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Upper Soil Temperatures in the Kolyma Highland

Summary

This data set contains soil temperature and meteorological data for various sampling locations near the Aborigen research station in the Kolyma Highland, Northeastern Russia. Data are averaged from 1977 to 1995. A tab-delimited ASCII text file and Excel spreadsheet provide the following data: soil degree days, annual maximum temperature, and annual minimum temperature at 1 cm, 5 cm, 10 cm, and 20 cm depth; maximum annual snow depth, vegetation type and percent coverage, thaw depth, mean soil water content, soil classification, soil field capacity, soil bulk density, slope gradient/aspect, elevation, latitude, and longitude. Data are available via FTP.

Citing These Data:

Alfimov, A.V. Upper Soil Temperatures in the Kolyma Highland. Boulder, CO: National Snow and Ice Data Center. Digital Media.

Overview Table

Category Description
Data format Data are available in a tab-delimited ASCII text file or an Excel spreadsheet file.
Spatial coverage Samples were confined to 61°52'N to 62°02'N and 149°30'E to 149°40'E, near the Aborigen research station, Northeastern Russia.
Temporal coverage Data are averaged from 1977 to 1995.
File size ggd31_kolyma_soil_met.xls: 51 KB
ggd31_kolyma_soil.txt: 19 KB
ggd31_kolyma_met.txt: 1 KB
Parameter(s) Soil degree days at 1 cm, 5 cm, 10 cm, and 20 cm depth
Annual maximum temperature (°C) at 1 cm, 5 cm, 10 cm, and 20 cm depth
Annual minimum temperature (°C) at 1 cm, 5 cm, 10 cm, and 20 cm depth
Maximum annual snow depth (cm)
Vegetation type and percent coverage
Thaw depth (cm)
Soil field capacity (%)
Mean soil water content (% by weight)
Soil bulk density (g/cm3)
Soil classification (World Reference Base, 1998)
Elevation (m)
Slope gradient/aspect
Procedures for obtaining data Data are available via FTP.

Table of Contents

1. Contacts and Acknowledgments
2. Detailed Data Description
3. References and Related Publications
4. Document Information

1. Contacts and Acknowledgments:

Investigator(s) Name and Title:

A.V. Alfimov
Institute for Biological Problems of the North
Russian Academy of Sciences, Far-East Branch
ul. Portobaya 18
Magadan, 685000
Russia

Technical Contact:

NSIDC User Services
National Snow and Ice Data Center
CIRES, 449 UCB
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309-0449  USA
phone: +1 303.492.6199
fax: +1 303.492.2468
form: Contact NSIDC User Services
e-mail: nsidc@nsidc.org

2. Detailed Data Description:

Format:

Soil temperature and meteorology data are in an Excel spreadsheet called "ggd31_kolyma_soil_met.xls." Soil temperature data are in a tab-delimited ASCII text file called "ggd31_kolyma_soil.txt." Both files contain the following headings for soil temperature data:

Key to method of measurement:

1: Round-year measurements using recorders
2: Seasonal measurements using recorders
3: Manual round-year measurements (once a day in summers and once every 5-6 days in winters)
4: Short-term measurement series (eight readings daily)
5: Maximum thermometers
6: Extrapolated values (based on topography, soil type and vegetation)

Finally, meteorological data from three points near the study site (upslope from KVBS weather station, downslope from KVBS weather station, and Detrin weather station) are provided in a file called "ggd31_kolyma_met.txt." Data are averaged from 1977 to 1985. The following columns of meteorological data are provided in "ggd31_kolyma_met.txt" and in "ggd31_kolyma_soil_met.xls":

File Size:

ggd31_kolyma_soil_met.xls: 51 KB
ggd31_kolyma_soil.txt: 19 KB
ggd31_kolyma_met.txt: 1 KB

Spatial Coverage:

The study site is within 20 km of the Aborigen research station, approximately 300 m asl to 2500 m asl in the Kolyma Highland, Northeastern Russia. Samples are confined to the following geographic boundaries:

61° 52' N to 62° 02' N
149° 30' E to 149° 40' E

The study site lies within a taiga biome with altitudinal belts of thin larch forests and alpine tundra. The mean annual air temperature within the forest belt is -11°C to -12°C, the mean July temperature is 14°C, the mean January temperature is -38°C, and the mean annual precipitation is 300 mm to 360 mm.

The mean annual air temperature within the alpine tundra belt is -5°C to -10°C, the mean July temperature is 10°C to 13°C, the mean January temperature is -28°C to -31°C, and the mean annual precipitation is 330 mm to 670 mm.

Permafrost temperatures range from -3°C to -7°C.

Temporal Coverage:

Data extend from 1977 to 1995.

3. References:

Alfimov A.V. 1989. Thermal differentiation of geosystem of Upper Kolyma basin. Ph.D. dissertation, Irkutsk State University.

Alfimov A.V., G.G. Mazhitova, and D.I. Berman. 1994. Thermic control on soil formation in NE Asia and probable effects of Global Change. Proceedings of the International Correlation Meeting on Permafrost-Affected Soils.

4. Document Information:

Document Creation Date:

March 2003

Document Revision Date:

March 2003

Document URL:

http://nsidc.org/data/docs/fgdc/ggd31_soiltemp_kolyma/index.html

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