Nylsvley Savanna Biomass and Climate Data 1974-1989

NPP Grassland: Nylsvley, South Africa, 1974-1989, R1 contains biomass and climate data from a broad-leaved savanna study site. The dataset includes five text files with monthly above-ground biomass from 1974-1977, three-year mean monthly biomass values, below-ground biomass from 1988-1989, site air temperature from 1975-1983, and rainfall from 1917-1995. It is published by ORNL_CLOUD and was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling net primary productivity (NPP) in savannas using monthly above-ground biomass data.
• Analyzing seasonal and interannual biomass dynamics via harvest and excavation records.
• Studying climate-vegetation interactions by correlating long-term rainfall (1917-1995) with biomass measurements.
• Comparing living and dead biomass pools using separate data files for above-ground, standing dead, litter, and below-ground components.
• Calibrating ecosystem models with three-year mean monthly biomass values for stability assessments.

Strengths

• Includes a long-term climate record with rainfall data spanning 78 years (1917-1995).
• Provides detailed, monthly-resolution biomass data from specific harvest and excavation campaigns.
• Data accuracy has been verified, with files identical to the original published versions.

Limitations

• Column names and specific data structure are not provided, limiting immediate analysis.
• Conflicting last update dates exist between sources (1995-05-31 vs. 2026-03-12), though the later date may reflect documentation-only changes.
• Row counts and dataset size are unknown across all sources.

Provenance

Source

ORNL_CLOUD

Collection Method

Field measurements from harvests and excavations at the Nylsvley study site, supplemented by climate station data.

Time Range

1917 to 1995

Freshness

2026-03-12 23:12:40.008189

Geography

800-hectare Nylsvley study site, 200 km north of Johannesburg, South Africa.