ORNL Free-Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) Experiment Data

This data set is from the ORNL Free-Air CO2 enrichment (FACE) Experiment.

The goal of the FACE experiment is to understand how the eastern deciduous forest be affected by CO2 enrichment of the atmosphere, and what are the feedbacks from the forest to the atmosphere. This goal will be approached by measuring the integrated response of an intact forest ecosystem, with a focus on stand-level mechanisms. Data collection has occurred from 1997 - 2001.

A free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) facility, comprising five 25-m plots was constructed in a deciduous forest on the Oak Ridge National Environmental Research Park. The study site is a sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) monoculture planted in 1988. This closed-canopy, 15-m tall stand offers the opportunity for rigorous tests of hypotheses that address the essential features of a forest stand and how they could influence the responses to CO2.