Lajas Experimental Station NEON - United States of America

DEIMS.iD

https://deims.org/348d9d4f-d936-469b-b394-c63ec31ac33b

This record was created automatically using information from the:
Basic Information
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Site Name
Lajas Experimental Station NEON
Short name
LAJA
Country
United States of America
Web Address
https://www.neonscience.org/field-sites/laja
Site Manager
Yamil Toro
Site Description
Lajas Experimental Station (LAJA) is a terrestrial NEON field site located in the southwestern corner of Puerto Rico in the Lajas Valley. The site consists of two areas, a plot of farmland owned by a private farmer known as Hacienda Resolucion and the Lajas Experimental Station, one of six Agricultural Experimental Stations on the island. Hacienda Resolucion is east of the dairy farm managed by the Experimental Station and west of the Laguna Cartagena National Wildlife Refuge managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service. The Lajas Experimental Station is managed by the University of Puerto Rico – Mayaguez Campus. NEON samples approximately 3.9 km2 (976 acres) of land at the station. This location is part of the NEON Atlantic Neotropical Domain (D04), which includes the island of Puerto Rico and the southern tip of Florida. The Domain includes one additional terrestrial field site and two aquatic field sites.
Last modified
2025-09-17 15:09:17

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General Characteristics and Status
Site Status
Operational
Year Established
2016
Observed properties
Affiliation and Network Specific Information
Affiliation
GERI✔This site is a verified "GERI" member.
NEON✔ (LAJA)This site is a verified "NEON" member.
Photos
LAJA Tower
LAJA Tower
Geographic
View in site map
Centroid/Representative Coordinates

Latitude: 18.02125 Longitude: -67.0769

Size
ca. 395.00ha
Elevation (average)
16.00msl
Elevation (min)
13.00msl
Elevation (max)
41.00msl
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Site information [.json]

Centroid/representative coordinates [.shp] [.kml] [.geojson]
GEO-BON Biome
Terrestrial
Biome
Evergreen Forest
Ecosystem Type
Forest
Evergreen Forest
Rainforest
Air Temperature: Average Annual
25.00°C
Precipitation Annual
830.00mm
Geology
The Lajas Agricultural Site is composed of alluvium, a sediment composed of materials such as clay, silt, sand, or gravel, deposited during recent geological time by a stream or other body of running water.
Vegetation
Crop types are rotated depending on current research priorities in the Lajas Experimental Station. Dominant vegetation in the privately owned farmland that makes up the other part of the LAJA site consists mostly of crops cultivated for livestock feeding.
Soils
Soils within the site are from the order Vertisol, which are clay-rich soils that typically form under grassland vegetation. These types of soils are best suited for use as pastureland and for cultivation. Subgroup classification is Sodic Haplusterts.
Hydrology
The Lajas Valley is about 13 m (43 ft.) above sea level. Hydrology characteristics of the area surrounding the Lajas Valley consist of a drainage that runs alongside PR Route 303 that divides the eastern and western sides of the valley. Alluvial deposits are the primary aquifer in the area. These deposits are formed of consolidated sedimentary rocks and the aquifer is recharged by rainfall. Groundwater discharge occurs by means of evapotranspiration and pumping.
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
No