Santa Rita Experimental Range NEON - United States of America

Basic Information
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Site Name
Santa Rita Experimental Range NEON
Short name
SRER
Country
United States of America
Web Address
https://www.neonscience.org/field-sites/srer
Site Manager
Abraham Karam
Site Description
The Santa Rita Experimental Range (SRER) site is a terrestrial NEON field site located on the the Santa Rita Experimental Range and Wildlife Area, the oldest continuously utilized long-term agricultural research station in the U.S. Located 35 km (21.8 mi.) outside of Tucson, Arizona, the 214.9 km2 (53,101 acre) data collection site is hosted by the University of Arizona. Data collected here help scientists understand the functions of desert ecosystems; deserts are uniquely sensitive to human disturbances. SRER is located in NEON's Desert Southwest Domain (D14). D14 has one other terrestrial field site and one aquatic field site. SRER is not colocated with an aquatic site.
Last modified
2025-09-18 16:09:23

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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✔ (SRER)This site is a verified "NEON" member.
Photos
ecoforecasting Workshop 2019 at SRER, photo by Abe Karam
ecoforecasting Workshop 2019 at SRER, photo by Abe Karam
Monsoon at SRER. Photo credit: Robin Luna
Monsoon at SRER. Photo credit: Robin Luna
Geographic
View in site map
Centroid/Representative Coordinates

Latitude: 31.91068 Longitude: -110.83549

Size
ca. 21490.00ha
Elevation (average)
983.00msl
Elevation (min)
897.00msl
Elevation (max)
1461.00msl
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Site information [.json]

Centroid/representative coordinates [.shp] [.kml] [.geojson]
Bounding Box [.shp] [.kml] [.geojson]
GEO-BON Biome
Terrestrial
Biome
Desert
Ecosystem Type
Desert
Deserts and xeric shrublands
Air Temperature: Average Annual
19.30°C
Precipitation Annual
290.00mm
Geology
The SRER is located at the foothills of the Santa Rita Mountains. The range itself consists of some isolated foothills but is mostly comprised of gently sloped alluvial fans cut by canyons and arroyos. The geology of SRER is characterized by undivided sand and gravels.
Vegetation
The dominant vegetation found in an area is highly dependent on elevation. For example, densities of velvet mesquite (Prosopis velutina) and cholla cactus (Cylindropuntia spp.) are greatest at elevations between 975 - 1100 m (3200 - 3600 ft.), but creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) dominates at elevations lower than 975 m (3200 ft.). Vegetation at the site is dominated by drought-resistant, thorny species. This includes a mix of short trees, shrubs, cacti and other succulents, perennial grasses, and annual forbs.
Soils
The soils found at SRER are those typical of desert regions - they are mostly composed of alluvial deposits from the Santa Rita Mountains, with alluvial caps covering approximately 95% of the region. The soil subgroup Typic Torrifluvents, within Entisols, are commonly found in NEON plots at SRER. Higher-elevation soils have higher organic content, less salt, and lower temperature than soils at lower elevations.
Hydrology
Arroyos and gullies are common within the experimental range, representing the alluvial fan dominated area. Runoff flows to the west and northwest into the Santa Cruz River.
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