Marcell Experimental Forest daily precipitation, 1961 - ongoing

Metadata:
Identification_Information:
Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Sebestyen, Stephen D.
Originator: Verry, Elon S.
Originator: Elling, Arthur E.
Originator: Kyllander, Richard L.
Originator: Roman, Daniel T.
Originator: Burdick, Jacob M.
Originator: Lany, Nina K.
Originator: Kolka, Randall K.
Publication_Date: 2020
Title:
Marcell Experimental Forest daily precipitation, 1961 - ongoing
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: tabular digital data
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Fort Collins, CO
Publisher: Forest Service Research Data Archive
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2020-0062
Description:
Abstract:
This data publication contains daily precipitation data collected from 1961-ongoing at the Marcell Experimental Forest (MEF) in Itasca County, Minnesota, which is operated and maintained by the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station. Daily precipitation recorded at the MEF north (S2) and MEF south (S5) rain gauges, as well as the nearby NADP rain gauge are provided.
Purpose:
The Marcell Experimental Forest was formally established in 1962. The MEF contains six watersheds (and other study sites), each consisting of an upland portion and a peatland that is the source of a stream leaving the watershed. The watersheds and environmental monitoring at the MEF are part of a long-term research program on the hydrology and biogeochemistry of watersheds with uplands and northern peatlands (Kolka et al. 2011).
Supplemental_Information:
Additional information about the MEF, its instrumentation, and data can be found at https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/ef/marcell/ and in Sebestyen et al. (2011).
Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Range_of_Dates/Times:
Beginning_Date: 19610601
Ending_Date: 20191231
Currentness_Reference:
Ground condition
Status:
Progress: Planned
Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: Irregular
Spatial_Domain:
Description_of_Geographic_Extent:
The USDA Forest Service Marcell Experimental Forest (MEF) is an 1140-hectare tract of land located 40 kilometers north of Grand Rapids in Balsam Township, Itasca County, Minnesota, USA.

Bounding Coordinates for MEF South (S2) rain gauge
West: -93.47071537
East: -93.47071537
North: 47.51519996
South: 47.51519996

Bounding Coordinates for MEF North (S5) rain gauge
West: -93.47678
East: -93.47678
North: 47.56507
South: 47.56507

Bounding Coordinates for NADP rain gauge
West: -93.468936
East: -93.468936
North: 47.530892
South: 47.530892
Bounding_Coordinates:
West_Bounding_Coordinate: -93.50
East_Bounding_Coordinate: -93.45
North_Bounding_Coordinate: 47.57
South_Bounding_Coordinate: 47.50
Keywords:
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category
Theme_Keyword: inlandWaters
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: National Research & Development Taxonomy
Theme_Keyword: Ecology, Ecosystems, & Environment
Theme_Keyword: Natural Resource Management & Use
Theme_Keyword: Inventory, Monitoring, & Analysis
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Theme_Keyword: bogs
Theme_Keyword: fens
Theme_Keyword: peatland
Theme_Keyword: precipitation
Theme_Keyword: wetland
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Place_Keyword: Marcell Experimental Forest
Place_Keyword: Minnesota
Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:
These data were collected using funding from the U.S. Government and can be used without additional permissions or fees. If you use these data in a publication, presentation, or other research product please use the following citation:

Sebestyen, Stephen D.; Verry, Elon S.; Elling, Arthur E.; Kyllander, Richard L.; Roman, Daniel T.; Burdick, Jacob M.; Lany, Nina K.; Kolka, Randall K. 2020. Marcell Experimental Forest daily precipitation, 1961 - ongoing. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2020-0062
Point_of_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Person_Primary:
Contact_Person: Stephen Sebestyen
Contact_Organization: USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station
Contact_Position: Research Hydrologist
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical
Address: 1831 Hwy 169 East
City: Grand Rapids
State_or_Province: MN
Postal_Code: 55744-3399
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 218-326-71082
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: stephen.sebestyen@usda.gov
Data_Set_Credit:
Funding for this project provided by USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station.

Others we would like to credit for their work with these data: Clarence Hawkinson and Carrie Dorrance.
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Sebestyen, Stephen D.
Originator: Verry, Elon S.
Originator: Elling, Arthur E.
Originator: Kyllander, Richard L.
Originator: Roman, Daniel T.
Originator: Burdick, Jacob M.
Originator: Lany, Nina K.
Originator: Kolka, Randall K.
Publication_Date: 2020
Title:
Marcell Experimental Forest daily precipitation, 1961 - ongoing
Edition: ver. 1
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: tabular digital data
Publication_Information:
Publisher: Environmental Data Initiative
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/75646a3bd41ba3219d0e578e8374eef7
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Kolka, Randall K.
Originator: Sebestyen, Stephen D.
Originator: Bradford, John B.
Publication_Date: 2011
Title:
Chapter 3: An evolving research agenda at the Marcell Experimental Forest
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: book chapter
Other_Citation_Details:
pages 73-91
Online_Linkage: https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/37980
Larger_Work_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Kolka, Randall K. (Ed.)
Originator: Sebestyen, Stephen D. (Ed.)
Originator: Verry, Elon S. (Ed.)
Originator: Brooks, Kenneth N. (Ed.)
Publication_Date: 2011
Title:
Peatland biogeochemistry and watershed hydrology at the Marcell Experimental Forest
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: book
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Boca Raton, FL
Publisher: CRC Press
Other_Citation_Details:
512 pages
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1201/b10708
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Sebestyen, Stephen D.
Originator: Dorrance, Carrie
Originator: Olson, Donna M.
Originator: Verry, Elon S.
Originator: Kolka, Randall K.
Originator: Elling, Art E.
Originator: Kyllander, Richard
Publication_Date: 2011
Title:
Chapter 2: Long-term monitoring sites and trends at the Marcell Experimental Forest
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: book chapter
Other_Citation_Details:
pages 15-71
Online_Linkage: https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/37979
Larger_Work_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Kolka, Randall K. (Ed.)
Originator: Sebestyen, Stephen D. (Ed.)
Originator: Verry, Elon S. (Ed.)
Originator: Brooks, Kenneth N. (Ed.)
Publication_Date: 2011
Title:
Peatland biogeochemistry and watershed hydrology at the Marcell Experimental Forest
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: book
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Boca Raton, FL
Publisher: CRC Press
Other_Citation_Details:
512 pages
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1201/b10708
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Data_Quality_Information:
Attribute_Accuracy:
Attribute_Accuracy_Report:
While substantial efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of data and associated documentation, complete accuracy of data sets cannot be guaranteed. All data are made available "as is." The Data User should be aware, however, that data are updated periodically and it is the responsibility of the Data User to check for new versions of the data. The data authors and the repository where these data were obtained shall not be liable for damages resulting from any use or misinterpretation of these data. The Data User should realize that misinterpretation of data may occur if used out of context of the original study.
Logical_Consistency_Report:
unknown
Completeness_Report:
Data from watershed S2 are uninterrupted since 1961. Data from watershed S5 are uninterrupted since 1962. The NADP data are uninterrupted since July 1978.

NADP_PCP, South_PCP, North_PCP:
NA = not available value code. Typically indicates dates before the sensor began operation.

NADP_Flag, South_Flag, North_Flag:
NA = not available value code. Flag was only recorded after transition to digital sensors.
Lineage:
Methodology:
Methodology_Type: Field
Methodology_Description:
The Marcell Experimental Forest has a network of 8-inch Standard USWB Precipitation Gauges (data resolution 0.3 centimeters (cm)) that have been measured weekly beginning in 1961. Three sites (S2, S5 and NADP) also had Belfort Universal Recording Precipitation Gauges to record precipitation data using strip chart recorders from 1961-2014, although the exact dates varied by site. The Belfort Universal Recording Precipitation Gauges were replaced with digital NOAH IV (ETI Instrument Systems) total precipitation gauges on 2010-02-12 (NADP), 2010-09-22 (S2) and 2014-10-24 (S5). All sites were visited weekly. All gauges (recording or Standard) had funnels installed during spring, summer, and autumn and gauges were emptied each week when strip charts were changed. In the winter the receiving buckets in recording gauges were charged with antifreeze and oil, which was emptied and replenished when water started to freeze inside a gage.

All gauges were supported on 0.6 meter (m) diameter circular wooden platforms and the gauge tops were 1.5 m above the ground. Belfort gauges were painted silver to reduce evaporation. All gauges were leveled each spring after soil frost melts. A 45° clear opening from the gauge top is optimal, though there were periods when this site condition was not adequately maintained at S2 and S5. The gauges are in open areas and had USWB Alter-Type Windshields installed on both standard and recording gauges.

When funnels were installed on recording (Belfort or ETI) or Standard Precipitation gauges, precipitation amounts were measured weekly by dipping a NovaLynx precipitation measuring stick into the inner tube of the gauge. Values were read and recorded in units of inches to the nearest hundredth of an inch. During winter months the measurements were made by weighing the collector with a Chatillon spring scale and calculating the difference in weight from the previous week. Weight was converted to depth using a conversion table in tenth ounce increments corresponding to precipitation depths rounded to the nearest hundredth of an inch (29.0 ounces = 1.00 inch precipitation). Values were entered on paper tally sheets from the beginning of each record until 1996. During 1996, values were entered in spreadsheets and values have been added weekly since then.

The Belfort recording gauges were cleaned, lubricated and calibrated with weights each year. Daily precipitation sums were read from the continuous recordings on the strip charts. Corrections were noted on strip charts, and daily values were entered on paper tally sheets until 1996, after which all values were entered in spreadsheets. Daily strip chart readings were corrected by prorating the weekly standard gauge reading according to the portion of the total amount of rain that feel on each day when the weekly accumulated value read from strip charts did not equal the weekly value of the adjacent standard gauge. All data entries were checked and data plots observed to detect errors. Daily entries were then converted to metric units.

The NOAH IV gauges recorded total precipitation amounts at 15-minute intervals, and the 15-minute intervals were summed to calculate daily total precipitation. The NOAH IV digital gauges are backwards compatible with the Standard Rain Gauges, and thus prorating the weekly amounts measured in the standard gauges is no longer necessary. Missing values were interpolated for 15-minute intervals as the median of the total precipitation measured at the other sites over the same time interval. A missing data flag indicates the ratio of the 15-minute measurements within the day that were interpolated.

Data from watershed S2 are uninterrupted since 1961. Data from watershed S5 are uninterrupted since 1962. The NADP data are uninterrupted since July 1978. All data are presented in cm.
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Sebestyen, Stephen D.
Originator: Dorrance, Carrie
Originator: Olson, Donna M.
Originator: Verry, Elon S.
Originator: Kolka, Randall K.
Originator: Elling, Art E.
Originator: Kyllander, Richard
Publication_Date: 2011
Title:
Chapter 2: Long-term monitoring sites and trends at the Marcell Experimental Forest
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Book Chapter
Other_Citation_Details:
pages 15-71
Online_Linkage: https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/37979
Larger_Work_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Kolka, Randall K. (Ed.)
Originator: Sebestyen, Stephen D. (Ed.)
Originator: Verry, Elon S. (Ed.)
Originator: Brooks, Kenneth N. (Ed.)
Publication_Date: 2011
Title:
Peatland biogeochemistry and watershed hydrology at the Marcell Experimental Forest
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: book
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Boca Raton, FL
Publisher: CRC Press
Other_Citation_Details:
512 pages
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1201/b10708
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Entity_and_Attribute_Information:
Overview_Description:
Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
Below you will find a list and description of the files included in this data publication.

DATA FILES

\Data\MEF_precipitation_daily.csv: Comma-delimited ASCII text file containing daily precipitation data collected from 1961-ongoing at the Marcell Experimental Forest (MEF) in Itasca County, Minnesota.

