Air and Soil Temperatures from Sites in Alaska 1995-2001

Summary

This data set consists of air and soil temperatures from various sites in Alaska between 1995 and 2001. Data loggers recorded soil temperatures at 1 cm below the ground or snow surface, and air temperatures at 1.6 m above the surface. Temperatures are given in degrees Celsius. Data collection sites around the state include: Toolik Lake, Galbraith, Happy Valley, Prudhoe Bay, Council, Livengood, Yukon River, Barrow, Gold Creek, Kanuti River, Fairbanks, Chandalar, and Graylink Lake.

The data consist of 53 ASCII text files, and are available via ftp. Each data file contains date, time, and temperature columns, and some files contain additional data. A table in the documentation for this data set lists each data file and its contents. Data are available via FTP.

The research project was funded by the Arctic System Sciences (ARCSS) Program, grant number OPP-9321730.

Citing These Data:

Welker, J. and J. Fahnestock. 2003. Air and Soil Temperatures from Sites in Alaska 1995-2001. Boulder, CO: National Center for Atmospheric Research, ARCSS Data Archive.

Overview Table

Category Description
Data format Text files
Spatial coverage and resolution Southernmost Latitude: 64.00 N
Northernmost Latitude: 74.00 N
Westernmost Longitude: 164.00 W
Easternmost Longitude: 148.00 W
Temporal coverage and resolution 31 May 1995 to 20 June 2001
File naming convention Date, Location, type of soil
File size File sizes range from 18 KB to 123 KB
Parameter(s) Soil temperature and air temperature
Procedures for obtaining data Data are available for ordering through NCAR

Table of Contents

1. Contacts and Acknowledgments
2. Detailed Data Description
3. References and Related Publications
4. Document Information

1. Contacts and Acknowledgments:

Investigator(s) Name and Title:

Jeff M. Welker, Sr. Research Scientist, and Jace Fahnestock, Research Scientist

2. Detailed Data Description:

Format:

Tables in text format

File Naming Convention:

File names consist of the following elements:

Element Description
Year 1995-2000
Season w-winter
s-summer
Location Code tlk - Toolik Lake
gal - Galbraith
hpv - Happy Valley
pru - Prudhoe Bay
cnl - Council
liv - Livengood
ps2 - Pump Station 2
yuk - Yukon River
bar - Barrow
gcr - Gold Creek
kan - Kanuti River
fai - Fairbanks
cha - Chandalar
gra - Grayling Lake
Area Type
(not all files use this code)
dh - Dry heath tundra
mt - Moist acidic tundra
c - Clearcut forest
sb - Snowbed Cassiope community
s - Wet sedge
t - tussock tundra
f - spruce forest
l - litter

Example data file names:
1995w_tlk_sb.txt
1999w_kan_t.txt

File Size:

File sizes range from 18 KB to 123 KB

Spatial Coverage:

Southernmost Latitude: 64.00 N
Northernmost Latitude: 74.00N
Westernmost Longitude: 164.00 W
Easternmost Longitude: 148.00 W

Temporal Coverage:

Experiments were performed between 31 May 1995 and 20 June 2001

Temporal Resolution:

Measurement intervals vary, but are usually several times each day.

Parameter or Variable:

Parameter Description:

Soil temperature and air temperature.

Unit of Measurement:

All measurements are given in degrees Celsius.

Parameter Source:

Air and soil temperatures were taken with HOBO sensors with data loggers.

Parameter Range:

Soil temperatures were taken at 1 cm below the surface unless otherwise noted. Air temperatures were taken at 1.6 m above the surface unless otherwise noted.

Sample Data Record:

Data are in tables. Each file is slightly different (described later in this section), so the number and types of columns vary across locations and may include the following:

Date= Data of the data collection
Time = Time of the data collection
Air = air temperature 1.6 m from ground surface
CTL-Air = 15 cm air in control plots
OTC-Air = 15 cm air in warmed plots
CTL-Soil = 1 cm soil depth in control plots
OTC-Soil = 1 cm soil depth in warmed plots

The following table describes the parameters for each file:

