Institute of Ecosystem StudiesBaltimore Ecosystem Study
Baltimore Ecosystem Study Data and Metadata
This is a Baltimore Ecosystem Study Metadata Record
Please see the BES Information Management Policy online at: beslter.org/dm_policy.html
For assistance contact Jonathan Walsh, Information Manager, 845.677.5343, walshj@caryinstitute.org.
RecordIDBES_459
ID
PublicationDate2/12/2007
TitleSoil Moisture Data (Spreadsheet) - Superceded
Edition1.0
Publication PlaceMillbrook, NY
PublisherPeter Groffman, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies Richard V. Pouyat, U.S. Forest Service
Online Linkagehttp://beslter.org/pub/soil/bes-soil-moisture-data-for-the-www.xls
AbstractIn November of 1998 four rural, forested plots were established at Oregon Ridge Park in Baltimore County northeast of the Gwynns Falls Watershed. Oregon Ridge Park contains Pond Branch, the forested reference watershed for BES. Two of these four plots are located on the top of a slope; the other two are located midway up the slope.

Four urban, forested plots were established in November 1998, two at Leakin Park and two adjacent to Hillsdale Park in west Baltimore City in the Gwynns Falls.

In May 1999 two grass, lawn plots were established at McDonogh School in Baltimore County west of the city in the Gwynns Falls. One of these plots is an extremely low intensity management area (mowed once or twice a year) and one is in a low intensity management area (frequent mowing, no fertilizer or herbicide use).

Two grass lawn plots were established on the campus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) in fall 2000. One of these plots is in a medium intensity management area (frequent mowing, moderate applications of fertilizer and herbicides) and one is in a high intensity management area (frequent mowing, high applications of fertilizer and herbicides).

Plot locations:

Hillsdale 1: 39°19'28.14"N, 76°42'16.49"W
Hillsdale 2: 39°19'31.24"N, 76°42'28.62"W

Leakin 1: 39°18'1.32"N, 76°41'37.08"W
Leakin 2: 39°18'5.42"N, 76°41'34.15"W

McDonogh 1: 39°23'44.31"N, 76°46'19.26"W
McDonogh 2: 39°23'52.26"N, 76°46'23.52"W

Oregon top-slope - 1: 39°28'51.11"N, 76°41'22.50"W
Oregon mid-slope - 1: 39°28'51.32"N, 76°41'18.24"W
Oregon top-slope - 2: 39°29'12.74"N, 76°41'22.88"W
Oregon mid-slope - 2: 39°29'12.68"N, 76°41'18.62"W

McDonogh 1: 39°23'44.31"N, 76°46'19.26"W
McDonogh 2: 39°23'52.26"N, 76°46'23.52"W

UMBC 1: 39°15'8.82"N, 76°42'10.43"W
UMBC 2: 39°14'6.50"N, 76°42'48.71"W

Soil moisture is measured once every four to six weeks at each plot. In each of the forested plots, five (six at Leakin plot #2) time domain reflectometry waveguide probes from SoilMoisture Equipment Corporation were installed vertically into the soil at random locations throughout the plot. The waveguide probes are 20 cm long, so those vertically installed span a depth of 0 to 20 cm below ground. Each forested plot also has one (two at Leakin plot #2) set of four waveguide probes installed horizontally into the soil in one location at four depths: 10, 20, 30, and 50 cm below ground. The McDonogh plots each have two sets of horizontal and no vertical waveguide probes.

Attached to each belowground waveguide is an aboveground cable with a BNC Male Coaxial Fitting on the end. This fitting connects with SoilMoisture's Trase System I (Model 6050X1, Version 2000 Software), which uses time domain reflectometry (TDR) to measure soil moisture. Every four to six weeks each individual vertical and horizontal waveguide in each plot is connected to the portable Trase TDR processor; soil moisture is measured instantaneously and stored in the processor. After all plots are completed, the stored data is downloaded onto a computer at the BES office at UMBC.
PurposeSoil Composition Reference
Supplemental InfoCary Institute of Ecosystem Studies; Post Office Box AB, 2801 Sharon Turnpike; Millbrook; NEW YORK; USA;
Is GIS (1 yes 0 no)?0
West-77.314183
East-76.012008
North39.724847
South38.708367
Presentation Form
Data CreditThe scientists, the BES-LTER Program, and the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies must receive adequate acknowledgement for the use of data by other scientists, and the BES LTER program must receive two copies of any publication using that data.
Reference Name
Reference Place
Reference EMail
Theme Keywordssoil, science, environmental, urban
Place KeywordsBaltimore, MD, Washington, D.C, Chesapeake Bay, Baltimore-Washington, Maryland

Projection/datum/units: UTM Zone 18/NAD 83/meters

The metadata provided for these data is in Ecological Metadata Language (EML) format. Information on EML is online:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_Metadata_Language
http://knb.ecoinformatics.org/software/eml/

Please contact Jonathan Walsh, BES Information Manager WalshJ@CaryInstitute.org with questions or comments.

This research was supported by funding from the NSF Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) Program. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0423476. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

These data are made available for scientific interests that agree to cite the data and source appropriately. There is a time between the collection of most of these data and their subsequent availability via this website in order to give the investigator adequate time to present findings in scientific literature.

Users are requested to notify the publisher of the purpose of data use and acknowledge the source if used in a publication. No commercial use is permitted. The publisher disclaims any responsibility for errors that may or may not exist within the data, and the user assumes all responsibility for errors in analysis or judgment associated with the data.