The N-Factor of Nonsorted Circles Along a Climate Gradient in Arctic Alaska

TLDR: In this paper, three study sites were selected on zonal sites from north to south along a climate gradient in Arctic Alaska Air and mineral soil surface temperatures of nonsorted circles and adjacent well-vegetated tundra plots were monitored from September 2003 through September 2004, and the depths of vegetation, soil organic horizons and snow were measured.

Abstract: Three study sites were selected on zonal sites from north to south along a climate gradient in Arctic Alaska Air and mineral soil surface temperatures of nonsorted circles and adjacent well-vegetated tundra plots were monitored from September 2003 through September 2004, and the depths of vegetation, soil organic horizons and snow were measured N-factors, the ratio of ground-surface temperature to air temperature, were determined for the summer and winter seasons N-factors and thaw depths were greater for relatively barren nonsorted circles than for adjacent well-vegetated tundra Along the climate gradient, the thickness of vegetation, soil organic layer and snow increased from north to south, while n-factors and thaw depths decreased at bare circles from 143 � 002 to 074 � 001 and from 812 � 14 cm to 595 � 24 cm, respectively, and at the tundra from 099 � 002 to 017 � 001 and from 626 � 14 cm to 210 � 28 cm, respectively Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd