Soil Temperature, under bare soil (5 cm)

The average temperature during a 15-minute interval at a depth of 5 centimeters below the ground; the surface is not vegetated.

• Thermistor probes sheathed in stainless steel are buried horizontally in undisturbed ground. Because the cables connecting the thermistors to the tower might conduct surface heat and divert draining rainwater, they were buried deeper than the thermistors, then angled upward.
• The tower provides short duration (i.e., less than 30 minutes) intermittent shade to the soil temperature plot during late spring through early fall. In extreme instances, this shading can cause a dip in the 5-cm soil temperature of 1-2 °C.
• This measurement was discontinued in December 2013.