File nameSiteDatesMeasurement parameters for air and soil temperatures
1995s_tlk_dhToolik Lake - dry heath tundra5/31/95-8/14/951.6m air, 15cm air in warmed plots, 15cm air in control plots, 1cm soil depth in warmed plots, 1cm soil depth in ambient plots
1995s_tlk_mtToolik Lake - moist tussock tundra5/31/95-8/14/951.6m air, 15cm air in warmed plots, 15cm air in control plots, 1cm soil depth in warmed plots, 1cm soil depth in ambient plots
1995w_tlk_dhToolik Lake - dry heath tundra8/17/95-6/15/961.6m air, surface soil temperatures at distance from snowfence:
5m, 10m, 15m, 20m, 25m, 30m, 40m, 50m, 60m
1995w_tlk_mtToolik Lake - moist tussock tundra8/17/95-6/15/961.6m air, surface soil temperatures at distance from snowfence:
5m, 10m, 15m, 20m, 25m, 30m, 40m, 50m, 60m
1995w_tlk_sbToolik Lake - snowbed community (Cassiope)8/17/95-6/15/96Soil surface (mean of 5 dataloggers)
1996s_tlk_dhToolik Lake - dry heath tundra6/19/96-8/14/96Soil surface 15m from snowfence (mean of 4), Soil surface 20m from snowfence (mean of 5), Soil surface 50m from snowfence
1996w_tlk_dhToolik Lake - dry heath tundra8/21/96-6/10/971.6m air, surface soil temperatures at distance from snowfence:
5m, 10m, 20m, 30m, 40m, 50m, 60m, 70m, 90m
1996w_tlk_mtToolik Lake - moist tussock tundra8/21/96-6/10/971.6m air,surface soil temperatures at distance from snowfence:
5m, 10m, 20m, 30m, 40m, 50m, 60m, 70m, 90m
1997s_tlk_dhToolik Lake - dry heath tundra6/12/97-8/25/9715cm air in warmed plots, 15cm air in control plots, 1cm soil depth in warmed plots w/ ambient winter snow, 1cm soil depth in ambient plots w/ ambient winter snow, 1cm soil depth in warmed plots w/ increased winter snow, 1cm soil depth in ambient plots w/ increased winter snow
1997s_tlk_mtToolik Lake - dry heath tundra6/12/97-8/25/9715cm air in warmed plots, 15cm air in control plots, 1cm soil depth in warmed plots w/ ambient winter snow, 1cm soil depth in ambient plots w/ ambient winter snow, 1cm soil depth in warmed plots w/ increased winter snow, 1cm soil depth in ambient plots w/ increased winter snow
1997w_tlk_dhToolik Lake - dry heath tundra8/28/97-7/2/981.6m air, surface soil temperatures at distance from snowfence:
5m, 10m, 15m, 20m, 30m, 40m, 50m, 70m, 90m-1, 90m-2
1997w_tlk_mtToolik Lake - moist tussock tundra8/28/97-7/2/981.6m air-1, 1.6m air-2, surface soil temperatures at distance from snowfence:
5m, 15m, 30m, 60m, 70m, 90m-1, 90m-2
1997w_tlk_sbToolik Lake - snowbed community (Cassiope)8/28/97-5/27/98Soil surface temperature(2 sites)
1997w_tlk_lToolik Lake - litter/no litter plots6/20/97-7/2/981cm soil depth in plots with litter, 1cm soil depth in plots with no litter
1998s_tlk_dhToolik Lake - dry heath tundra5/20/98-8/22/9815cm air in control plots, 15cm air in warmed plots, 1cm soil depth in control plots, 1cm soil depth in warmed plots
1998s_tlk_mtToolik Lake - moist tussock tundra5/30/98-8/22/9815cm air in control plots, 15cm air in warmed plots, 1cm soil depth in control plots, 1cm soil depth in warmed plots
1998w_barBarrow - wet sedge tundra nearcmDL8/20/98-6/15/991.0m air, Soil surface, 5cm soil depth, 20cm soil depth, 40cm soil depth
1998w_tlk_dhToolik Lake - dry heath tundra8/27/98-6/5/991.6m air, 1cm soil depth in ambient snow, 5cm soil depth in ambient snow, 20cm soil depth in ambient snow, 1cm soil depth in deep snow, 1m from soil surface in snow drift, 2m from soil surface in snow drift
1998w_tlk_mtToolik Lake - moist tussock tundra8/27/98-6/5/991.6m air, 1cm soil depth in ambient snow, 1cm soil depth in deep snow, 1m from soil surface in snow drift, 2m from soil surface in snow drift
1998w_tlk_sToolik Lake - sedge site8/27/98-6/5/995cm soil depth, 30cm soil depth
1999s_tlk_dhToolik Lake - dry heath tundra6/6/99-8/26/991.6m air, 15cm air in control plots, 15cm air in warmed plots, 1cm soil depth in control plots, 1cm soil depth in warmed plots
