Northern Prairie Grassland Biomass and Climate Data, 1970

Dickinson, North Dakota, USA, is the location for this dataset containing above- and below-ground biomass and productivity measurements from a northern mixed prairie grassland. Data were collected at roughly two-week intervals during the 1970 growing season for both ungrazed and heavily grazed treatments, as part of the US Grassland Biome Project. The dataset also includes long-term climate records from a nearby weather station covering the period 1891-1994.

Use Cases

• Modeling net primary productivity (NPP) based on measured peak biomass values for grazed and ungrazed plots.
• Analyzing the impact of grazing pressure on above-ground (ANPP) and below-ground (BNPP) biomass production.
• Correlating short-term biomass dynamics with long-term climate trends using the 1891-1994 weather station data.
• Comparing grassland ecosystem function across sites as part of the International Biological Program's coordinated study.

Strengths

• Provides specific, calculated productivity values: 351 and 302 g/m2/year for ANPP, and 932 and 958 g/m2/year for BNPP.
• Includes a long-term climate record spanning over a century (1891-1994) from a nearby station.
• Data is part of a coordinated, multi-site study (US Grassland Biome Project), supporting comparative analysis.

Limitations

• Core data is from a single growing season (1970), limiting temporal analysis of interannual variability.
• Column names and exact data structure are not provided in the available metadata.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between platforms (1994 vs. 2026), creating uncertainty about metadata maintenance.

Provenance

Source

US Grassland Biome Project of the International Biological Program (IBP).

Collection Method

Biomass monitored via harvest technique and manual root coring at two-week intervals.

Time Range

1891-1994 (climate data); 1970 (biomass and productivity data).

Freshness

2026-04-09 23:38:21.421947 (datagov), though data files are identical to the 1998 original publication.

Geography

Northern Great Plains, near Dickinson, North Dakota, USA (46.90 N, -102.82 W).