This data set provides two data files in text format (.txt). One file contains tri-monthly measurements of above-ground biomass made during the growing season between July 1982 and August 1990 on a dry, cold Eurasian steppe dominated by Stipa grandis at the Tumentsogt Research Station in Mongolia. The second file contains monthly and annual climate data recorded at the study site from 1963 through 1983. Mongolian steppes occupy a major part of eastern Mongolia and northern China and are characterized climatically by low mean annual rainfall and temperature, with a highly seasonal pattern in both. The beginning of spring rainfall and warming are strongly correlated, and the onset of the growing season rainfall triggers the green-up in the region. Land use is dominated by grazing, historically by nomadic pastoralists and more recently for cooperative livestock production. Privatization of grazing land and cropland conversions have been increasing since 1990. Ecosystem degradation such as deterioration of vegetation (e.g., vegetation removal and replacement) and soil (e.g., erosion) is becoming widespread. Peak above-ground biomass at Tumentsogt occurs during a short rainy season (June-August). The amount of biomass fluctuates from year-to-year coherently with rainfall variation. Above-ground net primaryp roductivity (ANPP) estimates are relatively low in comparison to other temperate grasslands, ranging from 72 to 160 g/m2/yr. Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1996.

This data set provides two data files in text format (.txt). One file contains biomass measurements and cumulative ANPP estimates made between 1978 and 1985 at an ultracontinental steppe at the Tuva Research Station in Russia. The second file contains monthly and annual climate data for the study site for 1976-1985.Monthly measurements of above-ground live phytomass, standing dead, and litter biomass were made during each growing season (May-August) of the eight-year study period. Harvests of below-ground biomass were made at the end of the growing season in some years. A year-end measurement of above-ground biomass (particularly standing dead and litter) was also made in 1980. Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1996.

This data set contains five data files in text format (.txt). Three files contain biomass dynamics data for a broad-leaved savanna located in the 800-hectare Nylsvley study site 200 km north of Johannesburg, South Africa. One net primary productivity (NPP) file contains monthly above-ground biomass data from harvests made between mid-October 1974 and mid-September 1977. A second NPP file contains three-year mean monthly values for above-ground, standing dead, and litter biomass. The third NPP file contains monthly below-ground living and dead biomass data from excavations made from August 1988 to November 1989. Climate data are provided in the other two files. One file contains air temperature data measured at the study site (1975-1983). The other file contains rainfall data measured at a nearby farmhouse (1917-1995).Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published.

This data set provides three data files in text format (.txt). Two files contain biomass and above-ground net primary production (ANPP) estimates for two upland meadows with contrasting soil types at the Otradnoe research station of the V.L. Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences located on the Karelian peninsula 100-km to the north of St. Petersburg, Russia. The third file contains monthly and annual climate data recorded at the study site for the period 1968-1973. Measurements of above- and below-ground live and dead biomass were made at a sandy meadow (OTRS) from 1969 to 1972 and at a loamy meadow (OTRL) from 1969 to 1973. Additional biomass measurements were made at OTRS in June 1972 and at OTRL in May 1973. Monthly N, P, and S content of above-ground live biomass were measured 1969-1971 at OTRS.Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1996.

This data set provides three data files in text format (.txt). One file contains monthly above-ground biomass measurements made in 1965 in a humid grass savanna at the Lamto Research Station, Cote Ivoire, Africa. The second file contains monthly above- and below-ground biomass measurements and calculations of carbon/nitrogen ratio of above-ground live and dead biomass and below-ground biomass from the same site for 1969-1987. The third file contains monthly and annual climate data for the study site for the period 1969-1990.Total net primary production (NPP) of the Loudetia simplex grass savanna was estimated at 2,150 g/m2/yr, of which 1,320 g/m2/yr (61%) was below-ground production. Normally 50-90% of above-ground grass biomass is burned annually,Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1996.

This data set provides two data files in text format (.txt). One file contains a long time series of biomass measurements made between 1954 and 1983 on a virgin meadow steppe in the Central-Chernozem V.V. Alyekhin Natural Reserve, Kursk Region, Russia. The second file contains monthly and annual climate data for the study site for the period 1947-1983.Above-ground live biomass measurements were made at biweekly to monthly intervals over the entire 30-year time series. Discontinuous measurements of above-ground standing dead matter and litter biomass (1956-1983) and below-ground live and dead biomass (1972-1973 and 1981-1983) were also made. Cumulative ANPP was estimated at the end of the growing season (1956-1963 and 1972-1973) and monthly (1982-1983). Averaged over the time series, above-ground live phytomass, standing dead, and litter biomass were estimated to be 362, 344, and 424 g/m2 (dry matter weight), respectively, while below-ground phytomass and mortmass were 910 and 1,370 g/m2 (dry matter weight), respectively. ANPP was estimated to be 774 g/m2/yr and BNPP was estimated to be 1,700 g/m2/yr for a TNPP estimate of 2,474 g/m2/yr. The study site is one of eight major grassland types of Eurasia which encompass an extremely wide climatic gradient in the direction of increasing maximum summer temperatures and continentality and decreasing precipitation in a north-west to the south-east band of steppes in the European and Asian parts of the former USSR (Commonwealth of Independent States). Kurst, on rich loamy chernozem soil, is one of the most productive upland grassland ecosystems of Russia with annual mean maximum/minimum temperatures of 24.8/-14.4 C and annual mean precipitation of 582.7 mm for the period 1947-1983. Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1996.