1999s_tlk_mtToolik Lake - moist tussock tundra6/6/99-8/26/991.6m air, 15cm air in control plots, 15cm air in warmed plots, 1cm soil depth in control plots, 1cm soil depth in warmed plots
1999w_barBarrow - wet sedge tundra nearcmDL8/27/99-6/21/00Soil surface temperature
1999w_tlk_dhToolik Lake - dry heath tundra8/27/99-6/21/001.6m air, 1cm soil depth in deep snow, 1cm soil depth in ambient snow
1999w_tlk_mtToolik Lake - moist tussock tundra8/27/99-6/21/001.6m air, 1cm soil depth in deep snow, 1cm soil depth in ambient snow
1999w_liv_fLivengood - spruce forest8/27/99-6/21/00Soil surface temperature
1999w_yuk_fYukon - spruce forest8/27/99-6/21/00Soil surface temperature
1999w_kan_tKanuti River - tussock tundra8/27/99-6/21/00Soil surface temperature
1999w_graGrayling Lake - tussock tundra8/27/99-6/21/00Soil surface temperature
1999w_gcrGold Creek - open woodland8/27/99-6/21/00Soil surface temperature
1999w_chaChandalar Shelf - willow shrubs8/27/99-6/21/00Soil surface temperature
1999w_ps2Pump Station 2 - wet sedge tundra8/27/99-6/21/00Soil surface temperature
1999w_pruPrudhoe Bay - wet sedge tundra8/27/99-6/21/00Soil surface temperature
1999w_hpvHappy Valley - tussock tundra8/27/99-6/21/00Soil surface temperature
1999w_galGalbraith - tussock tundra8/27/99-6/21/00Soil surface temperature
2000w_cnlCouncil - tundra9/22/00-6/30/011.6m tundra air, 1.6m forest air, Tundra soil surface, Forest soil surface, High Shrub soil surface, Low Shrub soil surface, Woodland soil surface
2000w_pruPrudhoe Bay - wet sedge tundra9/22/00-6/30/01Soil surface temperature
2000w_ps2Pump Station 2 - wet sedge tundra9/22/00-6/30/01Soil surface temperature
2000w_hpvHappy Valley - tussock tundra9/22/00-6/30/01Soil surface temperature
2000w_galGalbraith - tussock tundra9/22/00-6/30/01Soil surface temperature
2000w_chaChandalar Shelf - willow shrub9/22/00-6/30/01Soil surface temperature
2000w_gcrGold Creek - open woodland9/22/00-6/30/01Soil surface temperature
2000w_graGrayling Lake - tussock tundra9/22/00-6/30/01Soil surface temperature
2000w_kan_fKanuti River - spruce forest9/22/00-6/30/01Soil surface temperature
2000w_kan_tKanuti River - tussock tundra9/22/00-6/30/01Soil surface temperature
2000w_yuk_fYukon - spruce forest9/22/00-6/30/01Soil surface temperature
2000w_yuk_cYukon - clearcut9/22/00-6/30/01Soil surface temperature
2000w_liv_fLivengood - spruce forest9/22/00-6/30/01Soil surface temperature
2000w_liv_cLivengood - clearcut9/22/00-6/30/01Soil surface temperature
2000w_fai_fFairbanks - spruce forest9/22/00-6/30/01Soil surface temperature
2000w_fai_cFairbanks - clearcut9/22/00-6/30/01Soil surface temperature
2000w_tlk_dhToolik Lake - dry heath tundra9/22/00-6/30/011.6m air, Soil surface in ambient snow, Soil surface in deep snow
2000w_tlk_mtToolik Lake - moist tussock tundra9/22/00-6/30/011.6m air, Soil surface in deep snow, 1m from soil surface in snow drift, 2m from soil surface in snow drift

Error Sources:

Missing data indicated with -99.99

5. References and Related Publications:

Related Projects: Arctic Transitions in the Land-Atmosphere System (ATLAS)

The Land-Atmosphere-Ice Interactions (LAII) Program is part of the Arctic System Science (ARCSS) Program of the National Science Foundation. LAII has overall goals of understanding how the feedback processes within Arctic system affects global climate change, including changes in the hydrology, biochemical, plants animals, and ecosystems; as well as how these changes affect and are affected by human activities. The LAII ATLAS program is designed as an interdisciplinary multi-year project with many investigators and varied instrumentation to address the aforementioned objectives in Alaska and eventually in other parts of the Arctic. For information on the ATLAS Project, see the LAII Web page: http://www.laii.uaf.edu/

6. Document Information:

Document Creation Date:

7 May 2003

Document URL:

http://data.eol.ucar.edu/codiac/dss/id=106.ARCSS907