uid=KBS,o=lter,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=orgalluid=sbohm,o=lter,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=orgallpublicreadhttps://lter.kbs.msu.edu/datasets/193.emlMarginal Land Rainfall Exclusion Experiment at the Kellogg Biological Station, Hickory Corners, MI (2012 to 2025)G.RobertsonMichigan State University3700 East Gull Lake DriveHickory CornersMI49060US(269) 760-8364(269)671-2351robert30@msu.edu0000-0001-9771-9895KurtThelenMichigan State UniversityUS(517) 355-0271 x1232thelenk3@msu.edu0000-0003-3464-0826StephenHamiltonMichigan State University3700 East Gull Lake DriveHickory CornersMI49060(269) 671-2231(269)671-2104hamilton@msu.edu0000-0002-4702-9017SvenBohmMichigan State University3700 East Gull Lake DriveHickory CornersMI49060US(269) 205-3821(269 )671-2333bohms@msu.edu0000-0002-6224-7848principal contactKevinKahmarkMichigan State University3700 East Gull Lake DriveHickory CornersMI49060US269-671-2330kahmark@msu.eduprincipal contactToddMartinMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMichiganUSmartint6@msu.eduprincipal contact2026-06-07Dataset Abstractoriginal data source http://lter.kbs.msu.edu/datasets/193LTERKBSKellogg Biological StationHickory CornersMichiganGreat LakesspatialgpsPrimary ProductionDisturbanceInorganic NutrientsLTER Core Research Areafarmingbiotahttps://apps.usgs.gov/thesaurus/thesaurus-full.php?thcode=15Data in the KBS LTER core database may not be published without written permission of the lead investigator or project director. These restrictions are intended mainly to preserve the primary investigators' rights to first publication and to ensure that data users are aware of the limitations that may be associated with any specific data set. These restrictions apply to both the baseline data set and to the data sets associated with specific LTER-supported subprojects.All publications of KBS data and images must acknowledge KBS LTER support.The areas around the Kellogg Biological Station in southwest Michigan-85.404699-85.36685742.42026542.3910192012-01-012025-02-06Kellogg Biological StationData Managerlter.data.manager@kbs.msu.eduhttp://lter.kbs.msu.edu02vkce854KBS LTERThe GLBRC Marginal Land Rainfall Exclusion Experiment was established in 2018 in the Switchgrass treatment (G5) of the Marginal Land Experiment (MLE) to examine the effects of drought on plant production and composition. Rainfall exclusion (rainout) shelters are deployed over the growing season in the fertilized (plus_n) split plot of each of the four G5 replicates (R1-R4) at every active MLE site except Wisconsin Central –Hancock, which since 2015 has only three replicates (R2-R4). Rainout shelters are also deployed in Switchgrass treatment (G5; R2-R5) of the Biofuel Cropping System Experiment (BCSE) at the GLBRC Intensive site; plots and shelters are managed and sampled in the same manner as those in the MLE and thus serve as reference for drought effects on active croplands with higher soil fertility.
Rainout shelters are constructed of a 12’ long x 12’ wide x 6.7’ tall (at side posts with 8" caster wheels) frame of galvanized steel rectangular tubing with vertical supports every 4’ for reinforcement and covered by a pitched (3":12") roof made of overlapping corrugated, clear polycarbonate roofing panels (Amerilux Greca Lexan) which allow ~90% light transmission above 385 nm. Gutters with hoses are installed around the perimeter of the roof and divert rain to outside the plot. Test trials show the shelters exclude nearly 100% of rainfall but very little sunlight.
Under each shelter is a centered 8′ × 8′ subplot where most sampling occurs; samples from this area are cataloged as “rainout”. Two additional subplots (both 6′ × 10′) are located outside the sheltered area but still within the fertilized split plot: an “ambient” subplot that is exposed to ambient weather conditions and a “reserved” subplot in case additional agronomic activities (e.g., irrigation) are implemented.
Surface “rainout” soils are sampled for inorganic nitrogen and soil moisture annually on the same day as the fertilized and unfertilized split plots; these samples are also archived and every three years a subsample is sent to an analytical lab for testing and nutrient/liming recommendations. Plants under the rainout shelters are not machine harvested; instead yields of “rainout” subplots are determined by hand-harvesting and are compared to hand-harvested yields of “ambient” subplots. “Rainout” yield samples are archived on MSU main campus by Kurt Thelen’s lab. Annual net primary production (ANPP) under the rainout shelters is not measured.
