The purpose of the Oregon Transect Ecosystem Research (OTTER) Project was to estimate major fluxes of carbon, nitrogen, and water in forest ecosystems using an ecosystem-process model driven by remotely sensed data. The project was conducted from 1990 to 1991. The DAAC's data holdings include background data from 1989.

OTTER data sets include:

• Canopy Chemistry
• Meteorology
• Field Sunphotometer
• Airborne Sunphotometer
• Timber Measurements

These data were transferred to the ORNL DAAC from the Ames Research Center node of the Pilot Land Data System (PLDS).

The ORNL DAAC LBA Data archive includes 14 data products.

Study sites included a coastal forest of western hemlock, sitka spruce, and red alder in a recent clear-cut; a mid-elevation forest of mature Douglas fir in the lower Cascades and a fertilized plot nearby; and an inland forest of ponderosa pine on the drier eastern slope of the Cascades with a fertilized forest nearby.

Meteorological data and remotely sensed measurements of foliar nitrogen and leaf area index drove the model, while field measurements of seasonal changes in canopy leaf area, photosynthetic capacity, stomatal conductance, foliage biochemistry, litterfall, and other components of plant production were used to validate the model. Each site was instrumented for continuous measurement of surface meteorology and monitored frequently for some aspects of carbon exchange, nutrient cycling rates, and water transport.

The following OTTER resources are maintained by the ORNL DAAC:

• OTTER Campaign Document
• Net Primary Productivity (NPP) for OTTER Project Sites


• Otter CD-ROM Set, 5 vols - FIX