N-Factor Values and Air and Ground Surface Temperatures, Kuparuk River Basin, Alaska, Version 1.0

• Main Authors: Nelson, F., Klene, A., Shiklomanov, N.
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: UCAR/NCAR - Earth Observing Laboratory 2009
• Subjects: Arctic; Land Character.; Vegetation Sampling; ARCSS; NSF Arctic System Science; Antarctic; Antarc*; Alaska
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5065/d69s1p60; https://arcticdata.io/catalog/#view/doi:10.5065/D69S1P60

This data set includes ground surface temperatures and air temperatures measured at ten study plots within the Kuparuk River basin of north-central Alaska. Computed thaw-season "n-factor" values are also included (the n-factor is defined as the ratio of the sum of thawing degree days at the soil-surface to that in the air). Data were collected in an effort to evaluate differences between air and ground-surface temperatures associated with different natural landcover types, and to assess the utility of the "n-factor" concept as a tool in geocryological mapping. Detailed descriptions of field procedures and assumptions are provided in Klene (2000) and Klene et al. (2001). Klene, A.E. 2000. The N-Factor in Natural Landscapes: Relations Between Air and Soil-Surface Temperatures in the Kuparuk River Basin, Alaska. Elmer, NJ: Publications in Climatology 53, C.W. Thorntwaite Associates. 77 pp. Klene, A.E., F.E. Nelson, N.I. Shiklomanov, and K.M. Hinkel. 2001. The n-factor in natural landscapes: variability of air and soil-surface temperatures, Kuparuk River basin, Alaska. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 33: 140-148.