Publication Date:
2018-06-27
Description:
Soil temperature (ST) has a key role in Arctic ecosystem functioning and global environmental change. However, soil thermal conditions do not necessarily follow synoptic temperature variations. This is because local biogeophysical processes can lead to a pronounced soil-atmosphere thermal offset ( ∆T ) while altering the coupling (β T ) between ST and ambient air temperature (AAT). Here, we aim to uncover the spatiotemporal variation in these parameters and identify their main environmental drivers. By deploying a unique network of 322 temperature loggers and surveying biogeophysical processes across an Arctic landscape, we found that the spatial variation in ∆T during the AAT≤0 period (mean ∆T = 6.0 °C, standard deviation ± 1.2 °C) was directly and indirectly constrained by local topography controlling snow depth. By contrast, during the AAT〉0 period, ∆T was controlled by soil characteristics, vegetation and solar radiation ( ∆T = −0.6 °C...
Print ISSN:
1748-9318
Electronic ISSN:
1748-9326
Topics:
Biology
,
Energy, Environment Protection, Nuclear Power Engineering
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