Ecological Settings
The ecological settings products include a broad suite of static as well as dynamic abiotic and biotic variables representing the natural and anthropogenic environment at each location (cell). Static variables are those that do not change over time (e.g., elevation, incident solar radiation). Dynamic settings are available for 2010 and 2080; static settings are available for 2010. Dynamic variables are those that change over time in response to succession and the drivers (e.g., growing season degree days, traffic rate). Most of the settings variables are continuous and thus represent landscape heterogeneity as continuous (e.g., slope, biomass), although some are categorical and thus represent heterogeneity as discrete (e.g., developed, hard development). Importantly, the settings variables include a broad but parsimonious suite of attributes that can be used to define the ecological system at any point in time; they are considered primary determinants of ecosystem composition, structure and function, and determine the ecological similarity between any two locations. As such, they play a key role in the ecological integrity assessment, they are used in species’ habitat models to represent important habitat components, as appropriate, and are sometimes used in other model components. The settings provide a rich, multivariate representation of important landscape attributes.
Version numbers used by DSL:
3.x represents our first regional dataset as used in Natures network
5.x represents the updates released starting in 2020, primarily in landcover which then affected most other products.
- Aquatic barriers [updated 10/14/2021]
DSL_documentation_abarriers.pdf
DSL_data_abarriers.zip - Biomass [updated 4/24/2018]
DSL_documentation_biomass.pdf
DSL_data_biomass.zip - CaCO3 (Calcium) content [updated 3/18/2020]
DSL_documentation_calcium.pdf
DSL_data_calcium.zip - Development (includes development and hard development settings): [updated 3/18/2020]
DSL_documentation_development_hard.pdf
DSL_data_development_hard.zip - Stream gradient [updated 3/18/2020]
DSL_documentation_stream_gradient.pdf
DSL_data_stream_gradient.zip - Traffic rate [updated 3/18/2020]
DSL_documentation_traffic.pdf
DSL_data_traffic.zip - Temperature (includes mean annual temperature, growing season degree days, heat index, minimum winter temperature, and maximum summer temperature settings) [updated 4/27/2022]
DSL_documentation_temperature.pdf
DSL_data_temperature.zip - Precipitation (includes total annual precipitation and growing season precipitation settings) [updated 4/27/2022]
DSL_documentation_precipitation.pdf
DSL_data_precipitation.zip - Incident solar radiation [updated 4/20/2018]
DSL_documentation_sun.pdf
DSL_data_sun.zip - Percent imperviousness [updated 3/18/2020]
DSL_documentation_impervious.pdf
DSL_data_impervious.zip - Potential dominant life form [updated 3/18/2020]
DSL_documentation_structure.pdf
DSL_data_structure.zip - Slope [updated 4/20/2018]
DSL_documentation_slope.pdf
DSL_data_slope.zip - Soils (includes depth to resistant layer, soil pH, and available water supply settings): [updated 4/20/2018]
DSL_documentation_soils.pdf
DSL_data_soils.zip - Stream temperature [updated 3/18/2020]
DSL_documentation_stream_temp.pdf
DSL_data_stream_temp.zip - Substrate mobility [updated 3/18/2020]
DSL_documentation_substrate.pdf
DSL_data_substrate.zip - Terrestrial barriers [updated 3/18/2020]
DSL_documentation_tbarriers.pdf
DSL_data_tbarriers.zip - Tides [updated 4/20/2018]
DSL_documentation_tides.pdf
DSL_data_tides.zip - Topographic wetness and flow volume [updated 3/18/2020]
DSL_documentation_wetness_volume.pdf
DSL_data_wetness_volume.zip - Water salinity [updated 3/18/2020]
DSL_documentation_salinity.pdf
DSL_data_salinity.zip - Wind exposure [updated 4/20/2018]
DSL_documentation_wind.pdf
DSL_data_wind.zip