Temperature and moisture regimes in the Enterprise Forest, 1970--1973

Within the Enterprise Radiation Forest, measurements of ambient air temperature, humidity, and precipitation were taken from 1970 through 1973. Temperature and moisture stresses that could alter the responses of organisms to gamma radiation were not evident during irradiation (1972) or during the recovery year 1973. Changes in microclimatic regimes as a result of the destruction of vegetation by gamma radiation were also assessed. Although differences in temperature and vapor-pressure deficit (VPD) were small when considering monthly means, mean maximum and mean minimum temperature and standardized plots of mean daily temperature and mean daily VPD indicated greater extremes in the newly created open environment than under the forest canopy. These relationships parallel those reported in comparisons of open environments to forested environments