Details and Metadata
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Methods
The methods followed in the creation of the dataset, including description of field, laboratory and processing steps, and quality control procedures
Current Methods
Geological Study
In order to gather data about the geology underlying the forests of Vermont I used several metrics. I measured the pH of the organic horizon and the mineral horizon in order to see the effect of the underlying geology on the soil above and the effect of the leaf-litter on the underlying soil. I measured duff depth, as well as whether the forest was deciduous, coniferous, or mixed to help isolate the effects of the duff on the soil pH. I also measured the soil depth to bedrock using a 0.3 meter long soil probe, the data from this test is presented as Y or N; Y= soil depth greater than 0.3m, and N= soil depth less than 0.3m. I compared USGS bedrock maps of the plots to the rocks that I observed around/ on the way to the plots. I also took down notes about the topography and substrate characteristics of the soil to account for landform anomalies in the data such as colluvial material, prevalence of outcrops, and pit and mound topography.
Dataset Fields
Detailed documentation of the fields comprising the dataset, including the type of measurement, units where applicable, and any controlled vocabularies or code lists present in the data
| Field Name | Caption | Description | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acidic_Indicators_ | Acidic_Indicators_ | Presence of plant species that indicate acidic soils. Scale of 1-2, 1 being not present and 2 being not present. | Measurement type: Nominal |
| Basic_Indicators_ | Basic_Indicators_ | Presence of plant species that indicate basic soils. Scale of 1-2, 1 being not present and 2 being present. | Measurement type: Nominal |
| Duff_Depth_(cm) | Duff_Depth_(cm) | Depth of the duff layer. | Measurement type: Interval Units: Centimeters Precision: 0.1 |
| Expected_Bedrock | Expected_Bedrock | Type of bedrock based on location of plot. | Measurement type: Nominal |
| pH_of_B | pH_of_B | The pH of the B layer of soil. | Measurement type: Interval Units: Precision: 1 |
| pH_of_O_ | pH_of_O_ | The pH of the O layer. | Measurement type: Interval Units: Precision: 1 |
| Plot | Plot | The Forest Health Monitoring Plot where sample was taken. | Measurement type: Nominal |
| Rocks | Rocks | Description of rocks found at study site. | Measurement type: Nominal |
| Soil_Depth_>Probe_(Y/N) | Soil_Depth_>Probe_(Y/N) | Measurement type: Nominal | |
| Study_Location_(between_subplots) | Study_Location_(between_subplots) | Location where soil tests where completed in between subplots. | Measurement type: Nominal |
| Topography | Topography | Description of the topography of plot. | Measurement type: Nominal |
Sampling Equipment
Equipment and software used to collect data, including how that equipment was used.
No sampling equipment recorded for this dataset
Site Characteristics
The spatial extent of the dataset site coverage, and descriptions of the spatial extent and context for the data collection
No site characteristics recorded for this dataset