University of Kansas Field Station NEON / UKFS

The University of Kansas Field station is in the eastern half of Kansas and has a continental climate characterized by warm, wet summers and cold, dry winters. Due to its mid-continental location, there are climatic fluctuations throughout the year. The mean annual temperature is 12.7°C (55°F). Temperatures can get as low as -18°C (0°F) in the winter and as high as 38°C (100°F) in the summer. There are intense storms during the spring and early summer caused by large amounts of moist air moving up from the Gulf of Mexico and mixing with colder, drier air from the north. The annual average precipitation is 990 mm (40 in.), and approximately 70% of it falls between April and September. Annual snowfall averages 460 mm (18 in.), mostly in January and February. [7] [8] [17]

Geologic characteristics of the University of Kansas Field Station are windblown sand and silt. These sediments are a result of glacial drift, having been lain down here after being transported by glaciers. [3]

The parent materials at the UKFS site are residuum, till, colluvium, and local alluvium. Major soil series on the site include Grundy, Martin, Oska, Pawnee, Rosendale, and Bendena. Landform positions that these soils occur on are residual summits, shoulder slopes, back slopes, colluvial foot slopes and toeslopes, and alluvial drainageways. The soil family is fine smectic-mesic Pachic Arguidolls, and the soil order is Mollisol. [1] [2]

The UKFS site drains into Mud Creek, which is a tributary of the Kansas River. It lies within the Lower Kansas River Watershed, which belongs to the larger Kansas River Basin. [9] [10]

About 66% of the land is covered in mixed hardwood forest, with the rest of the areas cleared for grassland, conservation, or agriculture. Forests are dominated by white ash (Fraxinus americana) and hackberry (Celtis occidentalis). Tallgrass prairie communities support perennial, warm-season grasses including big bluestem, indiangrass, and switchgrass. [1] [2]

Wildlife typically found in and around the University of Kansas Field Station include the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), raccoon (Procyon lotor), many small mammals, snakes, frogs, skinks, and over 250 species of migratory and resident birds. There is also a small population of bobcats (Felis rufus) present. NEON provides data on five types of wildlife: small mammals, ground beetles, mosquitoes, ticks, and birds. [4] [5] [6]

Northeastern Kansas is in the transition zone between the eastern deciduous forest and tall grass prairie. In the 16th century, the Otoe and Missouria tribes moved down from the Great Lakes Region into what is now Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas. They were mainly hunter-gatherers and followed migrating buffalo in the lower Missouri River Valley. Their lands were good for farming, which led to conflicts with settlers migrating from the east. The United States government eventually stepped in and forced the Otoe-Missouria people onto a reservation on the Big Blue River in southeast Nebraska in 1855. They were moved again in 1881 to Red Rock, Oklahoma where the tribe is still located today. As settlers moved in during the 1850s, trees were cut down and land was cleared for farming. As time went on, fire suppression and abandoned farms led to an increase in woody plants and forest encroachment. In 1911, land owned by the first governor of Kansas, Dr. Charles Robinson, and his wife Sara was donated to the University of Kansas. This land was then chosen as the site of the University of Kansas Field Station in 1947 to help advance research, environmental education, and natural resource stewardship. [12] [13] [14]

The University of Kansas Field Station includes more than 3400 acres of protected research land, public trails, and specialized facilities in northeastern Kansas. Its native and managed land, facilities, and research are available to a wide range of people interested in research, teaching, and conservation. It is also a member of the Organization of Biological Field Stations (OBFS) and the Association of Ecosystem Research Centers (AERC). The Field Station is managed by the Kansas Biological Survey, whose main focus is to develop environmental research that contributes to scientific knowledge on air and water quality, ecosystem health, and geospatial information. [12]

Plot establishment for the UKFS site was completed in 2014 and terrestrial sampling began in February 2016. The distributed plots were allocated according to a spatially balanced and stratified-random design. The 2006 National Land Cover Database (NLCD) was selected for stratification because of the consistent and comparable data availability across the United States. The tower, which stands 32.5 m (106 ft.) and has six instrument levels, began sampling in August 2016. The tower plots were allocated according to a spatially balanced design in and around the NEON tower airshed. [1] [11]