A time-series of leaf-level optical hyperspectral reflectance captured using a leaf-clip and handheld spectrometer for 17 herbaceous species typical of chalk grassland habitat in Kent UK, over 13 sampling dates in 2021. Data were collected using a non-imaging spectrometer manufactured by Spectra-vista Corporation fitted with a leaf-clip; capturing reflectance from 350 - 2500nm. Funded by NERC Grant NE/L002566/1.

Data comprise measurements of plant biomass and community composition, soil microbial community composition, greenhouse gas emissions and soil carbon and nitrogen pools from a drought experiment superimposed on a the long-term Colt Park grassland restoration experiment in northern England. Rainfall was manipulated using rain-out shelters on experimental grassland plots where fertiliser application and seed addition have been managed to enhance plant species diversity. The scientific purpose was to test the hypothesis that management aimed at biodiversity restoration increases the resistance and recovery of carbon cycling to short-term summer drought. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/8a41b2a2-01d7-409e-adf5-fba3f3770f29

[This dataset is embargoed until May 31, 2024]. Saturated hydraulic conductivity, bulk density and soil organic carbon content were determined on soil samples extracted from the upper 50 cm of the soil profile for three paired upland woodland and grassland sites in northern England. The site pairs consisted of new deciduous plantation (<5 yrs old) and pasture, 15 year old deciduous plantation and pasture, and finally a site with mature deciduous woodland and pasture. Comparisons were made between woodland and pasture soil properties. The work was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council Grant NE/R004595/1: Optimising Natural Flood risk Management (NFM) in headwater catchments to protect downstream communities. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/03bbb1a9-703b-484b-aa16-5924c11e1f2d

Data are presented of enzymatic activity of soil collected from paired intensive and extensive grassland systems including low and high pH parent soils, from 32 sites across the United Kingdom. The samples were collected during winter and spring 2015-2016 by project staff experienced in soil core collection. Dry soil samples were analysed for a suit of extracellular hydrolytic enzyme activities. Fluorescently labeled substrates were used to enable the activity of the following enzymes to be measured. All analysis was carried out at CEH Wallingford. The data were collected to help understand soil functional change in a variety of management and climatic scenarios as part of NERC U-GRASS (Understanding and enhancing soil ecosystem services and resilience in UK grass and croplands) award (NERC Reference NE/M017125/1) part of the NERC Soil Security Programme. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/15026591-f803-4b18-a359-cd69ea0e6069

The dataset comprises of percentage plant cover by species observed by eye in a 1metre (m) x 1m quadrat. Measurements were recorded at six salt marsh sites at four spatial scales: 1 metre (m) (the minimal sampling unit) nested within a hierarchy of increasing scales of 1-10 m, 10-100 m and 100-1000 m. Three of the sites were in Morecambe Bay, North West England and three of the sites were in Essex, South East England. Plant cover was measured during the winter and summer of 2013 for all six sites. This data was collected as part of Coastal Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (CBESS): NE/J015644/1. The project was funded with support from the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS) programme. BESS is a six-year programme (2011-2017) funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) as part of the UK's Living with Environmental Change (LWEC) programme. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/90bdf4ff-03d9-4aa4-bcad-5139863ab188

The datasets were collected during experiments undertaken to examine survival rates and larval performance of Speckled Wood butterflies (Pararge aegeria) in different habitats (grassland and woodland). The experiments were carried out between 2008 and 2010 by the University of York, at sites in Yorkshire, Great Britain. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/ecb17680-da2e-49ae-b250-2d04a6a08d2a

This dataset contains measured daily values of precipitation, air and soil temperature, soil water content, measured net ecosystem exchange (NEE) fluxes using eddy covariance, calculated gross primary production (GPP), terrestrial ecosystem respiration (TER) and net biome production (NBP) fluxes using an online tool (http://www.bgc-jena.mpg.de/~MDIwork/eddyproc/upload.php), measured fluxes of methane and nitrous oxide using static chambers and measured fluxes of nitrous oxide using eddy covariance, measured fluxes of nitrogen oxides (NOx) using automatic chambers, measured nitrogen and carbon leaching, livestock density, nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) input from mineral and organic fertiliser and yield of a managed grassland (Easterbush, 03°02'W, 55°52' N, 190 m a.s.l ) in South East Scotland. Data were collected between January 2002 and December 2010. Furthermore the dataset contains one off soil carbon and nitrogen data collected in 2004 and 2010. The dataset also contains monthly dry N deposition data from a field nearby Easterbush (about 300 m distance) measured with a DELTA system from 2002-2010. The data were collected as part of the three European projects GREENGRASS (EC EVK2-CT2001-00105), the NitroEurope Integrated Project (contract 017841) and CarboEurope (Contract No. GOCE-CT-2003-505572). Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/7e6e6955-a9d7-4f8a-961e-3fa3d56d0ead

The dataset contains concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide which were collected in discrete air samples between 23rd July 2011 and 8th July 2013 by the University of St Andrews Thermo TRACE Gas Chromatograph Ultra at Villa Carmen, a premontane forest ecosystem ground site, in the Peruvian Andes. Data were collected for the NERC project: 'Are tropical uplands regional hotspots for methane and nitrous oxide?' (NERC grant awards: NE/H007849/1, NE/H006753/1 and NE/H006583/2).

The dataset contains concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide which were collected in discrete air samples between 5th January 2011 and 4th July 2013 by the University of Aberdeen Thermo TRACE Gas Chromatograph Ultra at Tres Cruces, a montane grassland ecosystem ground site, in the Peruvian Andes. Data were collected for the NERC project: 'Are tropical uplands regional hotspots for methane and nitrous oxide?' (NERC grant awards: NE/H007849/1, NE/H006753/1 and NE/H006583/2).

The dataset contains concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide which were collected in discrete air samples between 15th December 2010 and 6th July 2013 by the University of St Andrews Thermo TRACE Gas Chromatograph Ultra at San Pedro, a lower montane forest ecosystem ground site, in the Peruvian Andes. Data were collected for the NERC project: 'Are tropical uplands regional hotspots for methane and nitrous oxide?' (NERC grant awards: NE/H007849/1, NE/H006753/1 and NE/H006583/2).