This data set includes ground surface temperatures and air temperatures measured at ten study plots within the Kuparuk River basin of north-central Alaska. Computed thaw-season "n-factor" values are also included (the n-factor is defined as the ratio of the sum of thawing degree days at the soil-surface to that in the air). Data were collected in an effort to evaluate differences between air and ground-surface temperatures associated with different natural landcover types, and to assess the utility of the "n-factor" concept as a tool in geocryological mapping. Detailed descriptions of field procedures and assumptions are provided in Klene (2000) and Klene et al. (2001).

Klene, A.E. 2000. The N-Factor in Natural Landscapes: Relations Between Air and Soil-Surface Temperatures in the Kuparuk River Basin, Alaska. Elmer, NJ: Publications in Climatology 53, C.W. Thorntwaite Associates. 77 pp.
Klene, A.E., F.E. Nelson, N.I. Shiklomanov, and K.M. Hinkel. 2001. The n-factor in natural landscapes: variability of air and soil-surface temperatures, Kuparuk River basin, Alaska. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 33: 140-148.