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Eight Mile Lake Research Watershed, Thaw Gradient: Seasonal thaw depth 2004-2018

General Information
Data Package:
Local Identifier:knb-lter-bnz.519.14
Title:Eight Mile Lake Research Watershed, Thaw Gradient: Seasonal thaw depth 2004-2018
Alternate Identifier:DOI PLACE HOLDER
Abstract:

In this larger study, we are asking the question: Is old carbon that comprises the bulk of the soil organic matter pool released in response to thawing of permafrost? We are answering this question by using a combination of field and laboratory experiments to measure net carbon exchange, radiocarbon isotope ratios in soil organic matter, soil respiration, and dissolved organic carbon, in tundra ecosystems. The objective of these proposed measurements is to develop a mechanistic understanding of the SOM sources contributing to C losses following permafrost thawing. We are making these measurements at an established tundra field site near Healy, Alaska in the foothills of the Alaska Range. Field measurements center on a natural experiment where permafrost has been observed to warm and thaw over the past several decades. This area represents a gradient of sites, each with a different degree of change due to permafrost thawing. In this area, we eatablished three sites with different degrees of disturbance from the permafrost thaw: 1) a relatively undisturbed tussock tundra (Minimal Thaw site), 2) a site adjacent to to the borehole which is monitoring permafrost thaw since 1985 with intermediate degree of disturbance (Moderate thaw site) and 3) a site where permafrost thaw apeared to have started more than three decades ago (Extensive thaw site) As such, this area is unique for addressing questions at the time and spatial scales relevant for change in arctic ecosystems.

Short Name:knb-lter-bnz.519.14
Publication Date:2019-02-04
For more information:
Visit: http://www.lter.uaf.edu/data/data-detail/id/519

Time Period
Begin:
2004-05-16
End:
2018-09-29

People and Organizations
Contact:Data Manager (Bonanza Creek LTER) [  email ]
Creator:Pegoraro, Elaine F. (Ph.D. Student)
Creator:Hutchings, Jack A. 
Creator:Schuur, Edward A.G. (Senior Investigator)
Organization:Bonanza Creek LTER

Data Entities
Data Table Name:
519_EML_Gradient_Thaw_Depth_2004-2018.csv
Description:
Thaw depth (TD) was measured through the growing season each of each reported year using a thin metal rod pushed through the unfrozen soil until it hit ice.
Detailed Metadata

Data Entities

Data Table

Data:https://pasta-s.lternet.edu/package/data/eml/knb-lter-bnz/519/14/0631fcd9056b8e57096c74ed925b318f
Name:519_EML_Gradient_Thaw_Depth_2004-2018.csv
Description:Thaw depth (TD) was measured through the growing season each of each reported year using a thin metal rod pushed through the unfrozen soil until it hit ice.
Number of Columns:8

Table Structure
Object Name:519_EML_Gradient_Thaw_Depth_2004-2018.csv
Text Format:
Number of Header Lines:1
Record Delimiter:\n
Line Delimiter:\n
Orientation:column
Simple Delimited:
Field Delimiter:,

Table Column Descriptions
 sitemonthdayyeardoyidplottd
Column Name:site  
month  
day  
year  
doy  
id  
plot  
td  
Definition:Site names: extensive, moderate, minimalDecimal month measurement was takenDecimal day of month measurement was takenDecimal year measurement was takenDay of year measurement was takenMeasurements were either made at bases (base) or water wells (well)Base or water well numberThaw depth
Storage Type:string  
integer  
integer  
integer  
integer  
string  
integer  
float  
Measurement Type:nominalratioratioratiorationominalnominalratio
Measurement Values Domain:
DefinitionSite names: extensive, moderate, minimal
Unitdimensionless
Typereal
Unitdimensionless
Typereal
Unitdimensionless
Typereal
Unitdimensionless
Typereal
DefinitionMeasurements were either made at bases (base) or water wells (well)
DefinitionBase or water well number
Unitcentimeter
Typereal
Missing Value Code:                
Accuracy Report:                
Accuracy Assessment:                
Coverage:                
Methods:                

Data Package Usage Rights

Data Use

This work has been produced as part of the Long Term Ecological Research Program and data users should adhere to the Data Use Agreement of the Long Term Ecological Research Network.

Citation

It is considered a matter of professional ethics to acknowledge the work of other scientists. Thus, the Data User should properly cite the Data Set in any publications or in the metadata of any derived data products that were produced using the Data Set. Citation should take the following general form: Creator(s), Year of Data Publication, Title of Dataset, Publisher, Dataset identifier, Dataset URL, Dataset DOI. For Example: Van Cleve, Keith; Chapin, F. Stuart; Ruess, Roger W. 2016. Bonanza Creek Experimental Forest: Hourly Temperature (sample, min, max) at 50 cm and 150 cm from 1988 to Present, Bonanza Creek LTER - University of Alaska Fairbanks. BNZ:1, http://www.lter.uaf.edu/data/data-detail/id/1. doi:10.6073/pasta/725db90d86686be13e6d6b2da5d61217.

