Soil Organic Matter in Twice-Burned Alaskan Black Spruce Forests

Measurements from 2009-2011 characterize organic soil layers, estimated carbon content, and soil depth at four black spruce stands in interior Alaska. These sites experienced two fires within a 37-52 year interval, with the most recent fires in 2004, 2005, and 2010. The dataset, produced by NASA, includes data from both burned sites and adjacent unburned control sites.

Use Cases

• Analyzing changes in soil organic matter content following intermediate-interval fire events.
• Comparing soil depth and carbon estimates between burned and adjacent unburned black spruce stands.
• Modeling carbon storage and loss in boreal forest soils affected by repeated wildfires.
• Studying the relationship between fire history and adventitious root distance from the soil surface.

Strengths

• Provides specific temporal context with fire events dated 2004, 2005, and 2010, and measurement years 2009-2011.
• Includes a comparative design with data from both burned sites and adjacent unburned control sites.
• Cross-platform presence on Data.gov and NASA EarthData indicates established curation and importance.

Limitations

• Key metadata conflicts exist: Data.gov lists a 2026 update date, while NASA EarthData shows a 2011 update, creating uncertainty about data freshness.
• The exact row count, file size, and complete column list are not provided by any source.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Field measurements of soil layer characteristics, carbon content, depth, and root distances.

Time Range

2009-2011 (measurement period); fire history spans up to 52 years prior.

Freshness

2026-03-13 00:01:47.797297

Geography

Four black spruce stands in interior Alaska.