This data set contains three data files in text format (.txt) for a temperate dry steppe at Rio Mayo, Argentia. One file contains quarterly above-ground biomass data for grasses on the steepe (May 1984-May 1985). The second file contains average annual above-ground primary production (ANPP) data for grasses and shrubs for years 1972-1997 based upon peak above-ground biomass estimates. The third file contains precipitation and maximum/minimum temperature data for the Rio Mayo site for the period 1968 through 1990.Rio Mayo is located in the Patagonia region of Argentina. The vegetation is chiefly composed of grasses and shrubs. Harvest methods were used to estimate grass and shrub production. Between 1972 and 1997, peak annual ANPP of grasses plus shrubs ranged from 21 to 75 g/m2/yr, with an average of about 60 g/m2/yr. Grasses accounted for about two-thirds of the productivity. ANPP was reduced in a drought year, but did not increase in relatively wet years, suggesting that it may not be linearly related to precipitation. ANPP for 1984-1985 was slightly higher (79 g/m2/yr) when a different algorithm was used for estimation. Revision Notes: The original npp data file (rmy_npp.txt) has been split into two files, one file containing seasonal biomass and the other containing annual ANPP estimates. The data file containing annual ANPP estimates has been revised to extend temporage coverage and add additional annual ANPP data. See the Revisions section in this document for details.

This data set provides three data files in text format (.txt). One file contains monthly biomass measurements and Net Primary Productivity (NPP) estimates made between April 1984 and July 1990 on a semi-natural tropical monsoon grassland in southern Thailand. The second file contains a year-long record of monthly biomass measurements and NPP estimates made on a portion of the same grassland that was accidentally burned in January 1985. The third file contains monthly and annual climate data for the study site for the period 1973-1989.Two accidental fires occurred during the course of the study; the one in January 1985 burnt 40% of the study area and the other in February 1986 burnt most of the site. During 1985, sampling occurred simultaneously on unburned primary and burned secondary portions of the grassland; afterwards sampling continued on the primary site. Measurements of above- and below-ground live and dead biomass were made on the 15th day of each month. NPP estimates were calculated from changes in biomass and decomposition rates in unburned areas from 1984 through 1986. From April 1984 to April 1985, NPP was 2,036 g/m2/yr, with below-ground organs contributing 23% of this total. Production in the unburned area in 1985 was substantially lower (1,677 g/m2/yr) which coincided with a 35% decrease in mean leaf area index. NPP in the 1985 burned area was only slightly lower (1,524 g/m2/yr); however, NPP was substantially lower after the second fire in 1986 (134 g/m2/yr).Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published in 1996.

This data set provides three data files in text format (.txt). One file contains a long time series of monthly biomass measurements and net primary productivity (NPP) estimates made between July 1984 and November 1994 on an ungrazed tropical dry savanna grassland in the Nairobi National Park, Kenya. The second file contains a shorter time series (October 1989-June 1991) of monthly biomass measurements made on an adjacent savanna that had been clipped in September 1989. The third file contains monthly and annual climate data for the study site for the period 1969-1989.Measurements of above-ground live phytomass, standing dead, and litter biomass were made on the 15th day of each month on the ungrazed grassland over the time series (except during 1987 and at a few other times). The time series for below-ground biomass (BNPP) measurements (live and dead) is more discontinuous with large gaps in 1987-1989. NPP estimates are only available for part of 1984 through 1986 on the ungrazed savanna. The above-ground NPP (ANPP) values averaged 1,004 g/m2/yr and BNPP averaged 875 g/m2/yr. The record of above- and below-ground biomass measurements for the clipped savanna is complete except for a few months in 1990. Revision Notes: Only the documentation for this data set has been modified. The data files have been checked for accuracy and are identical to those originally published.

This data set contains three ASCII files (.txt format). Two files contain above-ground biomass and productivity data for a humid temperate tall-grass prairie grassland located in the Konza Prairie Natural Research Area, Kansas. One file provides data for an unburned treatment and the other for a burned treatment for 1975 to 1990. The third file contains climate data for the period 1891-1988 obtained from a weather station at Konza. The above-ground net primary productivity measurement presented here (394 g/m2/year) is a 10-year average (1975-1984) based on peak seasonal live biomass values averaged for burned and unburned lowland and upland grasslands. The Konza study site (39.10 N, - 96.61 W, Elevation 400 m) is situated near the town of Manhattan in north-eastern Kansas, about 170-km west of Kansas City. The Konza research program is built upon a long-term database on ecological pattern and process data derived from a fully replicated watershed-level experimental design, in place at the Konza Prairie Biological Station since 1977. This design includes replicate watersheds subject to different fire and grazing treatments. Within the watersheds, permanent sampling transects are replicated at various topographic positions, where plant species composition, plant and consumer populations, above-ground net primary production (ANPP), soil properties, and other key above- and below-ground processes are measured. In addition to these watershed-level studies, the Konza Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program includes a number of long-term plot-level experiments.