Arctic Vegetation Plots with Soil Data from Alaska, 1994

61 vegetation plots were subjectively sampled across 14 plant communities at Barter Island and Point Barrow on Alaska's North Slope in 1994. This dataset includes vegetation cover and environmental plot and soil data, collected as part of a U.S. Congress-initiated study to inventory biotic communities on Department of Defense land. The data is managed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vegetation cover percentages across 14 distinct Arctic plant communities.
• Correlating soil properties like bulk density and moisture with specific vegetation types.
• Establishing a 1994 baseline inventory for comparing historic and future Arctic biotic communities.
• Studying the environmental characteristics of coastal North Slope sites managed by the Department of Defense.

Strengths

• Dataset covers 61 distinct field plots (31 at Barter Island, 30 at Point Barrow).
• Includes multiple measured dimensions: vegetation cover, soil bulk density, soil moisture, and soil horizons.
• Data collection was part of a congressionally mandated study, suggesting a defined scientific purpose.

Limitations

• Column names and exact row counts are not provided in the available metadata.
• Conflicting last updated dates exist between platforms (1994 vs. 2026), indicating potential metadata inconsistency.
• Plot locations were subjectively chosen, which may limit statistical representativeness.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Field data collection from subjectively located plots.

Time Range

1994

Freshness

2026-03-13 10:24:01.380157

Geography

Coastal North Slope of Alaska, specifically U.S. Air Force sites at Barter Island and Point Barrow.