SAFARI 2000 Woody Vegetation Characteristics of Kalahari and Skukuza Sites

Southern African Kalahari Transect and Kruger National Park woody vegetation data from the SAFARI 2000 campaign. This dataset includes species composition, basal area, height, crown cover, and derived leaf area index and biomass estimates for six Kalahari sites surveyed in February-March 2000 and one Skukuza site surveyed in June 2000. Data was collected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration using a standardized grid-based sampling protocol.

Use Cases

• Estimating aboveground woody biomass using stem circumference and basal area measurements.
• Analyzing species composition and tree density from identified plants within circular plots.
• Modeling canopy characteristics and light interception using derived leaf area index and crown cover data.
• Comparing vegetation structure across a rainfall gradient using data from six sites along the Kalahari Transect.
• Calibrating remote sensing products with ground-measured vegetation parameters like height and canopy cover.

Strengths

• Standardized sampling protocol across seven sites with detailed grid layouts (42 points for Kalahari, 49 for Skukuza).
• Includes multiple derived metrics: basal area per hectare, stem density, biomass, and peak leaf area index.
• Data covers a distinct ecological gradient along the Kalahari Transect, sampled during a focused campaign.

Limitations

• Exact row count, file size, and complete column names are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date: one lists 2000-06-25, another lists a future date of 2026-03 12.
• License is specified only as 'other-license-specified', requiring further investigation for reuse.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Grid-based field sampling: all woody plants within fixed-radius circular plots at grid points were identified, and stem circumference was measured.

Time Range

2000-02 to 2000-06

Freshness

2000-06-25 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Six sites along the Kalahari Transect in Southern Africa and the Skukuza Flux Tower site in Kruger National Park, South Africa.