ONAQ - Onaqui, NEON Terrestrial Field Site | Utah

Onaqui (On-ah-key) is a terrestrial NEON Field Site located southwest of Salt lake City, Utah, in NEON’s Domain 15. The Onaqui site is on the traditional territory of the Goshute people, who originally lived in this delicate desert environment. Onaqui consists of a sampling area of 68 square kilometers and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. A 26 foot tall flux tower extends above the sagebrush and western juniper that measures a full profile of atmospheric conditions. Remote sensing surveys of Onaqui collect lidar, spectrometer and high-resolution camera data. A series of 5 soil plots located within the flux tower footprint capture Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR), soil heat flux, and solar radiation at the soil surface, while soil moisture, soil temperature, and CO2 concentration are measured at multiple depths below ground. Precipitation data is collected with a tipping bucket at the top of the tower and a Double Fence Intercomparison Reference (DFIR) near the tower. NEON field ecologists observe birds and plants, and sample ground beetles, mosquitoes, small mammals, soil microbes, and ticks. Lab analyses are carried out to provide further data on DNA sequences, pathogens, soils, and biogeochemistry.

Suggested citation for this video: National Ecological Observatory Network. May 31, 2024. ONAQ - Onaqui, NEON Terrestrial Field Site [Video file]. Courtesy: Battelle. Retrieved from    • ONAQ - Onaqui, NEON Terrestrial Field Site...