VARIABLES:

DATE = Sample date formatted YYYY-MM-DD.

NADP_PCP = Daily precipitation sum at the NADP station measured in centimeters.

South_PCP = Daily precipitation sum at the South (S2) station measured in centimeters.

North_PCP = Daily precipitation sum at the North (S5) station measured in centimeters.

NADP_Flag = Proportion (0-1) of NADP station in 15-minute measurements interpolated from other stations during the day. Standard unit is dimensionless.

South_Flag = Proportion (0-1) of South station in 15-minute measurements interpolated from other stations during the day. Standard unit is dimensionless.

North_Flag = Proportion (0-1) of North station in 15-minute measurements interpolated from other stations during the day. Standard unit is dimensionless.


SUPPLEMENTAL FILES

\Supplements\Belfort_rain_gauge.jpg: JPEG image file containing an image of the daily recording rain gauge at S2 watershed. Bob Leclair, forestry technician, changes the recording tape on the Belfort Universal Recording Precipitation Gauge 2-1 with wind shield on the S2 watershed. Photo taken at the Marcell Experimental Forest by Molly Cavaleri (2002).

\Supplements\standard_rain_gauge.jpg: JPEG image file containing an image of the 8-inch standard U.S. Weather Bureau precipitation gauge in watershed S2, with Molly Cavaleri using a measuring stick to find total precipitation for the week. Photo taken at the Marcell Experimental Forest by Art Elling (2002).

\Supplements\weather_monitoring.jpg: JPEG image file containing an image of the arrangement of the weather monitoring instruments at site 2-1 on the S2 watershed. Photo taken at Marcell Experimental Forest by Molly Cavaleri (2002).
Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
none provided
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Distribution_Information:
Distributor:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: USDA Forest Service, Research and Development
Contact_Position: Research Data Archivist
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical
Address: 240 West Prospect Road
City: Fort Collins
State_or_Province: CO
Postal_Code: 80526
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: see Contact Instructions
Contact Instructions: This contact information was current as of October 2020. For current information see Contact Us page on: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS.
Resource_Description: RDS-2020-0062
Distribution_Liability:
Metadata documents have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness. Unless otherwise stated, all data and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which these data were collected. However, neither the author, the Archive, nor any part of the federal government can assure the reliability or suitability of these data for a particular purpose. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed for a user's application of these data or related materials.

The metadata, data, or related materials may be updated without notification. If a user believes errors are present in the metadata, data or related materials, please use the information in (1) Identification Information: Point of Contact, (2) Metadata Reference: Metadata Contact, or (3) Distribution Information: Distributor to notify the author or the Archive of the issues.
Standard_Order_Process:
Digital_Form:
Digital_Transfer_Information:
Format_Name: ASCII
Format_Version_Number: see Format Specification
Format_Specification:
Comma-delimited ASCII text file (CSV)
File_Decompression_Technique: Files zipped with 7-Zip 19.0
Digital_Transfer_Option:
Online_Option:
Computer_Contact_Information:
Network_Address:
Network_Resource_Name: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2020-0062
Digital_Form:
Digital_Transfer_Information:
Format_Name: JPEG
Format_Version_Number: see Format Specification
Format_Specification:
Joint Photograph Experts Group image file
File_Decompression_Technique: Files zipped with 7-Zip 19.0
Digital_Transfer_Option:
Online_Option:
Computer_Contact_Information:
Network_Address:
Network_Resource_Name: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2020-0062
Fees: None
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Metadata_Reference_Information:
Metadata_Date: 20201023
Metadata_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Person_Primary:
Contact_Person: Nina Lany
Contact_Organization: USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station
Contact_Position: Data Manager
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical
Address: 271 Mast Road
City: Durham
State_or_Province: NH
Postal_Code: 03824-0640
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 603-868-7792
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: nina.lany@usda.gov
Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Biological Data Profile of the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata
Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001.1-1999
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