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Coweeta (CWT) [USFS, LTER]

Informally Refereed

Abstract

The EcoTrends Editorial Committee sorted through vase amounts of historical and ongoing data from 50 ecological sites in the continental United States including Alaska, several islands, and Antarctica to present in a logical format the variables commonly collected. This report presents a subset of data and variables from these sites and illustrates through detailed examples the value of comparing long-term data from different ecosystem types. This work provides cross-site comparisons of ecological response to global change drivers, as well as long-term trends in global change drivers and responses at site and continental scales. Site descriptions and detailed data also are provided in the appendix section. The Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory (CWT), a USDA Forest Service Station, was established in 1934 as a testing ground for certain theories in forest hydrology; it was established as an LTER site in 1980. The site is located in the Nantahala Mountain Range of western North Carolina, and consists of two adjacent east-facing, bowl-shaped basins. Coweeta Basin (1,626 ha) is the primary site for watershed experimentation, and Dryman Fork (559 ha) is held in reserve for future studies.

Keywords

Coweeta, CWT, LTER

Citation

Miniat, Chelcy. 2013. Coweeta (CWT) [USFS, LTER]. In: Peters, D.P.C.; Laney, C.M.; Lugo, A.E.; Collins, S.L.; Driscoll, C.T.; Groffman, P.M.; Grove, J.M.; Knapp, A.K.; Kratz, T.K.; Ohman, M.D.; Waide, R.B.; Yao, J., eds. Long-term trends in ecological systems: a basis for understanding responses to global change. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.; Technical Bulletin Number 1931. p. 253.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/46039