BNZ-LTER Metadata Catalog

Title:

Greenup values for interior alaska 1976 - Present
Contacts:

Anderson, Jim
Telephone (primary): NA
Telephone (secondary): NA
FAX: NA
Email (primary): NA
Email (secondary): NA
Web URL: NA
Address:

Elsner, Cobb
Telephone (primary): NA
Telephone (secondary): NA
FAX: NA
Email (primary): NA
Email (secondary): NA
Web URL: NA
Address:

Euskirchen, Eugenie
Telephone (primary): (907) 474-1958
Telephone (secondary): NA
FAX: NA
Email (primary): seeuskirchen@alaska.edu
Email (secondary): NA
Web URL: https://sites.google.com/a/alaska.edu/e-euskirchen/home
Address:
UAF, Institute of Arctic Biology
Fairbanks, Alaska 99775
United States

Fathauer, Ted
Telephone (primary): NA
Telephone (secondary): NA
FAX: NA
Email (primary): NA
Email (secondary): NA
Web URL: NA
Address:

Mack, Michelle Cailin
Telephone (primary): (928) 523-9415
Telephone (secondary): NA
FAX: NA
Email (primary): Michelle.Mack@nau.edu
Email (secondary): mcm@ufl.edu
Web URL: https://macklab.nau.edu/
Address:
Northern Arizona University: Ecosystem Science and Society Center (ECOSS) PO Box 5620
Flagstaff, AZ 86011
United States
Abstract:

Greenup, the frequent rapid transformation of Interior Alaska from Brown space to spring green as the leaves deciduous trees burst forth, is suddenly enough to allow assignment of a single date in a given area to this culmination of a key biological process. Greenup is important for more than just an aesthetic or biological perspective. For example, once Greenup has occurred, there is a rapid increase in evapotranspiration. Which in turn has important consequences in the areas mesoscale meteorology. Here, dates for green around Fairbanks for more than 20 springs are correlated against several different temperature derived indices calculated entirely from routinely available climatological data. We examined a variety of degree day statistics and temperature thresholds. The relationships between these parameters and Greenup dates in Interior Alaska should be useful in projecting future greenup dates. They may also be useful to post analyze Greenup dates in years for which there is meteorological data but no surviving record of Greenup dates.

Methods:

Anderson (1986) defines Greenup as the date when 'leaf buds in Birch and Aspen open just enough to produce a faint but distinct green lush in the forest canopy'. Anderson and colleagues have observed the portal poorest Greenup on Eastern flank of Chena Ridge, visible to the southwest from the west ridge of the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. Greenup dates for 1974, and 1976 through 2011, as observed and recorded by Jim Anderson or Cobb Elsner of the University of Alaska Fairbanks were obtained from Mr. Anderson. Additionally, and independent from Anderson's work, Greenup dates for 1986, and 1988 through 2011, were observed and recorded from one of the authors, Ted Fathauer. Fathauer visually examine the south end of Chena Ridge, and look for a distinct green coloration in the forest.

Experimental Design:

None on file.
Supplemental Documentation:

None on file.
Corrections:

None on file.
Supplemental Acknowledgements:

None on file.
Keywords:

bud burst, greenup, plant phenology
Categories:

Climate, Primary Production, Vegetation
Study Period:

1976-05-04 to 2023-05-16
Sampling Frequency:

yearly
Bounding Box:

West Longitude: -147.989281°
North Latitude: 64.811258°
East Longitude: -147.989281°
South Latitude: 64.811258°
Datum:

Site References:

Site ID: ChenaRidgeSouth
Description: This is the general area where bud burst data has been collected.
Directions: South end of Chena Ridge
Site History: NA
Location: NA
Data Columns:

Column: 1
Variable Name: year
Description: Observation year
Units: yyyy
Type: integer
Measurement Scale: interval
Value Codes: NA
Error Codes: NA
Minimum Valid Value: NA
Maximum Valid Value: NA
Output Precision:
Calculations:

Column: 2
Variable Name: month
Description: Month of bud burst
Units: mm
Type: integer
Measurement Scale: interval
Value Codes: NA
Error Codes: NA
Minimum Valid Value: 1.000
Maximum Valid Value: 12.000
Output Precision: 0.0000
Calculations:

Column: 3
Variable Name: dayInMonth
Description: Day of bud burst (day in Month)
Units: dd
Type: integer
Measurement Scale: interval
Value Codes: NA
Error Codes: NA
Minimum Valid Value: 1.000
Maximum Valid Value: 31.000
Output Precision: 0.0000
Calculations:

Column: 4
Variable Name: julian day (taking into account leap years)
Description: julian day of bud burst (taking into account leap years)
Units: NA
Type: integer
Measurement Scale: interval
Value Codes: NA
Error Codes: NA
Minimum Valid Value: 1.000
Maximum Valid Value: 365.000
Output Precision: 0.0000
Calculations:

Public Release:

2023-05-16