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Long-term composited and land cover-adjusted Enhanced Normalized Difference Impervious Surface Index (ENDISI) for the greater Phoenix, Arizona, USA, metropolitan area and the surrounding Sonoran desert derived from annual and seasonal Landsat imagery, 1998 to 2020
This data package consists of multiple decades of Enhanced Normalized Difference Impervious Surface Index (ENDISI) raster data across the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research (CAP LTER) study area within metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona, USA, temporally aggregated by year and by four meteorological seasons (winter, spring, summer, fall). To serve as a proxy measurement of impervious surface and urbanization across years and seasons, we derived values of ENDISI – following the methods of Chen et al. 2019 from annual and seasonal composites of 30-m resolution Landsat 5-9 Level-2 Surface Reflectance imagery. Next, we corrected the underestimated ENDISI values of dark impervious surface cover and the overestimated ENDISI values of bright bare soils based on visible Landsat bands and 2020 land cover (Sabu et al. 2023). Finally, we exported images as individual GeoTIFF raster files, each with five bands corresponding values summarized annually (band 1) and seasonally (bands 2-5). All imagery retrieval and data processing were completed with Google Earth Engine (Gorelick et al. 2017) and program R. A complete description of data processing methods, including the aggregation of imagery by year and season and the calculation of the spectral index, can be found in the data package metadata (see 'Methods and Protocols') and accompanying Javascript code. ### citations - Gorelick N, Hancher M, Dixon M, et al. (2017) Google Earth Engine: Planetary-scale geospatial analysis for everyone. Remote Sensing of Environment 202:18–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2017.06.031 - Sabu, S., Frazier, A., & Rashid, B. (2023). Land use and land cover (LULC) classification of the CAP LTER study area (central Arizona, USA) using Landsat imagery: 2015 and 2020 [Dataset]. Environmental Data Initiative. https://doi.org/10.6073/PASTA/BF18E5856215BD2D4DAB3B024BA87A7E
Survey of Pacific Northwest public land managers science and values project, 2023
This dataset records survey data about public land managers who work in Oregon and Washington (Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Oregon Department of Forestry, Washington Department of Natural Resources). Data was collected in 2023 via the online survey platform Qualtrics. Data collection is complete. The dataset includes measures of managers beliefs about 1) variable density thinning of mature growth forests, 2) salvage logging of burned areas, 3) translocation of plant species from hotter and drier seed zones to adapt to climate change. It includes how managers evaluate the usefulness of scientific evidence and the soundness of action prescriptions for each of the three management issues Respondents were randomly assigned to either receive long-term or short-term studies, and positive or negative results. The dataset includes measures of sense of belonging (how much managers believe they belong at their workplace) and measures of public support/public threat (how much they believe the public understands and supports the actions they take on the landscape). The dataset includes respondent agency.
Harmonized National Land Cover Dataset Values for HydroBASINS Basins
Water quality is largely reflective of processes occurring on the surrounding landscape. While national landcover data are widely available via remotely sensed products, they are usually not aggregated in a manner that is expeditiously merged with basin-level data. To facilitate national-scale analyses of basin-level landcover with co-located water quality data, we present aggregated land cover data for the Contiguous United States. Data are aggregated using the HydroBASINS basin shapefiles. HYBAS_ID is retained to enable merging with HydroBASINS parent datasets.
Long-term composited land surface temperature for the greater Phoenix, Arizona, USA, metropolitan area and the surrounding Sonoran desert derived from annual and seasonal Landsat imagery, 1998 to 2023
This data package consists of multiple decades of land surface temperature (LST) raster data across the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research (CAP LTER) study area within metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona (USA), temporally aggregated by year and by four meteorological seasons (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall). We derived LST values based on the thermal band from annual and seasonal composites of 30-m resolution Landsat 5-9 Level-2 Surface Reflectance imagery. All imagery retrieval and data processing were completed with Google Earth Engine (Gorelick et al. 2017) and program R. A complete description of data processing methods, including the aggregation of imagery by year and season and the calculation of the spectral index, can be found in the data package metadata (see 'Methods and Protocols') and accompanying Javascript code. ### citations: - Gorelick N, Hancher M, Dixon M, et al. (2017) Google Earth Engine: Planetary-scale geospatial analysis for everyone. Remote Sensing of Environment 202:18–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2017.06.031
Marsh vegetation and soil survey at Marsh Landing, Sapelo Island GA from July 1999.
