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Dryad

Microclimate measurements (15-minute intervals) at Fish Lake Environmental Education Center (Eastern Michigan University; Lapeer County, Michigan, USA)

Data files

May 10, 2021 version files 14.26 MB

Abstract

Longitudinal microclimate data provide essential information on seasonal and annual trends in important measures of the physical environment. Here, we provide data sets from two independent microclimate stations reporting air temperature, soil temperature (at three depths), soil volumetric water content (VWC), and precipitation in an open forest clearing near Lapeer Michigan. This data is versatile and has multiple applications.  For example, this data has been used in an environmental education setting to teach college students how to explore, analyze, and report on climate patterns including, but not limited to, the following: 1) attenuation of air temperature fluctuations at increasing soil depths, 2) linking discrete precipitation events with shifts in volumetric water content, and 3) using time series analysis to summarize and compare air and soil temperatures between seasons and years.  This data is also useful for environmental research exploring recent changes in climate conditions in the United State Midwest region and could be used to help independently validate model-based predictions of climate conditions (e.g., BIOCLIM).