Carbon Dynamics Along a Permafrost Gradient at Caribou-Poker Creeks Research Watershed (CPCRW) in Interior Alaska: Specific Leaf Area (SLA) for alder (Alnus crispa) and black spruce (Picea mariana) in a 75x75m spatial domain along a permafrost and vegetation gradient.

• Main Authors: Stegen, James C., Bonanza Creek LTER
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Environmental Data Initiative 2020
• Subjects: Caribou-Poker Creeks Research Watershed; permafrost; Alaska
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.6073/pasta/846d476f4842f4b23838becac60e43c7; https://portal.edirepository.org/nis/mapbrowse?packageid=knb-lter-bnz.721.2

This dataset includes specific leaf area (SLA) data for two dominant tree species in the Caribou-Poker Creeks Research Watershed: alder (Alnus crispa) and black spruce (Picea mariana). Up to 10 leaf samples were collected per species per sampling location. Project summary: Specific leaf area (SLA, leaf area per unit dry mass) is a key canopy structural characteristic, a measure of photosynthetic capacity, and an important input into many terrestrial process models. Although many studies have examined SLA variation, relatively few data exist from high latitude, climate-sensitive permafrost regions. We measured SLA and soil and topographic properties across a boreal forest permafrost transition, in which forest composition changed as permafrost deepened from 54 to >150 cm over 75 m hillslope transects in Caribou-Poker Creeks Research Watershed, Alaska. This is an exploratory study to begin understanding SLA variation and controls thereof in a non-contiguous permafrost system.