To document edaphic and vegetation patterns in a Georgia marsh, I sampled seven vegetation "zones" at Marsh Landing on Sapelo Island in July, 1999. Vegetation zones were delineated based on vegetation composition. I located 8 transects running from the Juncus zone in the high marsh down into the short S. alterniflora zone. The tall Spartina zone was not sampled. I sampled a single quadrat (0.25 m x 0.25 m) in each vegetation zone along each transect, for a total of 56 plots. I measured canopy height with a meter stick. I harvested aboveground biomass within each quadrat, sorted it to species, dried and weighed it. I measured soil water content gravimetrically by drying surface (4 cm deep) soil cores and expressing results as (water mass)/(mass of wet core). I determined porewater salinity by rehydrating dried soil cores with a known volume of deionized water, measuring the salinity of the supernatant after 48 h, and back-calculating to the volume of water originally present. I measured soil organic content as loss on ignition of dried soil cores at 450oC for 12 h. I measured relative elevation of each vegetation zone with a theodolite, with the elevation of the lowest zone arbitrarily set to zero. The resulting dataset describes how plant species composition, richness, height and biomass varies as a function of abiotic conditions in the upper part of a Georgia marsh.
1830 Map of Land Cover and Cultural Features in Massachusetts
Background and Data Limitations The Massachusetts 1830 map series represents a unique data source that depicts land cover and cultural features during the historical period of widespread land clearing for agricultural. To our knowledge, Massachusetts is the only state in the US where detailed land cover information was comprehensively mapped at such an early date. As a result, these maps provide unusual insight into land cover and cultural patterns in 19th century New England. However, as with any historical data, the limitations and appropriate uses of these data must be recognized: (1) These maps were originally developed by many different surveyors across the state, with varying levels of effort and accuracy. (2) It is apparent that original mapping did not follow consistent surveying or drafting protocols; for instance, no consistent minimum mapping unit was identified or used by different surveyors; as a result, whereas some maps depict only large forest blocks, others also depict small wooded areas, suggesting that numerous smaller woodlands may have gone unmapped in many towns. Surveyors also were apparently not consistent in what they mapped as ‘woodlands’: comparison with independently collected tax valuation data from the same time period indicates substantial lack of consistency among towns in the relative amounts of ‘woodlands’, ‘unimproved’ lands, and ‘unimproveable’ lands that were mapped as ‘woodlands’ on the 1830 maps. In some instances, the lack of consistent mapping protocols resulted in substantially different patterns of forest cover being depicted on maps from adjoining towns that may in fact have had relatively similar forest patterns or in woodlands that ‘end’ at a town boundary. (3) The degree to which these maps represent approximations of ‘primary’ woodlands (i.e., areas that were never cleared for agriculture during the historical period, but were generally logged for wood products) varies considerably from town to town, depending on wheth
Litterfall, Biomass and Productivity in CRUI Land Use Project at Harvard Forest 1996-1997
Prior agricultural land use often plays an important role in the present condition of forests. This research was conducted to find any productivity differences among previously plowed, pastured, and woodlot sites. There are six sites, two from each of the land use types. With this research we wanted to estimate the productivity for each of the six stands and test the hypothesis that rates of annual aboveground biomass and annual litter fall in recovering forests would decline in the order woodlot - pastured - plowed. Twenty-five trees, of various diameters and species, were cored at each site. The cores were analyzed and the radial growth was calculated for the most recent 5 and 10 year intervals. Biomass increments were also calculated for the same time span using published allometric equations. Aboveground woody productivity was calculated for diameter classes within species and semi-log relationships of productivity per diameter were used to calculate the productivity of all trees in the stand that were not cored. Site-specific and species-specific equations were used. Litter fall was estimated by collecting litter from ten traps each in the six stands. Litter was sorted by species and reported on a dry matter basis. Red oaks and red maples were the major contributors of biomass and litter fall in all six of the stands, accounting for about seventy percent of the total aboveground biomass. Although woodlots had higher total biomass there was not a significant difference in productivity across the six sites. The range of productivity including both litter fall and aboveground woody production was from 7524-9014 Kg/ha. This fell into the range for temperate forests according to results published by the International Biological Program. Production per unit biomass was greater in the plowed stand and least in the woodlots.
