U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

icon-dot-gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

icon-https

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Spatial Extent of Data

USGS Data Source

USGS Thesaurus Keywords

biological soil crusts, soil resources, habitat alteration and disturbance, plot sampling, ecosystem functions, vegetation, biogeography, field sampling, time series datasets, plants (organisms), transect sampling, habitats, habitat fragmentation, human impacts, community ecology, field inventory and monitoring

ISO 19115 Topic Category

environment, geoscientificInformation, utilitiesCommunication, biota

Other Subject Keywords

soil compaction, data release, solar energy development, utility-scale solar energy, ecovoltaic, soil stability, chlorophyll a, absence, line-point intercept, before-after control-impact, presence

Place Keywords

Nevada, Mojave Desert, Moapa River Indian Reservation, Crystal (historical), Las Vegas, Dry Lake, Clark County

Measurements of vegetation, soil, and disturbance following utility-scale solar energy development in the Mojave Desert, 2021-2023

These data were compiled to evaluate the impact of a utility-scale solar energy (Gemini Solar + Storage) development on ecosystem function in the Mojave Desert. Objectives of our study were to identify the short-term effects of construction on soils and vegetation across plant communities and soil types. These data represent a before-after control-impact study to evaluate the effects of utility-scale solar energy development on plant communities and soil ecosystem functioning in the Mojave Desert. These data were collected in the Mojave Desert, approximately 50 km northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) between 2021 and 2023. These data were collected by researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center using field observation and sampling protocols for the BLM. These data can be used for before-after control-impact evaluation of the construction of the Gemini solar facility on plant and soil variables.

Get Data and Metadata
Author(s) Claire C Karban, Seth M Munson orcid, Lara A Kobelt, Jeffrey E Lovich orcid
Publication Date 2025-01-15
Beginning Date of Data 2021
Ending Date of Data 2023
Data Contact
Jeffrey E Lovich
DOI https://doi.org/10.5066/P1HYHCRB
Citation Karban, C.C., Munson, S.M., Kobelt, L.A., and Lovich, J.E., 2025, Measurements of vegetation, soil, and disturbance following utility-scale solar energy development in the Mojave Desert, 2021-2023: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P1HYHCRB.
Metadata Contact
Claire C Karban
Metadata Date 2025-01-15
Related Publication
Citations of these data No citations of these data are known at this time.
Access public
License http://www.usa.gov/publicdomain/label/1.0/
Loading...
Harvest Source: ScienceBase
Harvest Date: 2025-02-03T05:05:35.855Z