Overview of NEON Domains and Observatory Sites

In order to collect ecological data in a strategic manner, NEON has partitioned the U. S. into 20 eco-climatic domains (See figure below), each of which represents different regions of vegetation, landforms, climate, and ecosystem performance. Division of the U.S. into domains ensures that NEON is able to systematically sample the U.S. in a design objectively representing environmental variability.

In contrast to earlier maps based on expert knowledge, NEON has designed a set of domains based on a new statistically rigorous analysis using national data sets for eco-climatic variables. The statistical design is based upon algorithms for Multivariate Geographic Clustering (MGC).

Each domain contains one core site (indicated by the blue circles on the map) selected to represent unmanaged wildland conditions within each domain.

Each domain also contains two relocatable sites (indicated by the red triangles on the map) to collect data that will focus on human land management effects on ecosystems.

Taken together, the core sites represent a baseline for ecological conditions that can be compared to one another or to the conditions at the relocatable sites. These comparisons at both the domain and national levels will provide critical information that can be used to test ecological models and to identify the impacts of land use change and invasive species on ecology.