Tree Canopy Leaf Area Index in CRUI Land Use Project at Harvard Forest 1997
Numerous variables related to land use disturbance and recovery processes can influence forest composition and structure. We’ve measured differences in forest communities in six sites that were formerly plowed, pastured, or continuously forested woodlots in Prospect Hill. None of the sites had noticeable canopy gap disturbance at the time of the measurements. Leaf area index (LAI) was measured with an LAI-2000 plant canopy analyzer (Li-Cor, Inc., Lincoln, NE) at all 77 edge and interior intersection points in the 30 m x 50 m permanent plot (7 columns x 11 rows) in 5 of our 6 land use sites. Under-canopy measurements were made in each site over 25-30 minutes during midday hours (11:00-2:30 EST) on overcast days near solstice (June 13, 18). The under-canopy readings were contrasted with an open-sky measurement taken in an open field near the Harvard Forest headquarters just before beginning data collection in each site. LAI averaged 3.98 and ranged from 2.28 to 5.93 across all sites. W1 had the highest site-level mean (4.62) and maximum (5.93) LAI while S2 had the lowest values (mean = 3.41, max = 4.55). The woodlot also showed the greatest spatial variation as measured by C.V., while plow #1 showed the least variation.
Canopy Sky Factors in CRUI Land Use Project at Harvard Forest 1998
Hemispherical photos were taken at 35 interior grid corners in each land use site’s 30 m x 50 m permanent plot on uniformly overcast days during summer 1998. A Canon A-1 35 mm camera with a 7.5 mm lens was mounted on a tripod, positioned so the film plane was 0.5 m above ground, oriented N-S with a compass, and leveled. Ektachrome 100 slide film was used. Two exposures were made for each location. The slides were processed and digitized in jpeg format by Kodak, Inc. at a resolution of 1536 x 1024 dpi. The jpeg images were screened for nearground obstructions. Fifteen of the 35 photo locations per site were used in subsequent analysis. Hemiview software (v. 2.0, Delta-T Devices Ltd., Cambridge, UK) was used to process the images and calculate indirect, direct, and global (= indirect + direct) sky factors for each sample location, plus the proportion of global sky factor represented by direct beam radiation. Several images spanning a wide range of canopy density were used to develop protocols for setting optimal thresholds in converting from color to black and white images. Each B/W image was then analyzed at three threshold levels, the optimum level plus 5 threshold units (~ 2.5%) above and below the optimum. The results were averaged across the three threshold levels to provide one set of sky factor data per sample location. Above-canopy incident radiation was calculated daily for the June-September growing season based on (1) latitude and longitude, (2) average atmospheric transmission, and (3) monthly averages for fractions of the day in diffuse radiation due to cloud cover for the Harvard Forest area. Data for 2 and 3 above were provided by researchers at the State University of New York at Albany. Below-canopy radiation was estimated daily across half-hour intervals as the sum of diffuse and direct beam components. Sky factors were then calculated from the above- and below-canopy radiation values and averaged both monthly and across the growing season.
