Vegetation and Site Characterization, 1998-99 ATLAS Grid Transect, Northern Alaska

This data set comprises the text and data presented in the data report "A western Alaskan transect to examine interactions of climate, substrate, vegetation, and spectral reflectance: ATLAS grids and transects, 1998-1999." The report is a compilation of data from two projects conducted on the North Slope of Alaska during the summers of 1998 and 1999.

The first project involves environmental, climate, soil, vegetation, and remote-sensing data collected from 8 ATLAS (Arctic Transitions in the Land-Atmosphere System) grids established along a North-South transect from Barrow to Ivotuk, Alaska. The original purposes of the study were (1) to characterize the major zonal vegetation types found along the North Slope climate gradient, (2) to quantify differences between acidic and non-acidic tundra along the same gradient, and (3) to investigate relationships between plant biomass, Leaf Area Index (LAI), and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI).