N-Factor Values and Air and Ground Surface Temperatures, Kuparuk River Basin, Alaska

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Data Contributors NELSON, FREDERICK E. (FRITZ) KLENE, ANNA E. SHIKLOMANOV, NIKOLAY I. Parameters ACTIVE LAYER AIR TEMPERATURE LAND SURFACE TEMPERATURE PERMAFROST > Active Layer Temperatures, n-factor, Active Layer Temperatures, n-factor SOIL TEMPERATURE Instruments THERMISTORS

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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.

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Data Citation

Klene, A.E., F.E. Nelson, and N.I. Shiklomanov. 2002. N-factor values and air and ground surface temperatures, Kuparuk River Basin, Alaska. Boulder, CO: National Snow and Ice Data Center. Digital media.

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