University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center NEON - United States of America

Basic Information
Platform Icon

Site Name
University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center NEON
Short name
UNDE
Country
United States of America
Web Address
https://www.neonscience.org/field-sites/unde
Site Manager
Peter Weishampel
Site Description
UNDE is a terrestrial NEON sampling site located at the University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center (UNDERC), found between Northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on the southwestern edge of Ottawa National Forest. NEON samples 29.39 km2 (7262 acres) of area within UNDERC. This NEON site is very distinct from NEON's other terrestrial sites in this area, Treehaven and Steigerwaldt, because of its minimal forest management. The landscape at the site features primarily second-growth mixed forest dominated by red and sugar maple, aspen, and birch. It also contains 30 different lakes, including the NEON aquatic site at Crampton lake. UNDE is located within the Great Lakes Domain (D05), which includes northern Ohio, Michigan, northern Wisconsin, and parts of Indiana and Illinois. D05 hosts four other NEON field sites: two aquatic and two terrestrial, located in Wisconsin and Michigan.
Last modified
2025-09-18 14:09:15

CC-BY-NC Logo

General Characteristics and Status
Site Status
Operational
Year Established
2015
Observed properties
Affiliation and Network Specific Information
Affiliation
GERI✔This site is a verified "GERI" member.
NEON✔ (UNDE)This site is a verified "NEON" member.
Photos
setting up a mammal trap at UNDE
setting up a mammal trap at UNDE
Geographic
View in site map
Centroid/Representative Coordinates

Latitude: 46.23388 Longitude: -89.53725

Elevation (average)
521.00msl
Elevation (min)
501.00msl
Elevation (max)
538.00msl
Download

Site information [.json]

Centroid/representative coordinates [.shp] [.kml] [.geojson]
Bounding Box [.shp] [.kml] [.geojson]
GEO-BON Biome
Terrestrial
Biome
Mixed Forest
Ecosystem Type
Agricultural
Air Temperature: Average Annual
4.30°C
Precipitation Annual
802.00mm
Geology
The geology of the site consists of migmatitic gneiss and amphibole. The bedrock is composed of Precambrian slate, greywacke, and gneiss. Much of this area’s geology has been affected by glacial activities, as late Wisconsin glacial deposits cover the bedrock. Additionally, the parent materials at this site consist of supraglacial and subglacial till and outwash.
Vegetation
The dominant vegetation type at this NEON site is primarily second-growth Northern mesic forest. The dominant species of the area are red and sugar maple (Acer rubrum and saccharum), aspen (Populus tremuloides and P. grandidentata), and paper birch (Betula papyrifera). The evergreen forests are typically made up of balsam fir (Abies balsamea) but may include hemlock (Tsuga canadensis). Around this site you can also find wet areas that are home to cedar (Thuja accidentalis) and black spruce (Picea mariana). Some areas within the site are poorly drained, which can lead to open, acidic sphagnum bogs that contain tamarack (Larix laricina) and black spruce.
Soils
The soils at UNDERC are primarily spodosols within the subgroup Argic Fragiaquods. The particle size control sections show that this site’s texture is dominantly sandy with small proportions of coarse-loamy, sandy or sandy-skeletal, coarse-silty, and coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal.
Hydrology
UNDE and the surrounding area are covered in open water areas from lakes, ponds, vernal ponds, and wetlands. The numerous open water areas are thought to be the result of ice block depressions formed by glacial activity in the area.
Site Type
Platform
Design of Experimentation
mainly experimentation
Scale of Experimentation
beyond catchment scale
Design of Observation
mainly observation
Scale of Observation
beyond catchment
Permanent Power Supply
Yes
Accessible All Year
Yes
Permanent Operation
Yes