Tropical Forest Biomass and Productivity Across a Venezuelan Ecosystem Gradient

Five ASCII files provide biomass, net primary productivity (NPP), and bioelement concentration data for three distinct tropical forest sites near San Carlos de Rio Negro, Venezuela, along a riverine-to-hilltop gradient. The dataset also includes local climate records from a village weather station. Collected by NASA, this data covers measurements from 1975 to 1984.

Use Cases

• Comparing above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) estimates across three distinct forest ecosystems: Tall Amazon Caatinga, Bana, and Tierra Firme.
• Analyzing below-ground biomass productivity (BNPP) ranges, such as the 201-1,117 g/m2/year for Tierra Firme forest.
• Studying bioelement concentrations in relation to soil types (spodosols, oxisols) and ecosystem position.
• Correlating local climate data from San Carlos village with forest productivity metrics across the study period.
• Estimating total net primary productivity (TNPP) using provided components like woody biomass increment and root turnover.

Strengths

• Provides detailed, site-specific NPP estimates, including ANPP for Tierra Firme forest at 1,590 g/m2/year and woody biomass increment of 600 g/m2/year.
• Covers a clear ecosystem gradient across three forest types on different soils, enabling comparative analysis.
• Includes complementary climate data from a local weather station, supporting environmental correlation studies.

Limitations

• Exact row counts, column names, and dataset size are unspecified across all platforms.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, with one platform listing 2026-03 12 and another 1984 -12-31, creating uncertainty about maintenance.
• Data is provided in legacy ASCII (.txt) format, which may require preprocessing for modern analysis.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Field measurements and data collection from study sites and a weather station.

Time Range

1975 to 1984

Freshness

2026-03-12 23:06:06.887695

Geography

San Carlos de Rio Negro, Venezuela; three forest sites along a riverine to lateritic hill gradient.