Covariates

[ValentineHerr]

@teixeirak,

This is the list of covariates that are found in GROA database: "%C", "component", "components", "forest floor", "forest floor + CWD", "max_dbh", "max_depth", "max_diameter", "max_height", "min_dbh", "min_depth", "min_diameter", "min_height", "min_length".

I know what to do with min_dbh and I can rename obvious ones to match the covariates of ForC. What should I do with the variables that are not defined in ForC_variables?

[teixeirak]

@CookPatton, could you please help interpret some of these? I believe the ones that we need help with are:

• %C (is this the assumed %C of biomass? Perhaps we should add that as a covariate in ForC)
• component(s)
• forest floor (+CWD) -(Here it looks like you're specifying the components included in litter? With this, we can translate them into ForC)

[CookPatton]

@teixeirak %C is the carbon in the biomass measured and I only noted it when they actually quantified it. If they used a default %C, I converted back to biomass and then used 0.47 for carbon to increase consistency across measures. Components was a way to start parsing my too general litter category. However, I just worked with someone to clean that up so those data are obsolete.

[teixeirak]

@CookPatton, It sounds like %C should then be recorded as the secondary variable stem_pC (C concentration in stems)?

Regarding the components, we'll ignore for now (and hopefully integrate the cleaned up data later).

[CookPatton]

@teixeirak I would have to look up the specific for %C - sometimes it refers to stems, sometimes other portions of tree biomass. I would also ignore for now.

[ValentineHerr]

If I understand well, for now, I only transfer the following covariates (beside min.dbh):

GROA_covariate	ForC_covariate
min_height	min.height
min_diameter	min.diameter
max_diameter	max.diameter
min_length	min.length

right ?

[teixeirak]

also max depth, which now gets its own field.

[ValentineHerr]

Should I just add that column and fill with NA in ForC_measurements ?

[teixeirak]

The column already exists (depth).

[CookPatton]

@teixeirak for depth, do I need to send you the data as a sum of SOC to the surface? Currently for GROA you need to track max and min depth, but if I give cumulative to the surface the value at a given depth slice is still extractable and only requires a single depth covariate. I recall discussing this, but not the conclusion.

[teixeirak]

Funny, I also remember the discussion but not the (full) conclusion! I don't think we should represent the individual depth layers in ForC (researchers who need that should go to GROA). Rather, let's limit it to cumulative values, either as originally published or based on your calculations. It doesn't hurt to have multiple depths in ForC. They will be classified as duplicates, and the current protocol is that those with the largest max.depth would be put in ForC_simplified.