In two replicate G5 plots per site, two Campbell Scientific CS655 soil moisture probes (https://www.campbellsci.com/cs655) are buried horizontally near the center of each of the rainout, ambient, and reserved subplots. One sensor is buried at 10 cm, the other at 25 cm. Hourly measurements are saved using a Campbell Scientific CR800 data logger.GLBRC Marginal Land Rainfall Exclusion Experiment – SamplingData Managerhttp://glbrc.kbs.msu.edu/protocols/202The amount of water or moisture in a given mass of soil is highly variable and is important to measure in field studies because it affects microbial activity, nutrient movement, and plant growth. To measure soil moisture content by the gravimetric method, a subsample of a fresh, sieved composite sample or a fresh soil core is weighed, oven dried until there is no further mass loss, and then reweighed. The moisture content is expressed as mass of water per mass of dry soil.
Sampling frequency: Depends on experiment and research objective. Soil moisture is routinely measured as part of our LTER core soil sampling for inorganic N, N mineralization, and greenhouse gas fluxes.Soil Moisture ‒ GravimetricData Managerhttp://lter.kbs.msu.edu/protocols/24https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/datatables/572Kellogg Biological Station LTER: Soil Moisture (Volumetric, Automated) (GLBRC094-012)Volumetric soil water content under rainfall exclusion “rainout” shelters and in adjacent “ambient” and “reserved” subplots of the Marginal Land Rainfall Exclusion Experiment measured with Campbell CS655 soil moisture sensors (https://www.campbellsci.com/cs655) buried horizontally at 10 cm and 25 cm depths and recorded hourly on Campbell CR800 dataloggers.Soil+Moisture+(Volumetric,+Automated).csvNone331\ncolumn,no"\https://data.sustainability.glbrc.org/datatables/572.csvsiteexperiment siteexperiment sitesubplotrainfall manipulationrainfall manipulationdatetimesample date and time in UTCYYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss dddd11987-4-18treatmentcrop treatmentcrop treatmentreplicatereplicate nested in treatmentreplicate nested in treatmentdepthsampling depthcentimeterintegervwcvolumetric water contentcubicMeterPerCubicMeterrealecelectrical conductivitydeciSimensPerMeterrealtemperaturetemperature at the sampling depth celsiusrealpermittivitydielectric permittivity of the soil (in C2N-1m-2) divided by the dielectric permittivity of a vacuum (8.85E-12 C2N-1m-2).dimensionlessrealsheltered"sheltered" if the shelter was in place on the rainout treatment during this time. "open" if the shelter was not in place on the rainout treatment during this time. "unset" iif the shelter status has not yet been manually updated"sheltered" if the shelter was in place on the rainout treatment during this time. "open" if the shelter was not in place on the rainout treatment during this time. "unset" iif the shelter status has not yet been manually updatedsample_idthe internal sample id (for debugging purposes)the internal sample id (for debugging purposes)https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/datatables/624Kellogg Biological Station LTER: Switchgrass Dry Matter Yield (GLBRC134-001)Dry matter yields of switchgrass from hand-harvested subplots of the Marginal Land Rainfall Exclusion Experiment; subplots include rainout, ambient, and reserved, if implemented to examine additional agronomic activities (e.g., irrigated). Yield data are given as megagram dry matter per hectare.Switchgras+Dry+Mater+Yield.csvNone341\ncolumn,no"\https://data.sustainability.glbrc.org/datatables/624.csvyearyear of the growing seasonyear of the growing seasonharvest_datedate of harvest or G11 samplingYYYY-MM-DD11987-4-18siteexperiment locationexperiment locationtreatmentexperimental treatmentexperimental treatmentreplicatereplicate nested within treatmentreplicate nested within treatmentfield_sectionexperimental subplot: rainout, ambient, or reserved (if implemented)experimental subplot: rainout, ambient, or reserved (if implemented)cropcropcroparea_harvested_ft2area_harvestedsquareFootintegerdry_matter_yield_mg_hayield as dry mattermegagramsPerHectarerealmoisture_at_harvestpercent moisture measured at harvestgramsPerHectogramrealcommentsspecific notes for a given rowspecific notes for a given rown_treatmentnitrogen experimental treatmentnitrogen experimental treatmenthttps://lter.kbs.msu.edu/datatables/625Kellogg Biological Station LTER: Agronomic Soil Chemistry (GLBRC134-002)Surface soils under the rainfall exclusion ("rainout’) shelters are occasionally sampled and sent to an analytical lab (e.g., Michigan State University Soil and Plant Nutrient Laboratory through 2022) for fertilizer recommendations and analysis of pH, lime index, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and cation exchange capacity. To compare results with soils under ambient rainfall, use data from the fertilized G5 MLE split plots and BCSE main plots.Agronomic+Soil+Chemistry.csvNone391\ncolumn,no"\https://data.sustainability.glbrc.org/datatables/625.csvyearyear soil sample was collectedyear soil sample was collectedsample_datedate of soil coringYYYY-MM-DD11987-4-18siteWisconsin or Michigan sampling siteWisconsin or Michigan sampling sitetreatmentexperimental treatmentexperimental treatmentreplicatereplicate nested within treatmentreplicate nested within treatmentcampaignsampling intentsampling intenttop_depth_cmupper soil sampling depthcentimeterintegerbottom_depth_cmlower soil sampling depthintegerlime_indexindicator of potential acidityintegerp_ppmphosphorus in soilmilligramsPerKilogramrealk_ppmpotassium in soilmilligramsPerKilogramrealca_ppmcalcium in soilmilligramsPerKilogramrealmg_ppmmagnesium ppm in soilrealfield_sectionsection of the field sampledsection of the field sampledn_treatmentnitrogen treatment of given split plotnitrogen treatment of given split plotest_cecCation exchange capacity in meq/100g soilmilliEquivalentsPerHundredGramrealom_percentorganic matter percentgramsPerHectogramrealwi_plot_idArlington Wisconsin site's plot identifierArlington Wisconsin site's plot identifierhttps://lter.kbs.msu.edu/datatables/627Kellogg Biological Station LTER: Soil Moisture (Gravimetric) (GLBRC134-004)Gravimetric soil moisture content of surface soils (0-25 cm) under “rainout” shelters in the Switchgrass treatment (G5) of the Marginal Land Rainfall Exclusion Experiment. These measurements accompany soil inorganic N determinations. To compare results with soils under ambient rainfall, use similar data from the fertilized G5 MLE split plots and BCSE main plots.Soil+Moisture+(Gravimetric).csvNone311\ncolumn,no"\https://data.sustainability.glbrc.org/datatables/627.csvyearyear the soil sample was collectedyear the soil sample was collectedsample_datedate the soil sample was collectedYYYY-MM-DD11987-4-18siteexperiment locationexperiment locationexperimentthe experimentthe experimenttreatmentthe experimental treatmentthe experimental treatmentreplicatethe experimental replicate plotthe experimental replicate plotsubplotthe subsection of the plotthe subsection of the plotn_treatmentnitrogen treatmentnitrogen treatmenttop_depth_cmdepth to the top of the corecentimeterrealbottom_depth_cmdepth to the bottom of the corecentimeterrealmoisturegravimetric soil moisturegramsPerHectogramrealcommentscomments pertaining to the observationcomments pertaining to the observationhttps://lter.kbs.msu.edu/datatables/628Kellogg Biological Station LTER: 1-hour Weather Observations (GLBRC134-005)One-hour observations from the weather stations at the Marginal Land Experiment (MLE) sites. Observations are given as averages and totals for the hour.1-hour+Weather+Observations.csvNone341\ncolumn,no"\https://data.sustainability.glbrc.org/datatables/628.csvlocationthe weather station locationthe weather station locationdatetimethe date and time in UTCYYYY-MM-DD11987-4-18datetime in estthe date and time in the Eastern Standard time zoneYYYY-MM-DD11987-4-18battery voltage min vMinimum battery