Pre- and Post-Harvest Leaf Litter Data from Brazilian Amazon

September 2000 to March 2003 data records above-ground litter productivity from a logged forest site in the Tapajos National Forest, Brazil. The dataset contains oven-dry mass measurements for leaves, wood, reproductive parts, and miscellaneous litter components collected bi-weekly from 30 baskets. It was produced by NASA's LBA-ECO project to study forest biomass and carbon dynamics.

Use Cases

• Analyzing seasonal and annual patterns in leaf litterfall using the bi-weekly collection dates and mass columns.
• Comparing pre-harvest (Sept 2000-July 2001) and post-harvest (Aug 2001-Mar 2003) litter productivity to assess logging impacts.
• Estimating carbon and nutrient fluxes from the forest by aggregating mass data across the leaf, wood, reproductive, and miscellaneous component columns.
• Calibrating or validating ecological models of forest productivity using ground-truthed litter mass measurements from a specific 18-hectare plot.

Strengths

• Provides detailed component-level biomass data (leaves, wood, reproductive parts, miscellaneous) for ecological analysis.
• Covers a multi-year time series from September 2000 to March 2003, including both pre- and post-logging periods.
• Data collection followed a standardized protocol with bi-weekly visits to 30 litter baskets distributed across an 18-hectare plot.

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, and file sizes are not provided by any source, limiting assessment of data structure and volume.
• Sources conflict on the last update date: NASA EarthData lists 2003-03-10, while Data.gov lists 2026-03-13, suggesting possible metadata inconsistencies.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), LBA-ECO project.

Collection Method

Bi-weekly collection of litter from 30 baskets within an 18-hectare plot, with oven-dry mass determined for components.

Time Range

2000-09-01 to 2003-03-31

Freshness

2026-03-13

Geography

Logged forest tower site (km 83), Tapajos National Forest, Para, Brazil.