Savanna plant and soil carbon data from different burn seasons and histories across Mole National Park, Ghana

Aboveground plant pool and belowground (soil plus root) carbon data for a space-for-time substitution survey of different burn seasons and histories across Mole National Park, Ghana. Carbon data was collected to determine the impact of unintentional late growing season wildfires on carbon storage in a protected area dominated by early growing season prescribed burning land management. The methodology and findings from the study are detailed in the below publication:

Awuah J, Smith SW, Speed JDM, Graae BJ. 2022. Can seasonal fire management reduce the risk of carbon loss from wildfires in a protected Guinea savanna? Ecosphere, e4283. https://doi. 88 org/10.1002/ecs2.4283 

This data repository contains the following data (and descriptive metadata): 

(1) Study_site_coordinates: locations for 28 sites surveyed in 2016 as part of an ecosystem carbon stock assessment

(2) Aboveground_carbon: aboveground tree, shrub, herbaceous vegetation, deadwood and litter carbon stocks estimated from either destructive biomass sampling or allometric equations. Aboveground carbon data are presented per site. 

(3) LOI_to_carbon_conversion: a subset of soil samples were analysed for both loss on ignition (LOI) and automated dry combustion using an elemental analyser, the latter more accurate for carbon determination and used to correct LOI values. 

(4) Belowground_carbon: combined soil and root carbon collected collected to a maximum depth of 17 cm, and split into four soil layers (0-2 cm, 2-7 cm, 7-12 cm and 12-17 cm). 

MCD14DL MODIS Active Fire Detections data used to defined different burn seasons and histories for sites has not been uploaded and is freely available from online sources detailed in the journal article.