NPP Grassland: Beacon Hill, U.K., 1972-1993, R1

This data set contains two ASCII text files, one providing productivity measurements for a chalk grassland on Beacon Hill, West Sussex, U.K. (50.92 N, -0.85 W) and the other containing climate data from a weather station at the former King's College London, Rogate Field Centre, 6 km distant (51.01 N, -0.85 W). Measurements of above-ground live biomass and total dead matter were made by harvesting 0.25 m2 quadrats in the 20 x 20-m study area at eight to ten week intervals from March 1972 to April 1973. Precipitation amount and minimum/maximum temperature were recorded from 1969 through 1993.

Above-ground net primary production (ANPP) was estimated by several methods: 332 g/m2/year (annual increase in living biomass, sum of species); 355 g/m2/year (peak or maximum live biomass, plant dry matter weight); 773 g/m2/year (maximum live + dead biomass); 310 g/m2/year (annual increase in living biomass carbon by summing positive increments in biomass); and 691 g/m2/year (annual net production accounting for leaf turnover). The carbon content of ANPP (accounting for leaf turnover) was estimated to be 310 gC/m2/year using a conversion factor of 0.45. Below-ground production was not measured.

Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1998.