Matador Grassland Net Primary Productivity and Climate Data 1968-1972

Five text files document monthly above-ground and root biomass measurements from a mixed prairie at Canada's Matador Field Station, alongside climate records from 1968-1972 and a longer-term Swift Current weather series from 1938-1990. The data, associated with ORNL_CLOUD, includes calculated annual net primary productivity values for a specific study section. Its presence on NASA EarthData and Data.gov signals its established use in ecological research.

Use Cases

• Calculating annual above-ground (ANPP) and below-ground (BNPP) net primary productivity from monthly biomass increments.
• Analyzing correlations between prairie biomass dynamics (live, dead, litter, root) and concurrent local climate conditions.
• Comparing long-term climate patterns from the Swift Current station (1938-1990) with intensive study-period weather data (1968-1972).
• Studying root biomass distribution across different soil depths over multiple growing seasons.

Strengths

• Includes calculated annual NPP values (ANPP 363 g/m2/yr, BNPP 600 g/m2/yr) for direct ecosystem productivity assessment.
• Provides detailed monthly temporal resolution for biomass components across a multi-year study period (1968-1972).
• Pairs biological productivity data with on-site and regional climate data for integrated analysis.

Limitations

• Key structural metadata (column names, row counts, file sizes) is unavailable from all sources.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between platforms (1990-12-31 and 2026-03-12), creating uncertainty about provenance timing.

Provenance

Source

ORNL_CLOUD

Collection Method

Field measurements using harvest methods for biomass; data from weather stations.

Time Range

1938-1990 (climate data); 1968-1972 (primary biomass study)

Freshness

2026-03-12 23:09:08.725883

Geography

Matador Field Station, Saskatchewan, Canada (50.70 N, -107.72 W, Elevation 676 m)