ABoVE: Alder Shrub Cover and Soil Properties, Alaska, 2019

Overview

Description

This dataset holds measures of vegetative cover and soil characteristics for sites in interior Alaska, U.S., along the James W. Dalton Highway (Alaska Route 11). The field data were collected during August in 2018 and 2019 to study the expansion of shrub cover, particularly alders (Alnus spp.) in tundra ecosystems and the potential impact of shrubs on soil properties. Samples were measured along transects at 5- to 10-m intervals. Soil samples were collected and analyzed in the laboratory. Vegetation variables include percent cover of mosses, lichens, graminoid species, shrubs, alder, birch (Betula spp.), and willow (Salix spp.) along with the biomass, size, and age structure of alder. An allometric model to estimate alder biomass was developed. Soil metrics include moisture content, conductivity, bulk density, carbon and nitrogen content and isotope ratios. The data include the maximum annual Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for 2019 and the trend in maximum NDVI for 2000-2020. The data are provided in comma-separated values (CSV) format.

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