Core Measurements

Aspirational Cropping System Experiment (ACSE) measurements are taken at regular intervals that vary from minutes (e.g., air temperature) to years (e.g., soil carbon). The table below enumerates expected sampling frequencies for the current year. Note that some measurements are made only at the plot scale, some only at the field scale, and others at both scales. See Measurement Protocols for a description of sampling and analysis procedures for a given measurement.

Table Key 

a – annual                           Bold – Socrata priority datasets

a-# - every # years                  m – monthly

bw – bi-weekly                       w – weekly

c – continuous                       * - New in 2025

Measurement

Scale

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Soil Health 

both

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a

Soil Chemistry

both

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a

Deep Soil Cores 

both

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a-5

Soil inorganic N 

plot

 

 

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

m
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soil H2O/Temp

plot

m

m

w

w

w

w

w

bw

bw

bw

bw

m

Lysimeter Sample 

plot

 

 

bw

bw

bw

bw

bw

bw

bw

bw

bw

bw

Weather

field

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ANPP 

plot

 

 

 

 

a

a

a

a

a

a

a

 

*Biomass % Nutrients (C,N,P,K,S)

both

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a

Plant Diversity

plot

 

 

 

 

a

a

a

a

a

a

a

 

Crop Yield & Quality

both

 

 

 

 

a

a

a

a

a

a

a

 

AgLog 

both

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

Economics

both

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a

Scouting and Observations 

both

 

 

w

w

w

w

w

w

w

w

w

 

Field Days / Events / Surveys

both

a

 

 

 

 

a

 

a

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pollinators 

field

 

 

 

 

w

w

w

w

w

 

 

 

Crop Pests / Beneficials

plot

 

 

 

 

w

w

w

w

w

w

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UAV Flights - Visual 

both

 

 

 

m

m

m

m

m

m

m

 

 

UAV Flights – Albedo

plot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crop Scouting

 

 

 

bw

bw

bw

bw

bw

bw

bw

bw

bw

bw

Airplane Flights/Images 

both

 

 

 

 

 

 

a

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GHG Chambers 

plot

m

m

w

w

w

w

w

bw

bw

bw

bw

m

EC towers 

field

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

c

 

News

LTAR Network

W.K. Kellogg Biological Station

KBS Long-Term Ecological Research