TITLE:

Toolik Snowfence Experiment: 2002 Snowdrift depth


PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR:

Dr. Marilyn Walker Leader, Boreal Ecology Cooperative Research Unit
USFS PNW Research Station and University of Alaska Fairbanks

Boreal Ecology Cooperative Research Unit
School of Agriculture and Land Resources Management
P.O. Box 756780
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, AK 99775-6780
Phone: 907-474-2424 
Fax: 907-474-6251
E-mail: ffmdw@uaf.edu


FUNDING SOURCE:

National Science Foundation 


ARCTIC SYSTEM SCIENCE PROGRAM:

Land-Atmosphere-Ice Interactions (LAII) and The International Tundra Experiment 
(ITEX)


GRANT TITLES AND GRANT NUMBERS:

1999 - 2003: OPP-9996383 -- ITEX / Comparative Responses of Moist and Dry Arctic 
Tundra to Altered Snow and Temperature Regimes


CONDITIONS FOR USE AND CITATION:

For permission to use these data, contact the Principal Investigator.  Grant 
numbers must be cited in any manuscripts resulting from these data.  In 
addition, a copy of the manuscript must be sent to the PI.


DATA SET OVERVIEW:

This file contains snowdrift depth data collected for the Toolik Snowfence 
Experiment in 2002. The Toolik Snowfence Experiment (part of the International 
Tundra Experiment network) examines the short- and long-term effects of 
increased snow depth (shortened growing season) and increased summer temperature 
on arctic tundra vegetation.  The goal of this project is to assess potential 
changes in tundra plant communities in response to global climate change.

Time period covered by data:  20020528 to 20020613
Physical location of measurement:  Toolik Field Station, Alaska (68.62710 N, 
149.59322 W)


DATA COLLECTION AND PROCESSING:

Data were collected in 2002, beginning at field site arrival and every two to 
three days thereafter, until complete snow melt.  Drift depth is measured with 
permanent graduated snow poles arranged in a grid at the moist tussock and dry 
heath sites.  Poles are in rows (parallel to the east-west aligned snowfence) at 
distances of 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 m north of the snowfence and 5, 
10, 20, 30 and 40 m south of the snowfence (x coordinates).  In each row, poles 
are positioned every 10 m, from 0 m west to 60 m (y coordinates).  Additional 
poles are erected in Zone 0 (moist site only) and at the snowfield.  Positive x 
coordinate values are north of the snowfence (drift side); negative values are 
south of the fence (windward side).

See the data remarks section below for annual variation of this method.

The Toolik Snowfence Experiment's design and manipulation are described further 
in: 

Walker, M. D., D. A. Walker, J. M. Welker, A. M. Arft, T. Bardsley, P. D. 
Brooks, J. T. Fahnestock, M. H. Jones, M. Losleben, A. N. Parsons, T. R. 
Seastedt and P. L. Turner.  1999.  Long-term experimental manipulation of winter 
snow regime and summer temperature in arctic and alpine tundra.  Hydrological 
Processes  13: 2315-2330.


DATA FORMAT:

File name: USTOOLIK_driftdepth02.txt

SUMMARY OF VARIABLES FOR 2002 DATA

1. SITE: country/site/project title
2. DATE: day of data collection (YYYYMMDD)
3. LOCATION: site; moist, dry or snowfield
4. POSITION: north (leeward/drift side) or south (windward side) of the 
snowfence
5. FROM_SNOWFENCE: distance from snowfence (south to north, m)
6. ON_SNOWFENCE: position in row (east to west, m)
7. DRIFT_DEPTH (cm)
8. NOTES

DESCRIPTION OF SELECT VARIABLES:

SITE
USTOOLIK: Toolik Field Station, Alaska, USA; Comparative responses of moist and 
dry arctic tundra to altered snow and temperature regimes

LOCATION
Research site: Snowfences are erected and grids established at both a moist 
tussock site (68.62032 N, 149.59931) and a dry heath site (68.62261 N, 149.59589 
W).  In addition, monitored plots are established where a natural snowdrift 
occurs.  This site is referred to as the snowfield.

CODES USED IN DATA SET
In all years "-9999" indicates missing data.  Estimated data is indicated by an 
"EEEE" in the notes column.  


DATA REMARKS:

None to date.


LOCATION OF ORIGINAL DATA SHEETS:

Boreal Ecology Cooperative Research Unit, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, 
Alaska, USA


DOCUMENTATION AUTHOR: 

Original: Amy Breen Carroll, 17 January, 2003


PRINCIPAL FIELD WORKERS:

Amy Breen Carroll
Miyuki Tachibana


PRINCIPAL POSTDOCS:

Henrik Wahren

PUBLICATIONS WHICH INCLUDE THESE DATA: 

None to date.