Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Patterns of precipitation and productivity on various topographic positions on the Central Plains Experimental Range, Nunn, Colorado

Published by Agricultural Research Service | Department of Agriculture | Catalog Last Checked: August 01, 2026 at 04:58 AM | Dataset Last Updated: November 21, 2025
Thirty-six years of aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) data collected across a topographic sequence in the semiarid shortgrass steppe of North America to examine patterns and drivers of spatiotemporal variability in ANPP. ANPP data were collected from the 6,500 ha USDA-Central Plains Experimental Range (CPER), which is part of the Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR; 2012-present; https://ltar.ars.usda.gov/) network, a former Long-Term Ecological Research station (LTER, 1983-2012), and located in the shortgrass steppe of north-central Colorado, USA. Additional information and referenced materials about many of the long-term studies initiated on the CPER can be found: https://dx.doi.org/10.25675/10217/81141. The topography at the CPER is characterized by gently rolling hills, and the topographic positions for data collection were focused along a catena in one of the most common ecological sites on the CPER, Loamy Plains (ID: R067BY002CO; NRCS, 2020). The plant community included four herbaceous plant functional types (PFTs): 1) perennial, warm-season, C4 grasses (primarily Bouteloua gracilis [Willd. ex Kunth] Lag ex Griffiths and B. dactyloides [Nutt.] J.T. Columbus), 2) perennial, cool-season, C3 grasses (primarily Pascopyrum smithii [Rydb] A. Love and Hesperostipa comata [Trin. & Rupr.] Barkworth ssp. comata), 3) cool-season, annual grass (Vulpia octoflora [Walter] Rydb.), and 4) forbs (primarily Sphaeralcea coccinea [Nutt.] Rydb.). Shrubs, subshrubs, and cactus were present but do not represent a large component of total ANPP and were not included in this study. Daily precipitation data were obtained from a long-term (1979-2018) precipitation gauge associated with the National Atmospheric Deposition program (Site ID: NTN-CO22; http://nadp.slh.wisc.edu/), located on site. Missing precipitation data were gap-filled using CPER headquarters data (1939-2018), or from the Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN) rain gauge (1997-2018, Site Number: 2017; https://wcc.sc.egov.usda.gov/), depending on proximity and temporal overlap. Following gap-filling, precipitation data were omitted if >10% of the time series was missing for each focal time period (e.g. fall or spring). Resources in this dataset:Resource Title: Gap filled precipitation data from the Central Plains Experimental Range, Nunn, Colorado from 1980-2018. File Name: CPER-PPT_gapfilled_1980-2018.csvResource Title: Data Dictionary for Gap filled precipitation data from the Central Plains Experimental Range, Nunn, Colorado from 1980-2018. File Name: CPER-PPT_DataDictionary.csvResource Title: Long-Term aboveground net primary production for functional group types on the Central Plains Experimental Range, Nunn, Colorado from 1983-2018. File Name: CPER-LTNPP_bypft_1983-2018.csvResource Title: Data Dictionary for Long-Term aboveground net primary production for functional group types on the Central Plains Experimental Range, Nunn, Colorado from 1983-2018. File Name: CPER-LTNPP_bypft_1983-2018_DataDictionary.csvResource Title: Dictionary of species within each functional group type in the LTNPP data collected on the Central Plains Experimental Range, Nunn, Colorado from 1983-2018. File Name: CPER-LTNPP_bypft_1983-2018_SppInFG_DataDictionary.csv

