Arctic Vegetation and Soil Plots from 1951 Alaska Survey

July and August 1951 data from 80 study plots in the Nome River Valley, Alaska. This dataset records baseline plot information for vegetation, soils, and site factors across five broad habitat types in a glaciated landscape. Collected by NASA, it has been used for classification, mapping, and analysis of geo-botanical factors in the region.

Use Cases

• Classifying plant communities and habitat types using dominant vegetation species and cover data.
• Analyzing relationships between soil characteristics, moisture, organic matter, and vegetation cover.
• Mapping geo-botanical factors and ecosystem distribution across a glaciated Arctic landscape.
• Providing a historical baseline for studies on Arctic vegetation change and soil conditions.

Strengths

• Contains detailed, contemporaneous field observations from 80 distinct study plots.
• Covers multiple environmental dimensions: vegetation, soil characteristics, moisture, and organic matter.
• Data is structured around five identified habitat types, enabling comparative analysis.

Limitations

• Column names and exact data structure are not specified in any source.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date (1951 vs. 2026), indicating potential metadata issues.
• The subjective location of study plots may limit statistical representativeness.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Field data collected from subjectively located study plots in identified plant communities.

Time Range

July 1951 to August 1951

Freshness

2026-03-13 10:29:24.751871

Geography

Nome River Valley, approximately 10 miles northeast of Nome, Alaska on the Seward Peninsula.