DCEW Site: Mid-High N-facing site (MHN)
Location (Lat/Long): 43.7171517, -116.1253089
Elevation: 1472 m
Reporting Period: 2008 to July 10, 2018
Site Notes: Mid-High N-facing site (MHN) was established as one of eight sites in a paired north vs. south facing hill slope soil measurement network within DCEW. MHN is north-facing, paired with site MHS as the mid high elevation measurement component of this eight site network. Located in the rain-snow transition zone for winter precipitation on the Boise Front, MHN is proximate to the Treeline weather station wherein water years 2008-2011 averaged 700 mm precipitation, with snowpack generally less than one meter (December through April).
Soil at this forested site includes high organic content topsoil with primary soil horizons 66-25-9 sand-silt-clay for < 2mm weight percentages, 70-90 cm deep above fractured crystalline bedrock. Vegetation is Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir forest with deciduous shrubs below dense canopy with proximate broad thickets of ceanothus.
Soil moisture and temperature is measured in four adjacent pits with quadrilateral separation at 3 meters. In each of the four pits ECH2O EC-TM sensors are emplaced at 2, 15, and 30 cm depth from soil surface with a fourth sensor placed just above bedrock to provide synchronous soil moisture and temperature measurement. Between 2008 and 2012 several of these sensors failed. Subsequently, November 2012, two additional pits were emplaced as an upslope and down slope pair with 5 meters separation, proximate to but separate from the existing 4 pits. A snow depth sensor was also installed at this time.
