AmeriFlux AmeriFlux US-xDC NEON Dakota Coteau Field School (DCFS)

This is the AmeriFlux version of the carbon flux data for the site US-xDC NEON Dakota Coteau Field School (DCFS). Site Description - The Dakota Coteau Field School (DCFS) and Prairie Lake (PRLA) field sites are co-located in an agricultural area used primarily for cattle grazing, just a few miles east of the Woodworth and Prairie Pothole sites at the Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge. DCFS covers 7.8 km2 (3 square miles) of grazing land in Stutsman County, ND, between the tiny communities of Pingree and Woodworth. The population here is sparse, but the land has been transformed by agricultural activities over the last 150 years. The field site has been used only for grazing, but other land in the surrounding area has been converted to corn and soybean production. DCFS is located in an area known as the "Prairie Pothole Region," a band of tall and mixed prairie that stretches across parts of North and South Dakota, Minnesota and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Historically, this area supported tall to mid-height prairie grasses, including blue gamma and green needlegrass. The land here is pocked by thousands of depressions left behind by glaciers 10,000 years ago, resulting in a series of small lakes and wetland areas known as prairie potholes. These potholes receive most of their water from spring snowmelt and are a primary source of groundwater recharge for the region. NEON data will help researchers monitor the effects of climate change on the Northern Plains ecosystem. Over the last 30 years, the hydrological cycle in the plains has changed dramatically, trending wetter overall and diverging from the historical ten-year cycles. Temperatures are also rising, leading to changes in plant phenology cycles and species distribution that could negatively impact migratory bird populations and other animal species.

本数据集为站点US-xDC NEON达科他科托丘陵野外学校（Dakota Coteau Field School，简称DCFS）的美国通量网（AmeriFlux）版碳通量数据。
站点说明：达科他科托丘陵野外学校（DCFS）与普雷里湖（Prairie Lake，简称PRLA）野外站点同处一片以肉牛放牧为主的农业区域，毗邻蔡斯湖国家野生动物保护区内的伍兹沃思与草原坑洼站点东侧数英里处。DCFS站点位于北达科他州斯塔茨曼县，地处平格里与伍兹沃思两座小型居民区之间，占地7.8平方千米（约3平方英里），全部为放牧用地。该区域人口稀少，但近150年来的农业活动已彻底重塑了当地土地面貌。本野外站点仅用于放牧，但周边区域的其他土地已被改造为玉米与大豆种植田。
DCFS站点坐落于被称为“草原坑洼区（Prairie Pothole Region）”的区域内，这片高草混合草原带横跨北达科他州、南达科他州、明尼苏达州部分区域，以及加拿大阿尔伯塔省、萨斯喀彻温省与曼尼托巴省。历史上，该区域生长着高至中高度的草原草本植物，包括蓝盖姆草与绿色针茅。一万年前的冰川活动在该区域留下了数千处洼地，形成了一系列被称为草原坑洼的小型湖泊与湿地。这些坑洼的水源主要来自春季融雪，是该区域地下水补给的主要来源。
国家生态观测网络（NEON）数据将助力研究人员监测气候变化对北部平原生态系统的影响。近30年来，平原地区的水文循环发生了显著变化：整体呈湿润化趋势，且偏离了历史上的十年周期规律。气温亦持续上升，引发植物物候周期与物种分布的改变，进而可能对候鸟种群及其他野生动物造成负面影响。