Soil Physicochemical Characteristics from Ice Wedge Polygons, Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska, Ver. 1

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5440/1109232
NGEE Arctic Record ID: NGA062
Data Version: 1.0
Abstract

This dataset provides details about soil cores (active layer and permafrost) collected from ice-wedge polygons during field expeditions to Barrow Environmental Observatory, Alaska in April, 2012 and 2013. Core information available are exact core locations; soil horizon descriptions and characteristics; and fundamental soil physico-chemical properties. In February 2016, two columns (carbon and carbon:nitrogen in soil layer) were added to the data but no existing data values changed. See documentation. The new filename is version 2. In July 2016, data for two soil cores were added. The new filename is version 3. This dataset includes two pdf files, one csv file, and one xlsx file. 

The Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments: Arctic (NGEE Arctic), was a research effort to reduce uncertainty in Earth System Models by developing a predictive understanding of carbon-rich Arctic ecosystems and feedbacks to climate. NGEE Arctic was supported by the Department of Energy’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research.

The NGEE Arctic project had two field research sites: 1) located within the Arctic polygonal tundra coastal region on the Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO) and the North Slope near Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska and 2) multiple areas on the discontinuous permafrost region of the Seward Peninsula north of Nome, Alaska.

Through observations, experiments, and synthesis with existing datasets, NGEE Arctic provided an enhanced knowledge base for multi-scale modeling and contributed to improved process representation at global pan-Arctic scales within the Department of Energy’s Earth system Model (the Energy Exascale Earth System Model, or E3SM), and specifically within the E3SM Land Model component (ELM).

Authors
Taniya RoyChowdhury (rctaniya@gmail.com)
Elizabeth Herndon (eherndo1@kent.edu) 0000-0002-9194-5493
Tommy Phelps ()
Baohua Gu (gub1@ornl.gov) 0000-0002-7299-2956
D.A. Elias ()
Liyuan Liang () 0000-0003-1338-0324
David Graham (grahamde@ornl.gov) 0000-0001-8968-7344
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Dataset Citation
Taniya RoyChowdhury, Elizabeth Herndon, Tommy Phelps, Baohua Gu, D.A. Elias, Liyuan Liang, David Graham. 2014. Soil Physicochemical Characteristics from Ice Wedge Polygons, Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska, Ver. 1. Next Generation Ecosystem Experiments Arctic Data Collection, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. Dataset accessed on [INSERT_DATE] at https://doi.org/10.5440/1109232.
Dates
2012-04-12 - 2013-04-16
Geographic Location
NGEE Arctic Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska
North71.35
South71.2
East-156.4
West-156.7
Place Keywords:
Barrow, Alaska | North Slope, Alaska | Intensive site 1 | Area A | Area B | Area C | Utqiagvik, Alaska
Subject Keywords:
Soil characteristics | SOIL PH | SOIL CLASSIFICATION | SOIL COLOR | SOIL MOISTURE/WATER CONTENT |
GCMD Keywords
N/A
Methodology
Intact frozen soil cores were processed and sampled under sterile and anoxic conditions in a vinyl anaerobic chamber (Coy Laboratory Products Inc., MI, U.S.A.) with a N2 atmosphere containing at least 1.00 % H2 and less than 1 ppm O2. Soil cores were extruded from their PVC liners and placed on sterilized photo papers upon frozen blue ice packs to limit thawing. A sterilized stainless steel spatula was used to scrape the partially thawed outer surface (1 - 2 mm) of a core, removing any sloughed material or soil displaced during drilling (Kieft, 2007). Soil horizons were visually diagnosed based on moist soil Munsell color, presence of undecomposed (Oa) or intermediately decomposed (Oe) plant-derived organic matter and presence or absence of permafrost affected soil or ice wedge segregations (Table 1). Soil cores were then divided by horizons and subsequent homogenization and subsampling was carried out one horizon at a time. The remaining soil horizons were kept intact and frozen at -20 deg C. Each soil horizon was divided into 5 to 10 cm thick sections, placed in a sterilized plastic container, and homogenized at constant room temperature under anoxic conditions allowing for minimal thawing. An oscillating power tool with sterilized cutting blades was used for all sediment processing and homogenization and containers were kept on blue icepacks. Homogenized subsamples were used for soil physico-chemical property determination and microcosm set-up.
Related References
N/A
Related Identifiers
N/A
Metadata Contact
Contact information for the individual or organization that is knowledgeable about the data.
Person: Taniya RoyChowdhury
Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Email: rctaniya@gmail.com
Point of Contact
Contact information for the individual or organization that is knowledgeable about the data.
Person: Taniya RoyChowdhury
Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Email: rctaniya@gmail.com
Dataset Usage Rights
Public Datasets

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0.

See the NGEE Arctic Data Policies for more details https://ngee-arctic.ornl.gov/data-policies.

Distribution Point of Contact
Contact: Data Center Support
Organization: Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments (NGEE) Arctic Project, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Email: support@ngee-arctic.ornl.gov