Lake Suggs NEON - United States of America

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Basic Information
Site Name
Lake Suggs NEON
Short name
SUGGS
Country
United States of America
Web Address
https://www.neonscience.org/field-sites/sugg
Site Manager
Guy Fausnaught
Site Description
Lake Suggs (SUGG) is an aquatic NEON field site located in Putman County, Florida about 20 miles east of Gainesville. It is part of the Ordway Swisher Biological Station (OSBS), a 38.5 km2 (9500 acre) property owned and managed by the University of Florida as a biological research center. Suggs Lake is 0.73 km2 (180 acres) in area. It is classified as a seepage lake dominated by groundwater flow with the local aquifer, but it is also fed by the local surface and subsurface flow through the wetland complex. The lake is situated on limestone geology overlain by a variable mixture of sand, gravel, clay, phosphate and carbonate sediments. The site is encompassed within the NEON Southeast Domain that is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Gulf of Mexico to the west. The Domain features a patchwork of forest, grassland and wetland communities embedded in a matrix that is increasingly dominated by a fast-growing human population. The Domain hosts five other NEON field sites, including two additional aquatic and three terrestrial sites, located in Florida and Georgia. SUGG is colocated with the OSBS terrestrial field site. The Barco Lake (BARC) aquatic site is also located within OSBS.
Relationships to other sites
This site belongs to:
Last modified
2025-09-17 15:24:43

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General Characteristics and Status
Site Status
Operational
Year Established
2014
Observed properties
Affiliation and Network Specific Information
Affiliation
GERI✔This site is a verified "GERI" member.
NEON✔ (SUGGS)This site is a verified "NEON" member.
Photos
SUGG
SUGG
Geographic
View in site map
Centroid/Representative Coordinates

Latitude: 29.68705 Longitude: -82.01617

Size
ca. 210.00ha
Elevation (average)
32.00msl
Elevation (min)
22.00msl
Elevation (max)
49.00msl
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Site information [.json]

Centroid/representative coordinates [.shp] [.kml] [.geojson]
GEO-BON Biome
Fresh water lakes
Terrestrial
Biome
Fresh Water Lakes
Ecosystem Type
Lakes
Fresh Water Lakes
Air Temperature: Average Annual
20.90°C
Precipitation Annual
1308.00mm
Geology
The Ordway Preserve is located in the Northern Highlands portion of Putnam County, where it sits atop roughly 4000 feet of limestone, dolomite, and anhydrite formations. The Miocene-aged Hawthorn Group is overlain by the Cypresshead Formation which was laid down during the Pliocene and consists of sand, mud and clay. Above the Cypresshead Formation, belonging to the recent age, are the quartz sands recognizable as the soil of Ordway. They have many karst features and are often described as belonging to the Anastasia Formation.
Vegetation
The dominant type of vegetation at Suggs Lake is a combination of evergreen forest and conifers. The riparian zone is dominated by red maple (Acer rubrum), tupelo (Nyssa sp.), pine (Pinus sp.), sweetgum (Liquidambar sp.), loblolly-bay (Gordonia lasianthus (L.) Ellis), bald cypress (Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich.), and oak (Quercus sp.). The riparian areas have an extensive cover of emergent macrophyte vegetation (e.g., weedy plants). The southern and western edges of the lake are dominated by wetland vegetation.
Soils
The bank and sediment of Suggs Lake are primarily compacted sand. The soils in the nearby OSBS terrestrial site are Entisol-order soils that are uncoated, Typic Quartzipsamments. These soils are primarily well-drained and sandy, but low-lying areas near lakes and swamps can have relatively deep layers of organic soils.
Hydrology
Suggs Lake is a moderately nutrient rich and partially clear lake with an average secchi depth of 0.5 m and chlorophyll a content of 4 ug/L. The lake water is turbid, with light penetrating through the first two feet of water surface. Suggs Lake is primarily surface water dominated, although it does interact with the regional aquifer to some extent. This lake lies within a greater flow-through wetland complex. Inflow lies on the southwest part of the lake with a smaller inflow from the eastern edge of the lake. Outflow is through the northwest part of the lake as part of the greater wetland complex. Fluctuation in the water table is between 1-1.5 m. Suggs Lake has a mean depth of 2.06 m (6.75 ft.) and a maximum depth of 3.23 m (10.6 ft.) and is isothermal (does not stratify). The lake is classified as acidic with a mean pH of 4.9. The 39.6 km2 (9,785 acre) watershed that encompasses Suggs Lake is replenished primarily by rainwater and overland flow inputs. Suggs Lake has a somewhat recognizable flow in from Lake Rowan and out towards Mill Creek Swamp and eventually Ross Lake. There is a gentle slope to the compacted sand banks with average angles of 160° to 170°. The eight groundwater wells situated amongst the site's rolling hills sample depths of 9-18 m (30-60 ft.).
Site Type
Stationary land-based site
Design of Experimentation
mainly experimentation
Scale of Experimentation
catchment scale
Design of Observation
mainly observation
Scale of Observation
entire catchment
Permanent Power Supply
Yes
Accessible All Year
Yes
Permanent Operation
Yes