We used radiocarbon dating of the organic soil surface remaining post-fire to examine whether the fire burned into ancient and likely irreplaceable soil C pools. Suprisingly, it did not; all radiocarbon dates from burned soil surfaces contained bomb carbon, setting the maximum age of the burned soil surfaces at ~50 years.
Data Set Results
This file contains the soil profile data for burned and unburned moist acidic tundra sites used to estimate C and N loss from the Anaktuvuk River Fire (2007). These sites were sampled in summer of 2008. Unburned sites were used to develop a method for estimating soil organic layer depth and plant biomass, and for determining the characteristics of unburned soil organic layers. In burned sites, we characterized residual organic soils and used biometric measurements of tussocks to reconstruct pre-fire soil organic layer depth.
Estimated mean pre-fire C and N pools, and C and N loss from 20 sites in the Anaktuvuk River Fire (2007). These sites were sampled in summer of 2008. In each site, we characterized residual organic soils and used biometric relationships developed in unburned sites to reconstruct pre-fire soil organic layer depth, and plant and soil C and N pools. We then estimated fire-driven losses of C and N from plant and soil organic layer pools.
In arctic tundra near Toolik Lake, Alaska, we incubated a common substrate in a snow addition experiment to test whether snow accumulation around arctic deciduous shrubs altered the environment enough to increase litter decomposition rates. We compared the influence of litter quality on the rate of litter and N loss by decomposing litter from four different plant functional types in a common site. We used aboveground net primary production values and estimated k values from our decomposition experiments to calculate community-weighted mass loss for each site.
Organic and mineral soil cores were collected from 18 transects differentiated by shrub height into three replica groups: high (average 64 cm ± SE 1.01); medium (39 ± SE 1); and low (18 ± SE 0.4); and percent plant functional group cover. Replica sample cores were taken from each transect, and after homogenization and K2SO4 extraction, if required, samples were analyzed for % C (carbon) and N (nitrogen); non-purgeable organic C (NPOC); total N (TN); dissolved inorganic and organic N (DIN, DON); microbial biomass C (MB-C) and N (MB-N).
The original focus of this study was an analysis of proteolytic enzyme activity of Alaskan arctic tundra soils, however initial results raised questions regarding the method (Watanabe and Hayano, 1995). Thus, the goals of the study changed to 1) an investigation of the method, and 2) a comparison of enzyme activities of two different soil layers from the arctic tundra.
In arctic tundra, near Toolik Lake, Alaska, we quantified net N-mineralization rates under ambient and manipulated snow treatments at three different plant communities that varied in abundance and height of deciduous shrubs.
Surface organic and mineral soil layers were sampled in retrogressive thaw slump disturbance scars and nearby undisturbed tundra to estmate the influence of this thermo-erosional--thermokarst--disturbance type on soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools. Within six independent sites, we identified multiple thaw slump scars and determined time after disturbance for each scar by (1) aging the population of tall deciduous shrubs rooted in the mineral soil and (2) by dating the basal layer of the re-accumulating soil organic matter.
Burned and unburned moist acidic tundra sites used to estimate C and N loss from the Anaktuvuk River Fire (2007). These sites were sampled in summer of 2008. Unburned sites were used to develop a method for estimating soil organic layer depth and plant biomass, and for determining the characteristics of unburned soil organic layers. In burned sites, we characterized residual organic soils and used biometric measurements of tussocks to reconstruct pre-fire soil organic layer depth.
Above ground plant and below ground stem biomass were measured in 2011 from three sites at and around the Anaktuvuk River Burn: severely burned, moderately burned and unburned. These samples were analyzed for carbon and nitrogen concentrations.
A summary of below ground root biomass, carbon and nitrogen concentrations, measured at three sites at and around the Anaktuvuk River Burn: severely burned, moderately burned and unburned.
Below ground soil bulk density, carbon and nitrogen was measured at various depth increments in mineral and organic soil layers at three sites at and around the Anaktuvuk River Burn: severely burned, moderately burned and unburned. This data corresponds with the aboveground biomass and root biomass data files: 2011ARF_AbvgroundBiomassCN, 2011ARF_RootBiomassCN_byDepth, 2011ARF_RootBiomassCN_byQuad, 2011ARF_RootBiomassCN_byQuad.
Above ground plant and below ground stem biomass were measured in 2011 from three sites at and around the Anaktuvuk River Burn: severely burned, moderately burned and unburned. These samples were analyzed for carbon and nitrogen concentrations.
Summarized below ground soil carbon and nitrogen concentrations measured in quadrats at three sites at and around the Anaktuvuk River Burn: severely burned, moderately burned and unburned. This data corresponds with the aboveground biomass and root biomass data files: 2011ARF_AbvgroundBiomassCN, 2011ARF_RootBiomassCN_byDepth, 2011ARF_RootBiomassCN_byQuad, 2011ARF_SoilCN_byDepth.
Below ground root biomass was measured by depth increments at three sites at and around the Anaktuvuk River Burn: severely burned, moderately burned and unburned. Roots were also analyzed for carbon and nitrogen concentrations.
Above ground plant and below ground stem biomass were measured in 2011 from three sites at and around the Anaktuvuk River Burn: severely burned, moderately burned and unburned. These samples were analyzed for carbon and nitrogen concentrations.