Acknowledgement

The Data User should acknowledge any institutional support or specific funding awards referenced in the metadata accompanying this dataset in any publications where the Data Set contributed significantly to its content. Acknowledgements should identify the supporting party, the party that received the support, and any identifying information such as grant numbers. For example: Data are provided by the Bonanza Creek LTER, a partnership between the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the U.S. Forest Service. Significant funding for collection of these data was provided by the National Science Foundation Long-Term Ecological Research program (NSF Grant numbers DEB-1636476, DEB-1026415, DEB-0620579, DEB-0423442, DEB-0080609, DEB-9810217, DEB-9211769, DEB-8702629) and by the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station (Agreement # RJVA-PNW-01-JV-11261952-231).

Notification

The Data User will notify the Data Set Contact when any derivative work or publication based on or derived from the Data Set is distributed.

Collaboration

The Data Set has been released in the spirit of open scientific collaboration. Data Users are thus strongly encouraged to consider consultation, collaboration and/or co-authorship with the Data Set Creator.

Disclaimer

While substantial efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of data and documentation contained in this Data Set, complete accuracy of data and metadata cannot be guaranteed. All data and metadata are made available in its present condition. The Data User holds all parties involved in the production or distribution of the Data Set harmless for damages resulting from its use or interpretation.

Additional Acknowledgements

The Schuur lab data provided on this site are freely available and were furnished by individual Schuur lab members who encourage their use. Please kindly inform in writing (or e-mail) the appropriate Schuur lab scientist(s) (PI) of how you intend to use the data and of any publication plans. It is also important to contact the Schuur lab investigator to assure you are downloading the latest revision of the data and to prevent potential misuse or misinterpretation of the data. Please acknowledge the data source as a citation. If the Schuur lab (PIs) feel that they should be acknowledged or offered participation as authors, they will let you know and we assume that an agreement on such matters will be reached before publishing and/or use of the data for publication. If your work directly competes with the Schuur lab analysis they may ask that they have the opportunity to submit a manuscript before you submit one that uses unpublished data. In addition, when publishing please acknowledge the agency that supported the research. Lastly, we kindly request that those publishing papers using Schuur lab data provide reprints to the PIs. [This statement taken from The Ameriflux Network data sharing policy]. Funding Acknowledgements: National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs, Arctic Natural Sciences Program (ARC-1019324 , ARC-1203777, OPP-1312402); Department of Energy NICCR Program; Department of Energy Terrestrial Ecosystem Processes; National Science Foundation CAREER Program; National Parks Inventory and Monitoring Program; National Science Foundation Bonanza Creek LTER program.

Keywords

By Thesaurus:
Biogeochemistrynet ecosystem exchange, gross ecosystem production, ecosystem respiration, thermokarst, permafrost, thaw, active layer

Methods and Protocols

These methods, instrumentation and/or protocols apply to all data in this dataset:

Methods and protocols used in the collection of this data package
Description:

Experimental Design

The study site at the Eight Mile Lake watershed is located in the northern foothills of the Alaska Range. Permafrost temperature has been monitored annually on a gentle north-facing slope at this site, in a 30 m deep borehole that was installed in 1985 before the permafrost started to thaw. While permafrost thaw can sometimes result in water ponding depending on local topography, this landscape consists largely of relatively well-drained uplands. In this watershed, we monitored three sites that represented differing amounts of change as a result of permafrost thaw based on observations of ground subsidence and depth of thaw. Our minimal thaw site had the shallowest summer thaw depth and the least ground surface subsidence, and the vegetation was typical moist acidic tundra, dominated by the tussock-forming sedge, Eriophorum vaginatum, with coexisting deciduous and evergreen shrubs, and an understory of mosses and lichens. A second site, located adjacent to the borehole, had moderate summer thaw depths and increased ground subsidence. Here the vegetation composition was similar to our minimal thaw site, but with increased biomass of all plant groups. Lastly, an extensive thaw site was located in an area where permafrost degradation had occurred at least several decades prior to the establishment of the borehole; thermokarst can already be observed in air photos of the area taken in 1954. This site had the deepest summer thaw depth and the most ground subsidence, and the plant biomass has shifted to dominance by shrubs, including blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum) and cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus), at the expense of sedges.

Methods

FIELD: Thaw depth (TD) was measured throughout the growing season each year using a thin metal rod pushed through the unfrozen soil until it hit ice. From 2004 to 2010, three measurements were taken around each base used to measure CO2 exchange (see flux file: EML_AK_Thaw gradient Carbon Fluxes), and reported as average TD for each base. Starting in 2011, three measurements were taken from inside water wells installed between bases, and reported as average TD for each well. In addition, end of season measurements were still made from each base. LAB: Data is screened in the lab and Qa/Qc is applied.

Sampling Area and Study Extent
Sampling Description:

Sampling Frequency

Approximately weekly from 2004 to 2010, and bi-weekly from 2011 to 2018.