voltagevoltrealvwc_avgvolumetric water content at 10 cm (fraction)cubicCentimetersPerCubicCentimetersrealvwc_2_avgvolumetric water content at 25 cm (fraction)cubicCentimetersPerCubicCentimetersrealsoil_temp_1_avgsoil temperature at 10 cmcelsiusrealsoil_temp_2_avgsoil temperature at 25 cmcelsiusrealairtc_avgair temperature at 2 mcelsiusrealrhrelative humidity (%)dimensionlessrealpar_den_avgPAR density averagemicromolePerMeterSquaredPerSecondrealpar_tot_totPAR totalmillimolesPerSquareMeterrealws_ms_avgwind speed averagemetersPerSecondrealrainfall_mm_totrainfall in mmmillimeterintegerslrmj totsolar radiationmegaJoulePerMeterSquaredrealhttps://lter.kbs.msu.edu/datatables/629Kellogg Biological Station LTER: 5-minute Weather Observations (GLBRC134-006)5-minute observations from the weather stations at the Marginal Land Experiment (MLE) sites. Observations are given as averages and totals for the 5-minute interval.5-minute+Weather+Observations.csvNone321\ncolumn,no"\https://data.sustainability.glbrc.org/datatables/629.csvbattery voltage min vthe minimum battery voltagevoltrealslrkw avgSolar RadiationkilowattsPerSquareMeterrealslrmj totSolar RadiationmegaJoulePerMeterSquaredrealrain mm totrainfall in mmmillimeterintegerairtc avgair temperature 5 minute averagecelsiusrealrhrelative humidity (%)dimensionlessrealpar den avgPAR density averagemicromolePerMeterSquaredPerSecondrealpar tottotal PARmillimolesPerSquareMeterrealws ms avgthe average wind speedmetersPerSecondrealws max ws maxmaximum wind speedmetersPerSecondrealhttps://lter.kbs.msu.edu/datatables/630Kellogg Biological Station LTER: GPS Coordinates of MLE plots (GLBRC134-007)The plot ploygons created by measuring the plot corners with a GPS. Also available as a zipped shapefile for Lux Arbor – Michigan South, Lake City – Michigan Central, Escanaba – Michigan North Hancock – Wisconsin – Middle Rhinelander Wisconsin – North and as a consolidated shapefile% Geometries of microplots are includedGPS+Cordinates+of+MLE+plots.csvNone251\ncolumn,no"\https://data.sustainability.glbrc.org/datatables/630.csvsiteThe MLE site nameThe MLE site nametreatmentthe treatment numberthe treatment numberreplicatethe replicate numberthe replicate numberfertilizeris the plot or plot section fertilizedis the plot or plot section fertilizedplotthe plot namethe plot namegeometrythe geometry as Well Know Text (WKT)the geometry as Well Know Text (WKT)https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/datatables/650Kellogg Biological Station LTER: Shelter Deployment and Removal Dates (GLBRC134-008)A record of the dates the rainout shelters are deployed and removed from Switchgrass (G5) treatment plots.Shelter+Deployment+and+Removal+Dates.csvNone221\ncolumn,no"\https://data.sustainability.glbrc.org/datatables/650.csvsitethe MLE site namethe MLE site namedeployed_onthe date the shelters were put in placeYYYY-MM-DD11987-4-18removed_onthe date the shelters were removed from the plotYYYY-MM-DD11987-4-18https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/datatables/687Kellogg Biological Station LTER: Humidity and Temperature under Rainout Shelter and Ambient Conditions (GLBRC134-009)Hobo humidity loggers deployed under rainout shelters and ambient conditions to examine the potential effects of the shelters on humidity and/or temperature.Humidity+and+Temperature+under+Rainout+Shelter+and+Ambient+Conditions.csvNone271\ncolumn,no"\https://data.sustainability.glbrc.org/datatables/687.csvdatetime_utcthe sample date and time in UTCYYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss11987-4-18nameSite nameSite nameplotthe plot sampledthe plot sampledsubplotwhere in the plot the sensor was deployed, under the shelter or outside of the shelter.where in the plot the sensor was deployed, under the shelter or outside of the shelter.replicatethe field replicatethe field replicateair_temperature_cthe measured air temperature in Celciuscelsiusrealrh_percentthe relative humiditydimensionlessrealdewpoint_cthe measured dewpoint in Celsiuscelsiusreal