Herbaceous Species in CRUI Land Use Project at Harvard Forest 1996
Forests recovering from agricultural legacies differ in many ways that influence the landscape distribution, local abundance, and dispersion of herbaceous populations, as well as patterns of species associations within the herbaceous stratum. We recorded the presence/absence of 10 herbaceous species on a 1 x 1 m resolution in a 30 x 50 m permanent plot grid in six land use legacy sites (2 plowed, 2 pastured, 2 permanent woodlot) in summer 1996 to test predictions about herbaceous species abundance, richness, dispersion patterns, patterns of association, and their relationships to forest structure, microclimates, and soil resources. The 10 species chosen differed in several ways (evergreen vs. deciduous, stature, clonal architecture, affinity for disturbed vs. undisturbed forests) that allowed us to probe the impacts of prior disturbance and current resource patterns (light, water, nutrients) on the spatial patterns of individual species and species associations.
Mapped Trees in CRUI Land Use Project at Harvard Forest 1996-2006
Numerous variables related to land use disturbance and recovery processes influence forest composition, structure, and growth. We measured forest communities in six sites that were formerly plowed, pastured, or continuously forested woodlots in Prospect Hill to test predictions about species composition, stand structure, and productivity in response to agricultural land use legacies. A permanent 30 x 50 m plot gridded in 5 x 5 m sub-plots was established in each of the 6 sites. All trees at least 2.5 cm DBH (diameter at breast height, 1.3 m) were mapped visually in the field, marked with an aluminum tag, and their DBH recorded in summer 1996. Individual boles of multi-stemmed trees were measured separately and a composite single DBH was calculated. Standing dead trees were also mapped and their DBH recorded as well. The 1996 data were used to determine above ground woody biomass using allometric equations for individual trees. The permanent plots were re-surveyed ten years later in fall 2006. The status of each tree mapped in 1996 was recorded (alive, dead standing, dead fallen, forked) and DBH’s were re-measured. Additional trees that grew across the 2.5 cm DBH threshold during the ten-year period were mapped and their DBH’s measured. Composite diameters and above ground woody biomass were determined for forked trees as in 1996. The 2006 re-measurements were used to analyze changes in species composition, stand structure (density, diameter distribution), and mortality patterns among species and size classes, and to calculate net changes in above ground woody biomass across the ten-year period.
Microclimate in CRUI Land Use Project at Harvard Forest 1997
Understory microenvironmental patterns are strongly influenced by both the forest community and substrate, which are in turn affected by site factors, disturbance history and recovery processes. We measured ground-level microclimates across the growing season as part of a multi-faceted study of soil-plant-atmosphere interactions in sites with different agricultural land-use legacies (formerly plowed, formerly pastured, permanent woodlots) in Prospect Hill. A permanent 30 x 50 m plot was established in each of six sites (2 per land use category) and gridded into 5 x 5 m sub-plots. Fifteen microclimate stations were used to measure photosynthetic photon flux (PPF, umol m-2 s-1, LI-190 quantum sensor, Li-Cor, Inc), soil temperature (107B thermistor, Campbell Scientific, Logan, Utah), and air temperature (107 thermistor, Campbell Scientific, Logan, Utah) at 5 locations each in three sites simultaneously. PPF and air temperature were measured at 50 cm, while soil temperature was measured 5 cm. The central sample station was located in the center (sub-plot D6) of the 30 x 50 m grid and four additional stations were positioned 10 m from the central station in the cardinal directions. In addition to the variables described above, relative humidity (%, 207 air temperature/relative humidity probe, Campbell Scientific, Logan, Utah) was measured at 50 cm at the central station. All sensors were connected to a Campbell Scientific 23X datalogger and sampled continuously every 10 sec and averaged every 10 minutes for 5 days at a time. The stations were switched between two sets of sites (P1-S2-W2 followed by P2-S1-W1) at the end of every week, so the data record for any one site includes alternate weeks. Measurements were made during April through September, 1997. The data archived here are daily means per variable per station. Missing records are due to inclement weather, while blank fields represent occasional sensor or datalogger connection problems.