Sampling Extent:
Sampling Site: 
Description:EML -- Tussock tundra at treeline with permafrost thaw and thermokarst. This site is in the Eight Mile Lake Watershed, west of the town of Healy on Stampede Road, Interior Alaska. This area contains three sites on a permafrost thaw gradient and a nearby experimental snow fence manipulation.. Site alternate names:
Site Coordinates:
Longitude (degree): -149.239569Latitude (degree): 63.880708

Time Period
Begin:
2004-05-16
End:
2018-09-29

People and Organizations

Publishers:
Organization:Bonanza Creek LTER
Address:
Boreal Ecology Cooperative Research Unit ,
University of Alaska Fairbanks,
P.O. Box 756780 ,
Fairbanks, AK 99775 USA
Phone:
907-474-6364 (voice)
Phone:
907-474-6251 (fax)
Creators:
Individual: Elaine F. Pegoraro
Position:Ph.D. Student
Address:
Center for Ecosystem Science and Society, bulding 17, room 310, Flagstaff AZ 86011,
Flagstaff, AZ 86011 United States
Phone:
407-412-8881 (voice)
Email Address:
epegoraro89@gmail.com
Web Address:
https://www2.nau.edu/schuurlab-p/
Individual: Jack A. Hutchings
Address:
Rudolph Hall Rm 110, One Brookings Drive, Washington University in St. Louis ,
St. Louis, MO 63160 United States
Phone:
813-523-8683 (voice)
Email Address:
jackh@wustl.edu
Web Address:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=DEiFDNEAAAAJ&hl=en
Individual: Edward A.G. Schuur
Position:Senior Investigator
Address:
Northern Arizona University: Ecosystem Science and Society Center (ECOSS) PO Box 5620,
Flagstaff, AZ 86011 United States
Phone:
(928) 523-8344 (voice)
Email Address:
Ted.Schuur@nau.edu
Web Address:
https://www2.nau.edu/schuurlab-p/
Organization:Bonanza Creek LTER
Address:
Boreal Ecology Cooperative Research Unit ,
University of Alaska Fairbanks,
P.O. Box 756780 ,
Fairbanks, AK 99775 USA
Phone:
907-474-6364 (voice)
Phone:
907-474-6251 (fax)
Email Address:
uaf-bnz-im-team@alaska.edu
Web Address:
http://www.lter.uaf.edu
Contacts:
Organization:Bonanza Creek LTER
Position:Data Manager
Address:
Boreal Ecology Cooperative Research Unit ,
University of Alaska Fairbanks,
P.O. Box 756780 ,
Fairbanks, AK 99775 USA
Phone:
907-474-6364 (voice)
Phone:
907-474-6251 (fax)
Email Address:
uaf-bnz-im-team@alaska.edu
Web Address:
http://www.lter.uaf.edu
Metadata Providers:
Organization:Bonanza Creek LTER
Position:Data Manager
Address:
Boreal Ecology Cooperative Research Unit ,
University of Alaska Fairbanks,
P.O. Box 756780 ,
Fairbanks, AK 99775 USA
Phone:
907-474-6364 (voice)
Phone:
907-474-6251 (fax)
Email Address:
uaf-bnz-im-team@alaska.edu
Web Address:
http://www.lter.uaf.edu

Temporal, Geographic and Taxonomic Coverage

Temporal, Geographic and/or Taxonomic information that applies to all data in this dataset:

Time Period
Begin:
2004-05-16
End:
2018-09-29
Sampling Site: 
Description:Dataset geographic description information is unavailable. {datafile/geoCoverage is empty}
Site Coordinates:
Longitude (degree): -149.2535833Latitude (degree): 63.87836111

Project

Parent Project Information:

Title:The Bonanza Creek LTER
Personnel:
Individual: Keith Van Cleve
Organization:Bonanza Creek LTER
Position:Lead Principal Investigator
Role:Principal Investigator
Individual: F.S. Stuart Chapin
Organization:Bonanza Creek LTER
Position:Lead Principal Investigator
Address:
Department of Biology and Wildlife; Institute of Arctic Biology: University of Alaska Fairbanks 193 Arctic Health P.O. Box 757000,
Fairbanks, AK 99775 United States
Phone:
(907) 455-6408 (voice)
Phone:
(907) 474-6967 (fax)
Email Address:
terry.chapin@alaska.edu
Web Address:
http://terrychapin.org/
Role:Principal Investigator
Individual: Roger W. Ruess
Organization:Bonanza Creek LTER
Position:Lead Principal Investigator
Address:
Institute of Arctic Biology University of Alaska Fairbanks P.O. Box 757000,
Fairbanks, AK 99775-0180 United States
Phone:
(907) 474-7153 (voice)
Phone:
(907) 474-6967 (fax)
Email Address:
rwruess@alaska.edu
Web Address:
http://www.iab.uaf.edu/~roger_ruess/
Role:Principal Investigator
Funding:

NSF Grant numbers DEB-1636476, DEB-1026415, DEB-0620579, DEB-0423442, DEB-0080609, DEB-9810217, DEB-9211769, DEB-8702629

USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station (Agreement # RJVA-PNW-01-JV-11261952-231)

Maintenance

Maintenance:
Description:

Status

Ongoing

Frequency:
Other Metadata

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