Resources

5 resources available

  • CPER-PPT_gapfilled_1980-2018.csv

    CSV
    Download

  • CPER-PPT_DataDictionary.csv

    CSV
    Download

  • CPER-LTNPP_bypft_1983-2018.csv

    CSV
    Download

  • CPER-LTNPP_bypft_1983-2018_DataDictionary.csv

    CSV
    Download

  • CPER-LTNPP_bypft_1983-2018_SppInFG_DataDictionary.csv

    CSV
    Download

Find Related Datasets

Search by Tags

Click any tag below to search for similar datasets

Complete Metadata
@type dcat:Dataset
accessLevel public
bureauCode 
[
  "005:18"
]
contactPoint 
{
  "fn": "Hoover, David",
  "hasEmail": "mailto:David.Hoover@usda.gov"
}
description <p>Thirty-six years of aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) data collected across a topographic sequence in the semiarid shortgrass steppe of North America to examine patterns and drivers of spatiotemporal variability in ANPP. ANPP data were collected from the 6,500 ha USDA-Central Plains Experimental Range (CPER), which is part of the Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR; 2012-present; <a href="https://ltar.ars.usda.gov/">https://ltar.ars.usda.gov/</a>) network, a former Long-Term Ecological Research station (LTER, 1983-2012), and located in the shortgrass steppe of north-central Colorado, USA. Additional information and referenced materials about many of the long-term studies initiated on the CPER can be found: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.25675/10217/81141">https://dx.doi.org/10.25675/10217/81141</a>.</p> <p>The topography at the CPER is characterized by gently rolling hills, and the topographic positions for data collection were focused along a catena in one of the most common ecological sites on the CPER, Loamy Plains (ID: R067BY002CO; NRCS, 2020). The plant community included four herbaceous plant functional types (PFTs): 1) perennial, warm-season, C4 grasses (primarily Bouteloua gracilis [Willd. ex Kunth] Lag ex Griffiths and B. dactyloides [Nutt.] J.T. Columbus), 2) perennial, cool-season, C3 grasses (primarily Pascopyrum smithii [Rydb] A. Love and Hesperostipa comata [Trin. & Rupr.] Barkworth ssp. comata), 3) cool-season, annual grass (Vulpia octoflora [Walter] Rydb.), and 4) forbs (primarily Sphaeralcea coccinea [Nutt.] Rydb.). Shrubs, subshrubs, and cactus were present but do not represent a large component of total ANPP and were not included in this study.</p> <p>Daily precipitation data were obtained from a long-term (1979-2018) precipitation gauge associated with the National Atmospheric Deposition program (Site ID: NTN-CO22; <a href="http://nadp.slh.wisc.edu/">http://nadp.slh.wisc.edu/</a>), located on site. Missing precipitation data were gap-filled using CPER headquarters data (1939-2018), or from the Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN) rain gauge (1997-2018, Site Number: 2017; <a href="https://wcc.sc.egov.usda.gov/">https://wcc.sc.egov.usda.gov/</a>), depending on proximity and temporal overlap. Following gap-filling, precipitation data were omitted if >10% of the time series was missing for each focal time period (e.g. fall or spring). </p><div><br>Resources in this dataset:</div><br><ul><li><p>Resource Title: Gap filled precipitation data from the Central Plains Experimental Range, Nunn, Colorado from 1980-2018.</p> <p>File Name: CPER-PPT_gapfilled_1980-2018.csv</p></li><br><li><p>Resource Title: Data Dictionary for Gap filled precipitation data from the Central Plains Experimental Range, Nunn, Colorado from 1980-2018.</p> <p>File Name: CPER-PPT_DataDictionary.csv</p></li><br><li><p>Resource Title: Long-Term aboveground net primary production for functional group types on the Central Plains Experimental Range, Nunn, Colorado from 1983-2018.</p> <p>File Name: CPER-LTNPP_bypft_1983-2018.csv</p></li><br><li><p>Resource Title: Data Dictionary for Long-Term aboveground net primary production for functional group types on the Central Plains Experimental Range, Nunn, Colorado from 1983-2018.</p> <p>File Name: CPER-LTNPP_bypft_1983-2018_DataDictionary.csv</p></li><br><li><p>Resource Title: Dictionary of species within each functional group type in the LTNPP data collected on the Central Plains Experimental Range, Nunn, Colorado from 1983-2018.</p> <p>File Name: CPER-LTNPP_bypft_1983-2018_SppInFG_DataDictionary.csv</p></li></ul><p></p>
distribution 
[
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "CPER-PPT_gapfilled_1980-2018.csv",
    "format": "csv",
    "mediaType": "application/csv",
    "downloadURL": "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/44528723"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "CPER-PPT_DataDictionary.csv",
    "format": "csv",
    "mediaType": "text/plain",
    "downloadURL": "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/44528726"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "CPER-LTNPP_bypft_1983-2018.csv",
    "format": "csv",
    "mediaType": "application/csv",
    "downloadURL": "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/44528729"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "CPER-LTNPP_bypft_1983-2018_DataDictionary.csv",
    "format": "csv",
    "mediaType": "text/plain",
    "downloadURL": "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/44528732"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "CPER-LTNPP_bypft_1983-2018_SppInFG_DataDictionary.csv",
    "format": "csv",
    "mediaType": "application/csv",
    "downloadURL": "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/44528735"
  }
]
identifier 10.15482/USDA.ADC/1519328
keyword 
[
  "ARS",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS > GRASSLANDS",
  "NP215",
  "annual precipitation",
  "data.gov",
  "primary productivity",
  "topography"
]
license https://www.usa.gov/publicdomain/label/1.0/
modified 2025-11-21
programCode 
[
  "005:040"
]
publisher 
{
  "name": "Agricultural Research Service",
  "@type": "org:Organization"
}
spatial 
"{"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-104.78828434367, 40.769862287053], [-104.78828434367, 40.89870286178], [-104.62843325688, 40.89870286178], [-104.62843325688, 40.769862287053], [-104.78828434367, 40.769862287053]]]}"
temporal 1983-01-01/2018-08-31
title Patterns of precipitation and productivity on various topographic positions on the Central Plains Experimental Range, Nunn, Colorado

data.gov

An official website of the GSA's Technology Transformation Services

Looking for U.S. government information and services?
Visit USA.gov