2015 Drought soil biogeochemistry and greenhouse gas emissions study at El Verde

We report the effects of the severe 2015 Caribbean drought on soil moisture, oxygen (O2), temperature, phosphorus (P), iron (Fe), pH, and GHG emissions (CO2 and CH4) across a catena sensor array field outside of El Verde Research Station, Luquillo LTER, Puerto Rico.

Seven sensors of each type were installed at 12 cm depth along a ridge to valley catena; the entire catena transect was replicated five times for a total of 105 sensors. Within the sensor field we also installed nine automated gas flux chambers randomly located in each topographic zone (ridge, slope and valley). Soil carbon and nitrogen, extractable phosphorus (P) pools, iron (Fe) species, and pH were sampled before and during the drought as indicators of biogeochemical conditions. Support for this work was provided by grants BSR-8811902, DEB-9411973, DEB-9705814 , DEB-0080538, DEB-0218039 , DEB-0620910 , DEB-1239764, DEB-1546686, and DEB-1831952 from the National Science Foundation to the University of Puerto Rico as part of the Luquillo Long-Term Ecological Research Program. Additional support provided by the University of Puerto Rico and the International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service.