Photosynthetic Light Response Curves in CRUI Land Use Project at Harvard Forest 1998
Ambient CO2 concentrations in terrestrial ecosystems vary substantially on several spatial and temporal scales as numerous soil, plant, and atmospheric processes respond to irradiance, temperature, moisture and wind. There is one widespread microhabitat in terrestrial ecosystems, the nearground zone, in which CO2 is naturally enhanced above average background levels. CO2 produced by soil respiration diffuses through the litter and boundary layers and dissipates fairly rapidly into the overlying bulk air. However, a marked vertical profile of nearground enriched CO2 (hereafter NEC) is usually present in the first 0-50 cm above ground. The degree of enrichment varies primarily with soil respiration rate and turbulent mixing, secondarily with photosynthesis by plants in the herbaceous stratum, and usually shows marked diel and seasonal variation. References to this CO2 "subsidy" and its effects on plants have occurred occasionally in the literature since 1939, but there have been few detailed studies of either the nearground profile or plant responses in the field, particularly for species that consistently occupy the nearground stratum. Considerable research over the last twenty years in both controlled and field environments has shown that co-occurring plant species may respond differently to artificially elevated CO2. But in contrast to light, temperature, water, and nutrients, plant community ecologists have generally not considered CO2 among the factors that regulate species’ distribution and abundance, except indirectly as it may affect water balance. We have documented differences in forest composition (woody and herbaceous), soil characteristics, microclimates, and nearground CO2 levels among six sites that were formerly plowed, pastured, or continuously forested woodlots in Prospect Hill. We selected three perennial herbaceous species (Aralia nudicaulis, wild sarsaparilla; Clintonia borealis, blue-bead lily; Medeola virginiana, Indian cucumber root) and two do
Herbaceous Stratum Sunfleck Regimes in CRUI Land Use Project at Harvard Forest 1998
Numerous variables related to land use disturbance and recovery processes can influence forest understory irradiance regimes. In addition to season-long measurements of herbaceous stratum microclimates (data archived separately), we explored the degree to which differences in forest community composition and structure generate differences in near-ground sunfleck regimes in our six land use sites (2 plowed, 2 pastured, 2 permanent woodlot). Considerable research has shown that photosynthetic responses to fluctuating irradiance cannot be predicted accurately from steady-state gas-exchange measurements, and that sunflecks may account for both a large fraction of total daily photon fluence and net carbon assimilation by plants in the herbaceous stratum of moist forests. We measured clear-day irradiance patterns to test predictions about how sunfleck frequency, duration, and brightness should vary across the three land-use legacies. We also wished to document sunfleck regimes as part of a companion study on photosynthetic responses by herb and tree species to sunflecks. Twenty-three quantum sensors (Li-190, Li-Cor, Inc., Lincoln, NE) were placed at regularly-spaced interior intersection points across the 30 m x 50 m permanent plot grid in each land use site. The sensors were mounted on stakes 50 cm above ground, leveled, and attached to a Campbell Scientific CR23X datalogger. Photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) values were recorded at all 23 microsites every 6 seconds for 3.5-4.5 hours in the morning (8:00-11:30+ a.m. EST) on one clear day per site in July and August 1998. Using custom software and a sunfleck definition threshold of 100 umol m-2 s-1, sunfleck events were extracted for each microsite across the sampling period and the following were calculated for each fleck event: number of fleck events per hour, sunfleck duration (sec), duration of the shade period prior to the sunfleck (sec), mean PPF across the sunfleck event, and peak PPF during the sunfleck. Descrtipti
Tree Seedlings in CRUI Land Use Project at Harvard Forest 1996
Forests recovering from agricultural legacies differ in many ways that influence tree seed dispersal and seedling establishment patterns. We recorded the number of seedlings (less than 0.5 m tall) of all tree species on a 1 x 1 m resolution across six land use legacy sites (2 plowed, 2 pastured, 2 permanent woodlot) in summer 1996 to test several predictions about seedling abundance, diversity, and dispersion patterns, and their relationships to forest structure, microclimates, and soil resources.
