Conifer Needle Pigment Composition at Niwot Ridge, 2017-2018

Pigment concentrations in pine and spruce needle tissues collected at the Niwot Ridge AmeriFlux Core site in Colorado. The dataset includes measurements for Chlorophyll A and B, Violaxanthin, Antheraxanthin, Zeaxanthin, Neoxanthin, Lutein, and beta-Carotene, taken from sun foliage every 4-8 weeks during the summers of 2017 and 2018. It was produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to evaluate seasonal changes in photosynthesis down-regulation.

Use Cases

• Analyzing seasonal trends in chlorophyll and carotenoid concentrations in conifer needles.
• Correlating pigment composition with photosynthetic down-regulation in forest canopies.
• Studying the photoprotective role of xanthophyll cycle pigments (Violaxanthin, Antheraxanthin, Zeaxanthin) in sun foliage.
• Comparing pigment profiles between pine and spruce species at a high-altitude research site.

Strengths

• Includes eight specific pigment measurements (Chlorophyll A and B, Violaxanthin, Antheraxanthin, Zeaxanthin, Neoxanthin, Lutein, beta-Carotene) analyzed via HPLC.
• Provides temporal resolution with samples collected every 4-8 weeks over the annual cycle during 2017 and 2018.
• Data is associated with the well-instrumented Niwot Ridge AmeriFlux Core site (US-NR1).

Limitations

• Exact row count, column names, and dataset size are unknown across all sources.
• Limited replication due to canopy structure restricting the number of accessible trees from the towers.
• There is a conflict in the 'last updated' metadata: Data.gov lists 2026-03-13, while NASA Earthdata lists 2018-06-11.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Pigments were extracted in acetone from sun foliage collected from canopy-access towers and analyzed by HPLC in the laboratory.

Time Range

2017-2018

Freshness

2026-03-13 17:52:04.355926

Geography

Niwot Ridge AmeriFlux Core site (US-NR1) near Nederland, Colorado, USA