest canopy characteristics and biomass with vegetation and leaf area index (LAI) data.
• Studying land-atmosphere interactions via surface temperature, longwave radiation, and soil classification features.
• Investigating ozone levels and boundary layer temperatures with atmospheric composition and upper-air temperature data.
• Assessing ecosystem functions by integrating biosphere data on plant characteristics and vegetation cover.

Strengths

• Includes a multi-year observational record from 1993 to 1996, providing temporal depth.
• Integrates surface, airborne, and satellite-based observations for a multi-scale perspective.
• Archived for historical completeness as 12 distinct data collections, ensuring project integrity.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, file sizes, and a complete column list are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, reporting both 1997-03-31 and 2026-03 13.
• The data is packaged in legacy formats (ZIP of CD-ROM contents), which may require additional processing.

Provenance

Source

ORNL DAAC (Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center) for NASA.

Collection Method

Field measurements, airborne instruments, and satellite-based remote sensing.

Time Range

1993 to 1996

Freshness

2026-03-13 18:26:01.013780

Geography

Selected sites in the boreal forest of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada.