The ORNL DAAC Net Primary Production (NPP) Database contains field measurements of biomass and estimated NPP for terrestrial sites worldwide, compiled from published literature and other extant data sources. It includes intensively studied and well-documented field study sites, together with more extensive collections of worldwide data. Compilation of these data was sponsored by the Terrestrial Ecology Program of NASA's Office of Earth Science.

The NPP Database contains data for 65 intensive study sites. The majority of these sites are grasslands, the remainder being located in tropical forest, boreal forest, and tundra. Some combination of above-ground annual peak live biomass data and/or seasonal biomass dynamics data is available for all sites. Many sites also have data on below-ground biomass and/or turnover. A number of previously compiled multi-site, multi-biome data sets of georeferenced NPP estimates are also provided. More ....

Continue your exploration of the NPP Project using the following on-line resources:

• NPP Data Set Documents
• NPP Bibliography
• NPP Map Server
• NPP Photo Gallery
• MODIS ASCII Subsets

Find and order data sets:

• See list of data sets
• Browse by attributes

Download data sets directly:

• FTP site

Search for related data:

• Mercury

Click on the image below to watch a 47-second video.

2001-2002 Net Primary Productivity

This false-color map represents the Earth's "carbon metabolism" -- the rate at which plants absorb carbon out of the atmosphere. The map shows the global annual average of the net productivity of vegetation on land and in the ocean during 2001-2002. The yellow and red areas show the highest rates, ranging from 2 to 3 kilograms of carbon taken in per square meter per year. The green, blue, and purple shades show progressively lower productivity.
Source: Earth Observatory (NASA Satellite Measures Earth's Carbon Metabolism)