Caribou Forage and Soil Nutrient Data, North Slope Alaska 2011-2014

Layne G. Adams of the United States Geological Survey collected these data on nutrient concentrations and stable isotopes in seven key forage-plant species across three caribou herds in northern Alaska. The data cover the growing seasons from 2011 to 2014, with samples taken from 21 plots within the ranges of the Central Arctic, Teshekpuk, and Western Arctic herds. Soil chemistry measures within the sampling range are also included.

Use Cases

• Modeling caribou habitat suitability based on forage nutrient concentrations.
• Analyzing isotopic signatures (carbon-13, nitrogen-15, sulfur-34) to trace nutrient sources and flows.
• Studying the relationship between soil chemistry and plant nutrient profiles in Arctic tundra.
• Comparing forage quality across the ranges of three distinct caribou herds.

Strengths

• Data covers three distinct caribou herds over four growing seasons (2011-2014).
• Includes analysis of stable isotopes (carbon-13, nitrogen-15, sulfur-34) for key plants.
• Combines plant nutrient data with soil chemistry measures from the same sampling range.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale modeling.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

United States Geological Survey

Collection Method

Field collection of forage samples and soil measures from 21 plots during growing seasons.

Time Range

2011-2014

Geography

North Slope of Alaska, within the ranges of the Central Arctic, Teshekpuk, and Western Arctic caribou herds.