Template: Veg Cover
Description: Phenological Events
Variables with their units and descriptions are found below. If a group is specified in the Group-Required column, the variable is required within that group. Variables without a group and marked required are required for every group. Some variables are marked required / optional with a prefix (e.g., “Optional-a”, “Required-b”). For these variables, only one of the variables with the same prefix should be reported. The Multiple column indicates whether multiple entries of the group are allowed at a tower site.
PHEN_EVENT Variables
| Variable | Group-Required | Multiple | Units | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHEN_EVENT_TYPE | Required | M | LIST(PHEN_EVENT) | Phenology event type Use predefined list to indicate phenology event type. |
| PHEN_EVENT_STATUS | Required | M | LIST(PHEN_STATUS) | Phenology event status Use predefined list to indicate the temportal status of the phenology event type. |
| PHEN_EVENT_SPP | Optional-a | M | Scientific name | Phenology event species (taxa) Vegetation species being described by the measurement. To enter a plant species, use the scientific name (Genus species Author or Genus Author). Please refer to www.theplantlist.org for current scientific names and authors. If the measurement includes all vegetation present, do not enter a value. Do not use SPP if reporting VEGTYPE. |
| PHEN_EVENT_VEGTYPE | Optional-a | M | LIST(VEGTYPE) | Phenology event vegetation type Use the predefined list to indicate the type of vegetation being described by the measurement (e.g., Grass, Evergreen Tree, Deciduous Tree, etc). If vegetation type is not in predfined list, enter “Other/Not in list” and describe briefly in Approach. If the measurement includes all vegetation present, do not enter a value. Do not use VEGTYPE if reporting SPP. |
| PHEN_EVENT_DATE | Required | M | YYYYMMDDHHMM or days | Phenology event date (or days if reporting variability or uncertainty) For the mean or a percentile date (as specified in PHEN_EVENT_DATE_STATISTIC), please report the date at the precision known. Allowed reporting precisicion are YYYY, YYYYMMDD, and YYYYMMDDHHMM. For variability in date (as specified in PHEN_EVENT_DATE_STATISTIC, e.g., Standard Deviation or Measurement Uncertainty), report value in days. |
| PHEN_EVENT_DATE_STATISTIC | Required | M | LIST(STATISTIC) | Phenology event date statistic The statistic for the measurement reported. Use predefined list (e.g., mean, min / max, standard deviation, etc). If appropriate, report the type of statistic (e.g., spatial for spatial standard deviation) in STATISTIC_TYPE. |
| PHEN_EVENT_DATE_STATISTIC_TYPE | Optional | M | LIST(STATISTIC_TYPE) | Phenology event date statistic type The type of statistic reported if appropriate (e.g., spatial). Use predefined list. |
| PHEN_EVENT_DATE_STATISTIC_NUMBER | Optional | M | integer number | Number of observations used to determine phenology event date statistic Number of observations (samples / replicates) used to calculate the STATISTIC for the reported measurement. |
| PHEN_EVENT_APPROACH | Optional | M | free text | Phenology event observation approach |
| PHEN_EVENT_COMMENT | Optional | M | free text | Phenology event comments |
PHEN_EVENT Options (back to top)
| Option | Definition |
|---|---|
| BudBreak | |
| Cotyledons | |
| Flowering | |
| Leaf senescence | |
| Maximum leaf expansion | |
| Total leaf-off |
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PHEN_STATUS Options (back to top)
| Option | Definition |
|---|---|
| Start | “The event has occurred in 5% of the expected cases (5% of plants, leaves, etc).” |
| Peak | The event reached the maximum level and it has occurred in 90% of the expected cases. |
| End | The event is no longer occurring (except natural outliers). |
| Other |
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STATISTIC Options (back to top)
| Option | Definition |
|---|---|
| Minimum | Minimum value |
| 1st Percentile | Quantile at 1% of distribution |
| 5th Percentile | Quantile at 5% of distribution |
| 10th Percentile | Quantile at 10% of distribution |
| 25th Percentile | Quantile at 25% of distribution |
| Median – 50th Percentile | Median – Quantile at 50% of distribution |
| 75th Percentile | Quantile at 75% of distribution |
| 90th Percentile | Quantile at 90% of distribution |
| 95th Percentile | Quantile at 95% of distribution |
| 99th Percentile | Quantile at 99% of distribution |
| Maximum | Maximum value |
| Mean | Average (mean) value of sample population |
| Standard Deviation | Standard deviation may be reported from a sample population that consists of individual or aggregated samples (observations). If the distinction is important, specify in Comments. |
| Measurement Uncertainty | Report uncertainty as a plus or minus value in the measurement units. For example, enter 1.5 for +/- 1.5 units. Uncertainty may be reported from the instrument’s specifications, determined empirically, or estimated by the tower team. Please describe such details in Approach. For uncertainty values that are better described by a range, a percent, or other, please enter information in Comments. |
| Single observation | Single observation |
| Expert estimate | Estimate made by expert familiar with site |
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STATISTIC_TYPE Options (back to top)
| Option | Definition |
|---|---|
| Spatial | The statistic indicated is a metric that describes the spatial component of the sample population. For example, use spatial for the standard devation of samples (observations) that represents different locations at the site for the same time period. |
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VEGTYPE Options (back to top)
| Option | Definition |
|---|---|
| Grass | |
| C3 Grass | |
| C4 Grass | |
| Grass / Graminoid | Grasses, Sedges, Rushes, and other grass-like monocots (member of order Poales) |
| Crop | |
| Herbaceous Crop | |
| Woody Crop | |
| Tree | |
| Deciduous Tree | Trees that shed their entire canopy seasonallly. Drought or cold avoidence are common reasons for deciduousness. |
| Evergreen Tree | Trees that do not seasonally shed their full canopies. |
| Shrub | |
| Herb / Forb | |
| Annual Herb / Forb | |
| Perennial Herb / Forb | |
| Aerenchymatous Plants | |
| Liana / vine | |
| Succulant | Cactus, Euphorbs, including CAM |
| Non-vascular | Moss, lichen |
| Other/Not in list | Only use this option if a major vegetation group is not included already included in the predefined list. If an existing vegetation group is not specific enough, use the existing vegetation option and add details in Approach (rather than using the “Other/Not in list” option). |
| No vegetation | Bare ground, water, or rock. Use only with SPP_PERC_O and SPP_PERC_U |
| Water | Water (perennially submerged ground) |
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