Delta Junction NEON - United States of America

DEIMS.iD

https://deims.org/488ced79-07f7-4ebd-942d-c119d0f03c1b

This record was created automatically using information from the:
Basic Information
Platform Icon

Site Name
Delta Junction NEON
Short name
DEJU
Country
United States of America
Web Address
https://www.neonscience.org/field-sites/deju
Site Manager
Chris Baird
Site Description
Delta Junction (DEJU) is a terrestrial NEON field site located in central Alaska, approximately 150 km (93 mi.) southeast of Fairbanks and 15 km (9 mi.) south of the community of Delta Junction. The 29.9 km2 (7390 acre) site is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. It sits within the Tanana Valley at an elevation of 440 - 485 m (1400 - 1600 ft.), 30 km (18 mi.) from the confluence of the Tanana and Delta Rivers. The location is bordered to the north by the White Mountains, to the southeast by the Granite Mountains, and to the southwest by the Alaska Range. DEJU is one of the four sites (three terrestrial and one aquatic) located in the NEON Taiga Domain (D19), which comprises Alaska’s interior and the Alaska Peninsula.
Last modified
2025-09-17 13:09:24

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✔ (DEJU)This site is a verified "NEON" member.
Photos
DEJU tower
DEJU tower
Chris Baird encounters the vegetation structure crew
Chris Baird encounters the vegetation structure crew
Geographic
View in site map
Centroid/Representative Coordinates

Latitude: 63.88112 Longitude: -145.75136

Size
ca. 2990.00ha
Elevation (average)
517.00msl
Elevation (min)
444.00msl
Elevation (max)
581.00msl
Download

Site information [.json]

Centroid/representative coordinates [.shp] [.kml] [.geojson]
Bounding Box [.shp] [.kml] [.geojson]
GEO-BON Biome
Terrestrial
Biome
Evergreen Forest
Ecosystem Type
Forest
Evergreen Forest
Air Temperature: Average Annual
-3.00°C
Precipitation Annual
300.00mm
Geology
Local geology is typical of a glaciofluvial setting, where the dominant material is well-rounded gravel in a matrix of silt and sand. Geomorphological features include outwash plains, moraines, stream terraces and floodplains, all of which are characteristic of a formerly glaciated river valley.
Vegetation
The predominant vegetation at Delta Junction is scrubby evergreen forest, where stunted trees like black spruce (Picea mariana), white spruce (Picea glauca) and American dwarf birch (Betula glandulosa, Betula nana) dominate the canopy. Vegetation at the site varies with differences in elevation and drainage; well-drained, upland zones feature quaking aspens (Populus tremuloides) and white spruce, while areas with poor drainage host sedges, mosses, and low-growing shrubs like lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea), crowberry (Empetrum nigrum), bog blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum), bog Labrador tea (Ledum palustre), false toadflax (Geocaulon lividum), and bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi).
Soils
Soils at DEJU are typically eluvial deposits formed by weathering of the underlying parent material, which consists of gravelly glacial till and outwash covered by a thin layer of loess. Organic horizons vary in thickness across the site, with low, wet, frozen areas overlain by thick (>20 cm) organic deposits. The soil is subgelic (-4°C - 0°C/25°F - 32°F) with discontinuous permafrost, and there is evidence of cryoturbation in areas.
Hydrology
Delta Junction sits near the glacially-fed Tenana River, which drains the north slope of the Alaska Range.
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
No
Accessible All Year
Yes
Permanent Operation
No