A synthesis dataset of permafrost-affected soil thermal conditions for Alaska, USA

Kang Wang,William Cable,Alexander Kholodov,Vladimir Romanovsky,Pamela Sousanes,Mark Piper,Frank Urban,Christopher Schwalm,Kevin Schaefer,Michael Loso,Elchin Jafarov,Irina Overeem,Kenneth Hill,Tingjun Zhang,Gary Clow

doi:10.5194/essd-10-2311-2018

Abstract

Abstract. Recent observations of near-surface soil temperatures over the circumpolar Arctic show accelerated warming of permafrost-affected soils. The availability of a comprehensive near-surface permafrost and active layer dataset is critical to better understanding climate impacts and to constraining permafrost thermal conditions and its spatial distribution in land system models. We compiled a soil temperature dataset from 72 monitoring stations in Alaska using data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Park Service, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks permafrost monitoring networks. The array of monitoring stations spans a large range of latitudes from 60.9 to 71.3∘ N and elevations from near sea level to ∼1300 m, comprising tundra and boreal forest regions. This dataset consists of monthly ground temperatures at depths up to 1 m, volumetric soil water content, snow depth, and air temperature during 1997–2016. These data have been quality controlled in collection and processing. Meanwhile, we implemented data harmonization evaluation for the processed dataset. The final product (PF-AK, v0.1) is available at the Arctic Data Center (https://doi.org/10.18739/A2KG55).

Highlights

Permafrost is frozen ground that remains at or below 0 ◦ C for at least two consecutive years and may be found within about a quarter of the terrestrial land area in the NorthernHemisphere and 80 % of the land area in Alaska (Brown et al, 1998; Zhang et al, 1999; Jorgenson et al, 2008)
There is an immediate need for ready-to-use reliable near-surface permafrost datasets, including ground temperatures, soil moisture, and related climatic factors, which can serve as benchmarks for the modeling community and help evaluate potential physical, societal, and economic impacts
Mean-annual air temperatures are colder than −10 ◦ C in the Alaskan Arctic, while in the southern mountain tundra regions they are close to freezing point

Summary

Introduction

Permafrost is frozen ground that remains at or below 0 ◦ C for at least two consecutive years and may be found within about a quarter of the terrestrial land area in the NorthernHemisphere and 80 % of the land area in Alaska (Brown et al, 1998; Zhang et al, 1999; Jorgenson et al, 2008). A typical permafrost monitoring station consists of an air temperature sensor, a snow depth sensor, soil moisture sensors, and soil temperature sensors. This synthesis permafrost dataset for Alaska (PFAK, version 0.1) includes measured air and ground temperatures at depth intervals up to 1.0 m, snow depth, and soil volumetric water content (VWC) for 72 permafrost monitoring stations across the state of Alaska.

Results

Conclusion