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    • A Global Data Set of Leaf Photosynthetic Rates, Leaf N and P, and Specific Leaf Area

    Metadata Updated: September 19, 2025

    This global data set of photosynthetic rates and leaf nutrient traits was compiled from a comprehensive literature review. It includes estimates of Vcmax (maximum rate of carboxylation), Jmax (maximum rate of electron transport), leaf nitrogen content (N), leaf phosphorus content (P), and specific leaf area (SLA) data from both experimental and ambient field conditions, for a total of 325 species and treatment combinations. Both the original published Vcmax and Jmax values as well as estimates at standard temperature are reported. The maximum rate of carboxylation (Vcmax) and the maximum rate of electron transport (Jmax) are primary determinants of photosynthetic rates in plants, and modeled carbon fluxes are highly sensitive to these parameters. Previous studies have shown that Vcmax and Jmax correlate with leaf nitrogen across species and regions, and locally across species with leaf phosphorus and specific leaf area, yet no universal relationship suitable for global-scale models is currently available. These data are suitable for exploring the general relationships of Vcmax and Jmax with each other and with leaf N, P and SLA. This data set contains one *.csv file.

    Access & Use Information

    Public: This dataset is intended for public access and use. License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

    Downloads & Resources

    Dates

    Metadata Created Date April 11, 2025
    Metadata Updated Date September 19, 2025

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from NASA Data.json

    Other Data Resources

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Dataset
    Metadata Created Date April 11, 2025
    Metadata Updated Date September 19, 2025
    Publisher ORNL_DAAC
    Maintainer
    Identifier 10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1224
    Data Last Modified 2025-09-10
    Category Earth Science
    Public Access Level public
    Bureau Code 026:00
    Metadata Context https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.jsonld
    Schema Version https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
    Catalog Describedby https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.json
    Harvest Object Id 71e93869-441b-4085-87be-244f58a21b55
    Harvest Source Id 58f92550-7a01-4f00-b1b2-8dc953bd598f
    Harvest Source Title NASA Data.json
    Homepage URL https://search.earthdata.nasa.gov/search?q=Leaf_Photosynthesis_Traits_1224&ac=true
    Old Spatial {"WestBoundingCoordinate":-122.4,"NorthBoundingCoordinate":58.42,"EastBoundingCoordinate":176.13,"SouthBoundingCoordinate":-43.2},"CARTESIAN"
    Program Code 026:000
    Source Datajson Identifier True
    Source Hash 2065d1bd2edf9c4f287382cbfef43154d0b5314015d13931e2c8822106944b87
    Source Schema Version 1.1
    Spatial
    Temporal 1993-01-01/1993-01-01

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