Improving Knowledge of Permafrost-Affected Soils in Alaska - Field Data Collection and Sampling Design to Support Current and Future Soil Survey Initiatives

Abstract

Lands in the United States without detailed soil survey coverage are considered "not complete" (NOTCOM). There are currently approximately 430 million acres of NOTCOM remaining in the United States, with Alaska making up more than 70% of this remaining area. The first part of this work is a collaborative sampling of black spruce forests and associated permafrost-affected soils in the central Copper River basin. After sampling sites under burned and unburned areas, we assess trajectories of soil carbon, permafrost and vegetation change following fire to inform future management strategies. The second portion of this work examined the utility of implementing a Conditioned Latin Hypercube Sampling (cLHS) methodology in order to locate optimal sampling locations for future study. The cLHS used in this study was constrained by an inclusive cost layer representing an aggregation of real-world costs associated with travel within the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta study area located in south western Alaska.