Site Description
Photometer is mounted on the SW Corner of the NEON observation tower. Tower is metal frame, 193' tall. NOTE: the tower height is NOT included in the elevation stated above in part d. Tower is located approximately 45 miles ENE of Fresno, CA (Lower Teakettle - NEON_TEAK). Lower Teakettle is part of the Sierra National Forest, federal public land administered by the U.S. Forest Service. The site encompasses 5,138 hectares (12,696 acres) of mixed conifer and red fir forest, ranging in elevation from 1,990 to 2,807 m (6,529 - 9,209ft). The varied terrain is typical of the Sierra Nevada, with rugged mountains, meadows and prominent granite outcrops. The National Land Cover Database (NLCD) classifies Lower Teakettle as evergreen forest and shrub scrub vegetation types. At a finer scale, it is a mosaic of closed canopy pine and fir forest, shrub patches, and areas of exposed rock and shallow soil, with occasional wet meadows punctuating the tree cover.