Video summary
The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is best understood by visiting its physical sites, which feature iconic towers equipped with a vast array of sensors designed to measure various atmospheric components such as carbon dioxide flux, methane, barometric pressure, and other meteorological data. These infrastructure systems are engineered for resiliency and include ground-based grids like soil arrays and throughfall instruments that collect critical information on heat flux, precipitation, and nitrogen pools. Beyond terrestrial measurements, NEON's aquatic systems are fully instrumented to monitor freshwater ecosystems ranging from streams to large lakes, while phenocams capture images every fifteen minutes to document seasonal changes in plant phenology across the continent.
In addition to these permanent installations, the network manages over 16,000 sensors maintained by a dedicated instrumentation team and field staff using preventative and predictive approaches. The observatory also supports mobile deployment platforms that allow researchers to request equipment for unique locations, such as controlled burn sites, as part of their research support services. Complementing these automated systems is extensive observational sampling conducted by around 100 full-time ecologists and 250 seasonal technicians who follow standardized protocols to collect diverse biological data, including blood samples from small mammals, ticks, beetles, vegetation, and soil microbes. These specimens are processed at regional facilities and sent annually to the NEON BioRepository at Arizona State University, which serves as an open archive for researchers seeking sample loans.
To further enhance its data collection capabilities, NEON utilizes airborne observation platforms, specifically twin Otter aircraft designed to fly low and slow to capture high-quality hyperspectral imagery and camera data. These flights are scheduled during peak greenness periods to generate images with incredible resolution regarding ground cover, canopy, and vegetation, which are then processed for researcher use. All the data collected through these sensors, field observations, and remote sensing efforts amount to over 400 terabytes annually, all of which are linked in space and time and made available via the website, API, and cloud. Ultimately, NEON contributes this massive volume of integrated data, including samples from its bio-repository, to the broader science community to advance ecological understanding.
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the national ecological Observatory
Network neon is best understood by going
physically to a neon site but in lie of
this we'll take you on a walk around the
observatory let's start with our
instrumented systems essentially our
infrastructure and sensors engineered
with
resiliency neon has its iconic Towers at
each terrestrial field site equipped
with sensors at all different levels
that measure different aspects of the
atmosphere like CO2 flux methane
barometric pressure and other
meteorological
data we see plots and grids for ground
measurements laid out near the
tower as just one example the soil
arrays and throughfall instruments
collect data that can be used to study
heat flux precipitation nitrogen pools
and a lot
more neon's aquatic SES are also fully
instrumented sensors and gauges at these
SES collect data on freshwater
ecosystems from streams to larger
lakes and it nearly all Sites you'll
find cameras like this phenocam here
which captures images every 15 minutes
and provides a record of seasonal
changes or phology across the
continent we manage over 16,000 sensors
across our sites and these are
maintained using preventative and
predictive approaches by our
instrumentation team and trained field
staff in addition to permanent sites we
also have mobile deployment platforms
that researchers can request to deploy
to a unique location like with this
controlled burn they're part of our neon
research Support Services
Program now to the observational
sampling this is what is often thought
of as ecology fieldwork data include
everything from collecting blood samples
and trait data from small mammals to
ticks and beetles to vegetation soil
microbes and more all of this is done by
around 100 full-time ecologists and 250
seasonal technicians who are trained in
standardized protocols they return to
the regional Support Facility to conduct
any necessary lab work and they send
around 100,000 specimens annually to the
neon bio repository at Arizona State
University our archive which like a
library is open to researchers for
sample
loans alongside these sensors and field
observations we collect various remote
sensing data using Airborne observation
platforms the twin otter aircraft are
designed to fly low and slow which allow
us to collect high quality data using
hyperspectral imagery lar and Camera
this is a form of remote sensing and
from this we generate images like this
one that has incredibly high resolution
data of the ground cover canopy and
vegetation we schedule neon flights
across the country to collect during
Peak greenness and coordinate with field
teams on the ground the neon team then
processes these data for researcher
use to wrap up all of these data over
400 tabt a year are linked in space and
in time and available from the website
API and cloud and the samples from the
bio
repository neon contributes these and
much more to the science community