Relationships Among Depth to Frozen Soil, Soil Wetness, and Vegetation Type and Biomass in Tundra Near Bethel, Alaska, U.S.A.

Vegetation was sampled in three types of tundra habitat (upland, wet meadow, and lake) in southwestern Alaska. Aboveground and belowground biomass were measured by harvesting, and the depth to frozen soil was measured using ground-penetrating radar. Live and dead aboveground biomass increased, and dead belowground biomass decreased, as habitat wetness and depth to frozen soil increased. The proportion of live aerial biomass that was graminoid increased as habitat wetness and depth to frozen soil increased, whereas the proportion that was woody shrub biomass decreased with increases in habitat wetness and depth to frozen soil. The results indicate that information pertaining to either vegetation type/biomass, habitat wetness, or depth to frozen soil, could be used to infer information about the other two variables. Vegetation and frozen soil depth could be monitored remotely for large areas using tools such as satellite images and radar. Since the cycling of carbon is related to carbon storage (biomass) and depth of the biologically active (thawed) layer, it should be possible to study carbon cycles in tundra remotely, based on the relationships stated above.

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