{"title":"Niwot Ridge NEON - United States of America","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/","suffix":"bd3322ed-0ae8-4da5-beb5-1bd5c9205fa1"},"type":"site","created":"2020-05-25T09:36:50+02:00","changed":"2025-09-18T10:19:25+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":"NIWO","verified":true}],"projects":null},"contact":{"siteManager":[{"type":"person","name":"Amy Jacobs","email":"ajacobs@battelleecology.o","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\/niwo"}]},"general":{"abstract":"The Niwot Ridge Mountain Research Station (NIWO) is a terrestrial site within the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, 27 km (16.8 mi.) west of Boulder, Colorado and 6 km (3.7 mi.) east of the Continental Divide. NEON collects data over 13.4 km2 (3311 acres) at the site, which is on land managed by the University of Colorado in Boulder and the U.S. Forest Service. Sitting at 3000-3600 m (9843-11810 ft.) in elevation, this site\u0027s climate and biota are representative of the diverse landscapes of the Southern Rocky Mountains. Diverse gradients allow NEON to challenge questions surrounding land use change, climate impacts, and disturbance processes at multiple elevations. NIWO is part of NEON\u0027s Southern Rockies and Colorado Plateau Domain (D13). D13 includes one other terrestrial site and two aquatic sites. NIWO is located near the COMO aquatic site.","citation":null,"relatedIdentifiers":null,"status":{"label":"Operational","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/elter_cl\/10772"},"yearEstablished":2015,"yearClosed":null,"relatedSites":[{"typeOfRelationship":{"label":"groups with","uri":"null"},"listOfSites":[{"type":"site","title":"Como Creek NEON - United States of America","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/","suffix":"b8747933-d367-4508-ad6e-f472419439ed"},"changed":"2025-09-17T13:30:53+0200"}]}],"siteName":"Niwot Ridge NEON","shortName":"NIWO","siteType":"Platform","protectionLevel":null,"landUse":null,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/deims.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2020-06\/48540787256_84c2eb5a72_b.jpg","alt":"NIWO Tower"},{"url":"https:\/\/deims.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2020-06\/48789873828_64a8f5700e_c.jpg","alt":"Old Man Daisy at NIWO"}]},"environmentalCharacteristics":{"airTemperature":{"yearlyAverage":0.3,"monthlyAverage":null,"unit":"\u00b0C","referencePeriod":null},"precipitation":{"yearlyAverage":1005,"monthlyAverage":null,"unit":"mm","referencePeriod":null},"biogeographicalRegion":null,"biome":"evergreen_forest","ecosystemType":[{"label":"Evergreen Forest","uri":null},{"label":"Forest","uri":null},{"label":"Grasslands","uri":null}],"eunisHabitat":null,"landforms":null,"geoBonBiome":["Terrestrial"],"geology":"The geology at Niwot Ridge consists of schist, migmatite, and biotitic gneiss.","hydrology":"NIWO is located within the Rocky Mountains, which are covered in snowmelt-fed springs and upland catchments which deliver water to downstream basins. Boulder receives most of its drinking water from these basins.","soils":"The dominate soil order found at NIWO are Mollisols. Overall, soil can be described as Coarse-loamy - mixed - superactive Typic Haplocryolls.","vegetation":"Flora varies along an elevation gradient at NIWO. On the low-elevation east and south facing slopes, lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) and aspen (Populus tremuloides) groves dominate the landscape. The transition zone between the closed subalpine forest and alpine tundra are full of meadows interspersed with stunted patches of coniferous trees. The alpine tundra sits above the treeline and is dominated by herbaceous plants such as Ross\u2019 avens (Geum rossii) and curly sedge (Carex rupestris). The steepest, highest regions of NIWO are dominated by microplants and scree."},"geographic":{"boundaries":"POLYGON ((-105.599060252 40.057624336, -105.599093009 40.060090132, -105.537083742 40.060406888, -105.536827383 40.02773002, -105.550928822 40.027663834, -105.55095386 40.02910977, -105.551237609 40.029234556, -105.554359779 40.029219661, -105.554531757 40.029426061, -105.554592521 40.03281341, -105.554776633 40.032979208, -105.560346915 40.032848794, -105.560581147 40.033050378, -105.560591258 40.036298317, -105.560709947 40.036568033, -105.561142558 40.036615492, -105.573681052 40.036441471, -105.574069325 40.036529645, -105.574198995 40.036704691, -105.574212816 40.039749889, -105.574292537 40.039952211, -105.574592845 40.040031809, -105.583074687 40.039984933, -105.583481056 40.040086498, -105.58349304 40.040289155, -105.583507628 40.043203705, -105.583751742 40.043306087, -105.58781921 40.043281018, -105.587962409 40.043618154, -105.587858534 40.047006309, -105.588010396 40.047284837, -105.594193253 40.047244285, -105.594333497 40.047531874, -105.594286588 40.057442715, -105.59468771 40.057643373, -105.599060252 40.057624336))","coordinates":"POINT (-105.58237 40.05425)","country":["United States of America"],"elevation":{"avg":3490,"min":2975,"max":3583,"unit":"msl"},"size":{"value":1340,"unit":"ha"},"relatedLocations":null},"focusDesignScale":{"experiments":{"design":"mainly experimentation","scale":"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":true,"operation":{"permanent":true,"notes":null,"siteVisitInterval":null},"notes":null,"collection":null,"data":{"policy":{"url":null,"rights":null,"notes":null}}},"relatedResources":null,"projectRelated":{"lter":{"lterSiteClassification":null}}}}