Detailed pedon data on soil carbon and nitrogen for the northern permafrost region

Soils in the northern high latitudes are a key component in the global carbon cycle; the northern permafrost region covers 22% of the Northern Hemisphere and holds almost twice as much carbon as the atmosphere.

This is a geospatial dataset of physical and chemical soil properties calculated from 651 soil pedons encompassing more than 6500 samples from 16 different study areas across the northern permafrost region. The aim of our dataset is to provide a basis to describe spatial patterns in soil properties, including quantifying carbon and nitrogen stocks, turnover times, and soil texture. There is a particular need for spatially distributed datasets of soil properties, including vertical and horizontal distribution patterns, for modelling at local, regional or global scales. Particularly, the extensive metadata on soil properties included for many samples when available (texture, volumetric densities, active layer depth, ice content, isotopic composition, etc.) are of great importance and can be used to identify and model the processes responsible for the current and future carbon balance.

An additional dataset containings GIS grids for soil organic carbon and total nitrogen of the northern circumpolar permafrost region (17.9 × 10⁶ km²) using the ESA’s Climate Change Initiative (CCI) Global Land Cover dataset at 300 m pixel resolution is available as a companion dataset.

Citation

Juri Palmtag, Jaroslav Obu, Peter Kuhry, Matthias Siewert, Niels Weiss, Gustaf Hugelius (2022) Detailed pedon data on soil carbon and nitrogen for the northern permafrost region. Dataset version 1. Bolin Centre Database. https://doi.org/10.17043/palmtag-2022-pedon-1

Data description

The dataset, which contains 6529 analyzed samples from 651 soil pedons in 16 different sampling locations across the northern permafrost region, is part of a publication (in preparation). Each sampled pedon was described and classified according to land cover type. The main aim of the field studies compiled in the current dataset was to perform SOC/TN pool inventories of each study area considering different land cover types, geomorphological landforms and soil properties.

The main part of the dataset is subdivided into three comma-separated values (csv) files:

The data file describes each sample with it's attributes if available: location, C %, N %, dry and wet bulk density, coarse material %, water loss %, PF occurence, texture, volumetric content of water, air, organic and mineral, SOC density, TN density and isotopic composition of δ¹³C/¹²C and δ¹⁵N/¹⁴N.

The data file describes each sampled pedon with the information available: location, sampling data, observed remarks while sampling, coordinates and elevation, active layer thickness, form of permafrost table, drainage, patterned ground, slope, aspect, catenary position, preliminary field landcover, landform and soil description, parent material, remarks on soil, organic layer depth.

The data file describes additional data on sample level which includes: name and location, wet and dry weight, increment location and soil horizon description, used method to retreat the sample, texture, visible ice, remarks on stones, calculations of dry and wet bulk density, loss on ignition for 550 and 950 °C, % C and N from elemental analyser with its isotopic composition of δ¹³C/¹²C and δ¹⁵N/¹⁴N.

The dataset also includes two csv files with more information:

The data file sums up the calculations for the different soil variables to specific depth increments (0⁠ – ⁠30, 0⁠ – ⁠50, 0⁠ – ⁠100, 100⁠ – ⁠200, 200⁠ – ⁠300, 0⁠ – ⁠300 cm). A pdf follows that describes the soil variables in more detail.

The data file contains the location of all the 16 study sites.

Comments

A high spatial resolution soil carbon and nitrogen dataset for the northern permafrost region is available as a companion dataset.