N-Factor Values and Air and Ground Surface Temperatures, Kuparuk River Basin, Alaska

This data set includes ground surface temperatures and air temperatures measured at ten study plots within the Kuparuk River basin of north-central Alaska. Computed thaw-season "n-factor" values are also included (the n-factor is defined as the ratio of the sum of thawing degree days at the soil-surface to that in the air). Data were collected in an effort to evaluate differences between air and ground-surface temperatures associated with different natural landcover types, and to assess the utility of the "n-factor" concept as a tool in geocryological mapping. Detailed descriptions of field procedures and assumptions are provided in Klene (2000) and Klene et al. (2001). Klene, A.E. 2000. The N-Factor in Natural Landscapes: Relations Between Air and Soil-Surface Temperatures in the Kuparuk River Basin, Alaska. Elmer, NJ: Publications in Climatology 53, C.W. Thorntwaite Associates. 77 pp.

Klene, A.E., F.E. Nelson, N.I. Shiklomanov, and K.M. Hinkel. 2001. The n-factor in natural landscapes: variability of air and soil-surface temperatures, Kuparuk River basin, Alaska. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 33: 140-148.