{"title":"Mountain Lake Biological Station NEON - United States of America","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/","suffix":"892320ed-6877-4400-b0e0-5ad6750f621d"},"type":"site","created":"2020-05-25T09:36:50+02:00","changed":"2025-09-18T10:10:35+02:00","attributes":{"affiliation":{"networks":[{"network":{"name":"GERI","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/networks\/","suffix":"c3abdc60-49f1-49db-81fe-863b7dbb21d3"}},"siteCode":null,"verified":true},{"network":{"name":"NEON","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/networks\/","suffix":"fd9fbc88-0baa-4d02-b824-dc29f721782c"}},"siteCode":"MLBS","verified":true}],"projects":null},"contact":{"siteManager":[{"type":"person","name":"Bill Martin","email":"wmartin@battelleecology.org","orcid":null}],"operatingOrganisation":null,"metadataProvider":[{"type":"person","name":"Melissa Marquez","email":"marquez@battelleecology.org","orcid":null}],"fundingAgency":null,"siteUrl":[{"title":null,"value":"https:\/\/www.neonscience.org\/field-sites\/mlbs"}]},"general":{"abstract":"Mountain Lake Biological Station (MLBS) is a terrestrial NEON field site located in a remote but accessible southern portion of the Appalachian Mountain Chain in southwestern Virginia, approximately 20 km (12 mi.) northwest of Blacksburg, VA. The Jefferson National Forest is contiguous to the station, with 42.5 km2 (10,500 acres) of woodland designated as National Forest Service Wilderness. The 2.3 km2 (570 acre) field site is comprised of three parcels of land, with the northern two segments owned by the U.S. Forest Service and the southern portion hosted by the University of Virginia. The station is situated on the elevated divide between the Atlantic and Mississippi drainage basins and is characterized by abrupt changes in environmental gradients and fine-scale variances in ecological niches. MLBS is part of NEON Domain 07 - Appalachians \u0026 Cumberland Plateau, which includes eastern Tennessee, most of Kentucky, southern Ohio, and parts of North Carolina, Georgia, Indiana, and Illinois. D07 includes four other NEON field sites, including two additional terrestrial sites and two aquatic sites. It is the only NEON D07 site located in Virginia, as the other four Domain 07 sites are found in Tennessee.","citation":null,"relatedIdentifiers":null,"status":{"label":"Operational","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/elter_cl\/10772"},"yearEstablished":2017,"yearClosed":null,"relatedSites":null,"siteName":"Mountain Lake Biological Station NEON","shortName":"MLBS","siteType":"Non-stationary land-based site","protectionLevel":null,"landUse":null,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/deims.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2020-06\/mountain.jpg","alt":"Forest at MLBS"}]},"environmentalCharacteristics":{"airTemperature":{"yearlyAverage":8.8,"monthlyAverage":null,"unit":"\u00b0C","referencePeriod":null},"precipitation":{"yearlyAverage":1227,"monthlyAverage":null,"unit":"mm","referencePeriod":null},"biogeographicalRegion":null,"biome":"deciduous_forest","ecosystemType":[{"label":"Deciduous Forest","uri":null},{"label":"Forest","uri":null}],"eunisHabitat":null,"landforms":null,"geoBonBiome":["Terrestrial"],"geology":"The parent materials at the site are residuum, colluvium, and local alluvium derived from Lower Devonian and Silurian Formations, Undivided, which include the Millboro Shale (black fissile shale) and Needmore Formations and the Juniata, Reedsville, Trenton, and Eggleston Formations.","hydrology":"The Mountain Lake Biological Station is home to one of only two natural lakes occurring in Virginia. It represents the only natural lake in the unglaciated Appalachians and the highest-altitude U.S. lake east of westernmost Kansas and south of New England. The lake is within a first-order drainage system in an area that can generate perennial flows, occasionally with very high discharges caused by severe storms. The effects of historic land use practices and major storms have caused destabilization of this area\u2019s watersheds and stream channels.","soils":"The dominant soil sub group on this site is Fluvaquents formed in colluvium. These soils contain more than 35% rock fragments in each horizon and have an agrillic horizon with a clay content of 27-40%. The site includes other soil series including Sheloctoa, Lily, Bailegap, Jefferson, Berks, and Weikert.","vegetation":"The vegetation at MLBS is typical of Southern Appalachian forests and is a mosaic of deciduous species. Red maple (Acer rubrum) and white oak (Quercus alba) dominate the canopy. Witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) and shadbush (Amelanchier laevisare) are common throughout the understory and pockets of eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) are found along the creeks."},"geographic":{"boundaries":"POLYGON ((-80.527931721 37.370874227, -80.525273551 37.372689274, -80.529150291 37.376154081, -80.527366984 37.379059306, -80.515170608 37.376796977, -80.515634839 37.373593464, -80.519608689 37.371867407, -80.514939593 37.361282243, -80.527068925 37.353375025, -80.527931721 37.370874227))","coordinates":"POINT (-80.52484 37.37828)","country":["United States of America"],"elevation":{"avg":1170,"min":752,"max":1320,"unit":"msl"},"size":{"value":259,"unit":"ha"},"relatedLocations":null},"focusDesignScale":{"experiments":{"design":"mainly experimentation","scale":"beyond catchment scale"},"observations":{"design":"mainly observation","scale":"beyond catchment"},"observedProperties":[{"label":"DNA sequence","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/21400"},{"label":"above ground biomass","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22025"},{"label":"air temperature","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22035"},{"label":"atmospheric parameter","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/20937"},{"label":"biological parameter","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/20940"},{"label":"chemical parameter","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/10333"},{"label":"ecosystem parameter","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/20939"},{"label":"genetic parameter","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/20942"},{"label":"heat flux","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22130"},{"label":"land cover","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22142"},{"label":"landscape parameter","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/20943"},{"label":"latent heat","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22154"},{"label":"leaf area index","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22157"},{"label":"ozone concentration","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22178"},{"label":"plant diversity","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22191"},{"label":"precipitation intensity","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22204"},{"label":"soil carbon dioxyde flux","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/21939"},{"label":"soil moisture content","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/10039"},{"label":"soil parameter","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/20944"},{"label":"species abundance","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/10018"}]},"infrastructure":{"accessibleAllYear":true,"accessType":null,"allPartsAccessible":null,"maintenanceInterval":null,"permanentPowerSupply":false,"operation":{"permanent":false,"notes":null,"siteVisitInterval":null},"notes":null,"collection":null,"data":{"policy":{"url":null,"rights":null,"notes":null}}},"relatedResources":null,"projectRelated":{"lter":{"lterSiteClassification":null}}}}