In 1980 the National Science Foundation established a network of sites across the US for long term study of ecological processes over long time periods and across large spaces.  One of the original sites of this network of now 26 locations was in the Jornada Basin.  Five of the resulting lessons learned from over 25 years of study are:

• Tipping Points - Jornada scientists discovered the mechanisms by which grasslands, shrublands, and other ecosystems cross thresholds in which dramatic and rapid changes can occur.
• Heterogeneity and Nonequilibrium Dynamics - Jornada scientists discovered that variability in ecosystem responses in both time and space is more characteristic of drylands than average conditions.
• Accessible Ecology - Tools and programs have been created to make scientific results readily available to a variety of stakeholders, including land managers, scientists, and teachers.
• Expanding deserts - Desertification is a global problem that reduces plant productivity, biodiversity, air and soil quality, and water availability.
• Ability to restore - Jornada studies initiated in the early 1900s reveal how the change from productive, diverse perennial grasses to shrublands on degraded soils is difficult but not impossible to reverse.

Ecological sites are a key management technology used to map and describe landscapes into discrete units based on ecological attributes. Ecological site descriptions are extensive data, models, and characterizations of each ecological site. The Jornada is a leading scientific program in the development of this important technology. Two recent documents related to ecological sites are:

• Spatial perspectives in state-and-transition models: A missing link to land management?
• A Field Guide to Pedoderm and Pattern Classes

The Jornada is responsible for several long term data catalogs from research programs and locations around the US and the world. These catalogs store data of various types for access and use by the public and our research partners. Some data sets are open access and others require permitted access. Data are stored in these catalogs according to established procedures and policies.

• EcoTrends

• Interactive graph showing climate data from Jornada Headquarters, 1915-2010