DATA REPORT
BIOCOMPLEXITY OF PATTERNED GROUND
Isachsen Expedition, July 2005

Corinne Vonlanthen, Martha K. Raynolds, Corinne Munger, Anja Kade, Donald A. Walker
Alaska Geobotany Center
Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska
Fairbanks Alaska 99775
March 2006


Funding: U.S. National Science Foundation, grant OPP-0120736
Online Link: http://www.geobotany.uaf.edu/library/reports/isachsen2005_dr0603.pdf


TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Figures ................................................................ 3
List of Tables ................................................................. 3
Introduction ................................................................... 4
Methods and Types of Data Collected ............................................ 8
   Climate and permafrost ...................................................... 8
   Grids ....................................................................... 9
      Grids .................................................................... 9
      Vegetation mapping ....................................................... 9
      Thaw depth ............................................................... 9
   Vegetation .................................................................. 9
      Vegetation relevés ....................................................... 9
      Plant biomass ........................................................... 10
      NDVI .................................................................... 10
      N-factor ................................................................ 10
   Soils ...................................................................... 10
      Soil pits ............................................................... 10
      Biogeochemistry ......................................................... 11
      Mycorrhizae ............................................................. 11
      Turf hummocks ........................................................... 12
Results ....................................................................... 14
   Grids ...................................................................... 14
      Vegetation maps ......................................................... 14
      Thaw depth .............................................................. 16
   Vegetation ................................................................. 17
      Vegetation relevés ...................................................... 17
      Plant biomass ........................................................... 50
      NDVI .................................................................... 51
   Soils ...................................................................... 53
      Soil descriptions ....................................................... 53
      Biogeochemistry ......................................................... 68
      Turf hummocks ........................................................... 71
Acknowledgments ............................................................... 72
References .................................................................... 72
Participant list .............................................................. 73
Report on integration of research and education in the Biocomplexity of
   Small-Featured Patterned Ground Ecosystems study (W. Gould and G. Gonzalez) .75
Appendix (soil crust sampling) ................................................ 85


LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Map of patterned ground study sites along climate gradient ........... 4
Figure 2. Photos of Isachsen camp and crew ..................................... 6
Figure 3. Landsat false color infrared picture of Isachsen: showing the
   sampling sites .............................................................. 7
Figure 4. Photos of climate station and heave scribers ......................... 8
Figure 5. Photos of the Grids .................................................. 9
Figure 6. Photos of turf-hummocks at Isachsen ................................. 13
Figure 7. Maps of plant communities at Isachsen ............................... 14
Figure 8. Maps of 1x1-m ....................................................... 15
Figure 9. Maps of thaw depth on 10x10-m grids ................................. 16
Figure 10. Photos of vegetation relevés ....................................... 17
Figure 11. Mean NDVI of transects ............................................. 51
Figure 12. Species NDVI ....................................................... 51
Figure 13. NDVI sensitivity to cloud conditions ............................... 52
Figure 14. Aboveground plant biomass for 2 transect at the dry, mesic and
   hydric sites at Isachsen ................................................... 52
Figure 15. Soil profile (Isachsen 1) .......................................... 53
Figure 16. Soil profile (Isachsen 2) .......................................... 54
Figure 17. Soil profile (Isachsen 3) .......................................... 55
Figure 18. Soil profile (Isachsen 4) .......................................... 56
Figure 19. Soil profile (Isachsen 5) .......................................... 57
Figure 20. Soil profile (Isachsen 6) .......................................... 58
Figure 21. Soil profile (Isachsen 7) .......................................... 59
Figure 22. Soil profile (Isachsen 8) .......................................... 60
Figure 23. Soil profile (Isachsen 9) .......................................... 61
Figure 24. Soil profile (Isachsen 10) ......................................... 62
Figure 25. Soil profile (Isachsen 11) ......................................... 63
Figure 26. Soil profile (Isachsen 12) ......................................... 64
Figure 27. Soil Moisture of bare and vegetated areas at the Isachsen mesic site 68
Figure 28. Thaw depth of bare and vegetated areas at the Isachsen mesic site .. 68
Figure 29. Percent total carbon and percent nitrogen of the soil .............. 68
Figure 30. Carbon to nitrogen ratios of the soil from bare and vegetated
   areas at the Isachsen mesic site ........................................... 69
Figure 31. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index of bare and vegetated
   areas at the Isachsen mesic site ........................................... 69
Figure 32. Aboveground biomass of bare and vegetated areas at the
   Isachsen mesic site ........................................................ 69
Figure 33. Soil respiration of bare and vegetated areas at the
   Isachsen mesic site ........................................................ 70
Figure 34. Total Inorganic nitrogen of bare and vegetated areas at the
   Isachsen mesic site ........................................................ 70
Figure 35. Rate of net nitrogen mineralization of bare and vegetated areas
   at the Isachsen mesic site ................................................. 70


LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Locations of turf hummock study sites ................................ 12
Table 2. Grid thaw depth data ................................................. 16
Table 3. Relevé site characteristics form ..................................... 22
Table 4. Relevé type and location ............................................. 23
Table 5. Relevé lifeform percent cover ........................................ 26
Table 6. Relevé site characteristics .......................................... 27
Table 7. Relevé soil moisture and soil nutrients ...............................31
Table 8. Isachsen plant species list .......................................... 33
Table 9. Relevé species cover abundance ....................................... 36
Table 10. Relevé biomass data ................................................. 50
Table 11. Chemical and physical properities of the soil profiles .............. 65
Table 12. Soils and bulk density of turf hummock samples collected ............ 71


Summary:
A team of 25 people from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and other
organizations worked at Isachsen, Ellef Ringnes Island during July 2005, as part
of the “Biocomplexity associated with biogeochemical cycles in arctic frost-boil
ecosystems” project. The field party consisted of 14 research scientists, 4
graduate students, 4 students in an Arctic Field Ecology course, 2 native
hunters from the village of Sachs Harbor, and a cook (see Participant List and
Contact Information).

This year’s work was the fourth in a 5-year project. The main objective of the
research is to investigate the properties of small- patterned-ground ecosystems
along a climate gradient from the coldest parts of the Arctic to the northern
boreal forest (Fig. 1). We are studying earth hummocks, non-sorted circles,
small non-sorted polygons, and turf hummocks – how they form, how they vary with
climate and substrate, and their role in total ecosystem functions. The project
is examining five subzones of the circumpolar Arctic (Subzone A is the coldest,
and Subzone E is the warmest). In 2002, the project examined non-sorted circles
and earth hummocks along the Dalton Highway in Northern Alaska (Subzones C-E).
The second year focused on Green Cabin on Banks Island (Subzone C); the third
year focused on Mould Bay on Prince Patrick Island (Subzone B); in this year the
team worked at Isachsen (Subzone A). In subzone A, B, and C, turf hummocks, and
small non-sorted polygons are dominant on zonal sites.

The team is investigating the complex interactions between climate, permafrost,
geomorphology, soils, vegetation, and soil invertebrates within these unique
ecosystems. One goal is to examine how these systems might change in different
parts of the Arctic as the climate warms. This year the project established
three new 10 x 10-m grids at Isachsen. We mapped the vegetation and thaw-layer
depth within the grids, and characterized the vegetation of the patterned ground
by collecting vegetation, site, and soil information from 52 relevé sites in the
vicinity of the grids. We also established a climate station near one of the
grids and heave instruments. Students are a major part of the project. Four
graduate students participated in the project this summer, and four
undergraduate students were involved from the Arctic Field Ecology course
organized by Dr. Bill Gould. The first two weeks of the course were mainly spent
at Isachsen. The second two weeks were spent at Bathurst. A report of the
student research is at the end of this document.