Herbaceous Community Composition in CRUI Land Use Project at Harvard Forest 1996
Patterns of vascular plant species richness were investigated in six land use legacy sites (2 formerly plowed, 2 formerly pastured, and 2 permanent woodlot) in Prospect Hill to test predictions about the effects of disturbance, light and soil resources, and forest floor environmental heterogeneity on community composition. The occurrence of vascular taxa was recorded in each of the 60 5 m x 5 m contiguous plots within the 30 m x 50 m permanently gridded study plot in each land use legacy site in June 1996. Identification was made to species in most cases. Woodlots showed higher average species richness at the site level (53) than either pastured (52 species) or plowed (49) sites. However woodlots also show greater spatial variation in richness at the 5 m x 5 m resolution than either the plowed or pastured sites (in that order) as represented by the range, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation. Seasonally-averaged light levels at 50 cm are approximately twice as high in the plowed and pastured sites as in the woodlots, but the woodlots show significantly greater soil organic matter, carbon, nitrogen and water-holding capacity than the post-agricultural sites. These results suggest that soil resources may be more important than light in fostering higher herbaceous stratum richness. However, woodlot richness is also affected by the presence of taxa that are slow to re-colonize heavily disturbed sites (e.g., Epigaea repens) and to distinctive microsites that are less common in the plowed or pastured sites in the Harvard Forest system (e.g., exposed boulders). The greater spatial variation in woodlot richness is strongly influenced by both substrate diversity and by scattered hemlock trees, which substantially depress the herb stratum in localized patches.
Land Use and Forest Dynamics at Harvard Forest 1937-2013
Modern vegetation patterns have developed as a result of species response to environmental gradients, disturbance history, and biotic interactions. However, the relative importance of environmental versus historical factors in determining modern species distributions may differ from site to site and may change with increasing time since disturbance. In addition, life-forms may differ in their response to environmental versus historical disturbance gradients. In the current study, we relate vegetation patterns across the Prospect Hill Tract of Harvard Forest to variability in edaphic factors and disturbance histories. Modern species distribution patterns are related to both edaphic and disturbance gradients. Although species respond individualistically to edaphic and disturbance gradients, land-use history, soil drainage, and C:N ratio are good predictors of the distribution of many species. In contrast, 1938 hurricane damage is less important. Vascular species richness is related to historical land-use, with fewer species in historical woodlots than on former agricultural sites. This is contrary to what has been reported from several other studies, and may reflect the dominance of historical woodlots in the study area by hemlock, a species that creates environmental (i.e. light and soil) conditions that are unsuitable for many species. Historical land-use does not appear to influence bryophyte species richness, although the distributions of several species do follow patterns of land-use. Species richness also varies according to soil drainage, with higher bryophyte, herb, and shrub richness and lower overstory and understory tree richness on wetter sites.
