Elemental cycling in recently deglaciated landscapes, Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska ...

• Main Authors: Malone, E.T., Abbott, B.W., Klaar, M.J., Kidd, C., Sébilo, M., Milner, A., Pinay, G.
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: NERC Environmental Information Data Centre 2015
• Subjects: Alaska; Primary succession; Soil development; soil δ13N; soil δ15N; Glacier Bay; nitrification; denitrification; soil; glacier
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5285/7c4c1ed0-3d45-4b7f-8007-b81f6028d686; https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/id/7c4c1ed0-3d45-4b7f-8007-b81f6028d686

This data set includes soil chemical, physical and microbial properties collected across a two-century glacial chronosequence across six streams in Glacier Bay, Southeast Alaska, U.S.A. We measured soil potential nitrification, denitrification, as well as stable isotopes (delta-15N and delta-13C) of leaves and soil to establish how physical and biological changes associated with ecosystem development interact to determine rates of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) turnover. Secondly, how these interactions were reflected in the isotopic signature of vegetation and SOM. Data were collected between June 2011 and September 2013 during summer sampling campaigns. ... : We collected soil samples and leaves from the dominant vegetation types within each catchment. For each vegetation type we collected composite soil samples from three locations. At each location we combined three soil samples taken from within 1 m2 to account for small-scale heterogeneity. We collected soil to a depth of 10 cm using a hand trowel and soil corer. Soils were kept shaded and cool and were processed within four days of collection at the Glacier Bay field laboratory station. Field moist soils were sieved through a 2 mm mesh screen to remove stones and large detritus. We analysed this 2 mm fraction for gravimetric soil moisture, organic matter content (loss on ignition), and pH following standard methods. We used a separate sample, collected with a hand-corer, to estimate bulk density after drying. Soil texture was analysed using laser diffraction. We determined potential nitrite oxidation by nitrite consumption during a 30-hour incubation as a proxy of nitrification. Potential denitrification was ...