Evapotranspiration (ET) data at Dead River forested wetland site, Hillsborough County, Florida, December 2009 - February 2016

The data set consists of evapotranspiration measurements made at the USGS Dead River forested wetland climate station beginning November 21, 2009 and ending February 29, 2016. Annual ET rates corrected to a near-surface energy-budget varied from 1448 mm (2012) to 1614 mm (2010). The eddy-covariance method was used, with high-frequency sensors installed above the forest canopy to measure sensible and latent heat fluxes. Ancillary meteorological data are also included in the data set: net radiation, soil temperature and moisture, air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, rainfall, and ground-water levels. Data were collected at 30-minute resolution, with evapotranspiration corrected to the near-surface energy-budget at a daily timescale.
The study was conducted at an undeveloped mixed hardwood swamp within Dead River Wilderness Park, located at the end of Dead River Rd., west of U.S. Highway 301, 27 km northeast of Tampa in Hillsborough County, Florida (latitude 28 07 43 N longitude 82 15 44 W, Section 13, Township 27S, Range 20E). Study instruments were installed in November 2009. The 46-m instrument tower was located about 90 m northeast of the final pullout before the parking area, which is 2.6 km from the park entrance gate on Dead River Rd.
The station is within the Hillsborough River floodplain, and is inundated at high river stages (Lewelling, 2004). The site is classified as a freshwater palustrine forested broad-leaf deciduous wetland that is seasonally flooded (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2010). Dominant tree species are cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto), red maple (Acer rubrum), sweet-gum (Liquidambar styraciflua), live oak (Quercus virginiana), elm (Ulmus americana), with occasional slash pine, magnolia, and hickory. Canopy height is 20-24 m. The site is located near the middle of the floodplain at least 1 km away from different land cover types in all directions. The floodplain extends farther to the northeast and southwest along the path of the river. The soils at the site are Chobee sandy loam, frequently flooded, which are nearly level, very poorly drained bottomland soils with a surface layer of black sandy loam. The subsoil is dark to very dark gray mottled sandy clay loam (Soil Conservation Service, 1989). Clay dominates in the subsoil to the east of the station based on holes dug for the tower guy cable bases.
Lewelling, B.R., 2004. Extent of areal inundation of riverine wetlands along five river systems in the Upper Hillsborough River Watershed, west-central Florida: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2004-5133, 49 p., plus appendixes.
Soil Conservation Service, 1989. Soil survey of Hillsborough County, Florida: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, 168 p.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2010. National Wetlands Inventory website: U.S. Department of Interior, Washington, D.C. http://www.fws.gov/wetlands/