Natural Land Zones in New England in 2006 from 2010 Wildlands and Woodlands Report
This GIS dataset shows different Wildland and Woodland zones in New England and is intended to illustrate how the percentage of protected land could vary between New England landscapes while achieving the total acreage goals as expressed in the Wildlands and Woodlands 2010 Report. This is layer is intended to be conceptual and not prescriptive. The zones were created by expressing the percent natural landcover for a given 500m pixel using a 25 x 25-cell neighborhood. The landuse categories considered to be natural and the breakpoints for each zone are given in the Methods section of this document. The data are provided in vector format as an ESRI shapefile. The projection is NAD 1983 Albers. The Wildlands and Woodlands webpage, http://www.wildlandsandwoodlands.org/, includes a downloadable high-resolution copy of the report and an extensive set of resources that complement and support the arguments and facts presented in it. These include citations, metadata, and downloadable high-quality images of all the graphs and maps. The website will be updated to provide further information on many of the findings, activities, and recommendations provided in the report. Wildlands and Woodlands Report: Foster, D. R., Lambert, K. F., Kittredge, D. B., Donahue, B. M, Hart, C. M., Labich, W. G., Meyer, S., Thompson, J. , Buchanan, M., Levitt, J. N., Pershel, R., Ross, K., Elkins, G., Daigle, C., Hall, B., Faison, E. K., D'Amato, A. W., Forman, R. T. T., Del Tredici, P., Irland, L. C., Colburn, B. A., Orwig, D. A., Aber, J. D., Berger, A., Driscoll, C. T., Keeton, W. S., Lilieholm, R. J., Pederson, N., Ellison, A. M., Hunter, M. L., Fahey, T. J. 2017. Wildlands and Woodlands, Farmlands and Communities: Broadening the Vision for New England.
Mid-19th Century Land Use on the Southern New England and New York Coasts 1832-1886
The widespread influence of land use and natural disturbance on population, community, and landscape dynamics and the long-term legacy of disturbance on modern ecosystems requires that a historical, broad-scale perspective become an integral part of modern ecological studies and conservation assessment and planning. In previous studies, the Harvard Forest Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program has developed an integrated approach of paleoecological and historical reconstruction, meteorological modeling, air photo interpretation, GIS analyses, and field studies of vegetation and soils, to address fundamental ecological questions concerning the rates, direction, and causes of vegetation change, to evaluate controls over modern species and community distributions and landscape patterns, and to provide critical background for conservation and restoration planning. In the current study, we extend this approach to investigate the link between landscape history and the abundance, distribution, and dynamics of species, communities and landscapes of the Cape Cod to Long Island coastal region, including the islands of Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and Block Island. The study region includes many areas of high conservation priority that are linked geographically, historically, and ecologically. This data package includes GIS layers digitized by Harvard Forest researchers from copies of the US Coastal Survey “T-Sheet” maps available from the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. The US Coastal Survey, and then the US Coast and Geodetic Survey mapped the region, or specific parts of it, several times between 1832 and the 1960s. In this project we digitized the earliest T-Sheet available for each location. The original maps were surveyed between 1832 and 1886, with most of them made between 1835 to 1855. The original maps showed features such as roads, farm walls, railroads, buildings, some industrial buildings, saltworks, wharfs, and land cover including woodlands,
Land Cover on the Elizabeth Islands, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket 1938
The widespread influence of land use and natural disturbance on population, community, and landscape dynamics and the long-term legacy of disturbance on modern ecosystems requires that a historical, broad-scale perspective become an integral part of modern ecological studies and conservation assessment and planning. In previous studies, the Harvard Forest Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program has developed an integrated approach of paleoecological and historical reconstruction, meteorological modeling, air photo interpretation, GIS analyses, and field studies of vegetation and soils, to address fundamental ecological questions concerning the rates, direction, and causes of vegetation change, to evaluate controls over modern species and community distributions and landscape patterns, and to provide critical background for conservation and restoration planning. In the current study, we extend this approach to investigate the link between landscape history and the abundance, distribution, and dynamics of species, communities and landscapes of the Cape Cod to Long Island coastal region, including the islands of Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and Block Island. The study region includes many areas of high conservation priority that are linked geographically, historically, and ecologically. This dataset includes a land cover GIS layer created from aerial photographs from 1938. Janice Stone interpreted the photos onto acetates which were then redrawn onto USGS topographic maps using a zoom transfer scope to reduce edge distortion from the photographs. The landcover polygons were then digitized into a GIS. As 1938 is near the midpoint between the peak of 19th century agricultural land clearance and the modern plant communities of the region, this data provides valuable information on changing landscape characteristics and vegetation successional patterns which shape the modern landscape.
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Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.