LTERN Data Portal

Transects were established as a natural experiment - to provide infrastructure to validate the findings from the ATEX manipulated, experimental plots. The aim is to describe the phenological responses of alpine plants to environmental variables and assess the usefulness of this measure to assess vulnerability to changing abiotic (e.g. climate) and biotic (e.g. invasive species) factors. The Victorian Alpine Plot Network research plots commenced in 1996 and were revisited annually for 3 years and then on a decadal basis.

These new transects were established in November 2011 to cover a range of elevations. On the Bogong High Plains one set of six transects runs from Buckety Plain to Mt Nelse and another set of plots from Wild Horse Creek to Mt Nelse, with the Mt Nelse point common to both sets. Five sampling transects were also established at Mount Hotham. There are 18 transects in total, which range in altitude from 1400 m to 1880 m. At each site a permanent transect has been established with a geo-located red gum peg marking the start.

Monitoring of a suite of climatic variables occurs at a subset of long term plots. Average hourly air temperature is recorded using two temperature data loggers (DS1920 Thermochron®, Maxim Integrated Products, 120 San Gabriel Drive, Sunnyvale, CA). This protocol was established during the 2011-12 season. Loggers are set to highest resolution (0.06°C) and are set so that readings are recorded on the hour. We place both loggers 50 mm above the bare soil surface, attached to a wooden stake (100 mm wide) and facing south, hence shaded. Where temperature data from the two loggers is not within a 0.5°C range of each other we exclude the data which is consistent with procedures followed by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

These data are downloaded every five months before rollover occurs (4028 readings gives 167 days at the settings recommended). The exact date is subject to weather conditions, and accessibility of the sites.