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Description

This dataset provides soil thaw depth and moisture (STDM) measurements and dielectric properties measured by different research teams at sites in Alaska, U.S., and the Northwest Territories, Canada. There are multiple observations per site and 352,719 total observations. The dataset includes 206,000 observations of active layer thickness measured by mechanical probing (6.0%) or ground penetrating radar (GPR) (94.0%). Approximately 16,000 volumetric water content measurements were collected using GPR (22.1%), Hydrosense I and II probes (75.3%), and DualEM (2.6%). Metadata includes the location, time, geospatial coordinates, technique, measurement teams. Measurements were typically collected in August and September near the end of the thaw season and cover the period 2008-06-22 to 2020-08-15.

Product Summary

Platforms
FIELD SURVEYS
Instruments
PROBES ,
GPR ,
TDR
Spatial Extent

N: 71.3236 S: 60.4524 E: -111.368 W: -165.973

Location
ALASKA ,
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Coordinate System
CARTESIAN
Granule Spatial Representation
CARTESIAN
Temporal Extent
2008-06-22 to 2020-08-15
Data Partner
THE OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY (ORNL) DISTRIBUTED ACTIVE ARCHIVE CENTER (DAAC) (ORNL_DAAC)
Concept ID
C2162189255-ORNL_CLOUD
Data State
COMPLETE
Number of Files/Granules
1
Processing Level
3
Published
Updated
Science Keywords
Soil Depth ,
Active Layer ,
Soil Moisture/Water Content

Citation

Citation is critically important for dataset documentation and discovery. This dataset is openly shared, without restriction, in accordance with the EOSDIS Data Use and Citation Guidance.

Copy Citation

Schaefer, K., Clayton, L. K., Battaglia, M. J., Bourgeau-Chavez, L. L., Chen, R. H., Chen, A. C., Chen, J., Bakian-Dogaheh, K., Douglas, T. A., Grelick, S. E., Iwahana, G., Jafarov, E., Liu, L., Ludwig, S., Michaelides, R. J., Moghaddam, M., Natali, S., Panda, S. K., Parsekian, A. D., … Zhao, Y. (2021). ABoVE: Soil Moisture and Active Layer Thickness in Alaska and NWT, Canada, 2008-2020 (Version 1). ORNL Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1903 Date Accessed: 2026-05-02

Documents

Publications Citing This Dataset

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Title Year Author Topic
A Novel Lightweight Electromagnetic Induction Sensor for Permafrost Detection and Mapping Maxson, Michele L., Barrowes, Benjamin, Lozano, David, Sullivan, Taylor, Prishvin, Mikheil, Shubitidze, Fridon Soil Depth, Active Layer, Soil Moisture/Water Content
Tundra recovery post-fire in the YukonKuskokwim Delta, Alaska Clayton, Leah K, Schaefer, Kevin, Hoy, Elizabeth E, Elder, Clayton D, French, Nancy H F, Frost, Gerald V, Wig, Elizabeth, Lee, Xuhui Soil Depth, Active Layer, Soil Moisture/Water Content, RIVER/LAKE ICE BREAKUP, River Ice Depth/Extent, Plant Phenological Changes, Snow Depth, Range Changes, Vegetation Species, Rural Areas, Conservation, Vulnerable Populations, Use/Feeding Habitats, Active Layer, Permafrost, Permafrost, PERMAFROST MELT
Outdoor Radon Dose Rate in Canada's Arctic amid Climate Change Liu, Chuanlei, Chen, Jing, Zhang, Weihua, Ungar, Kurt Soil Depth, Active Layer, Soil Moisture/Water Content
A synthesized field survey database of vegetation and active-layer properties for the Alaskan tundra (19722020) Zhu, Xiaoran, Chen, Dong, Kogure, Maruko, Hoy, Elizabeth, Berner, Logan T., Breen, Amy L., Chatterjee, Abhishek, Davidson, Scott J., Frost, Gerald V., Hollingsworth, Teresa N., Iwahana, Go, Jandt, Randi R., Kade, Anja N., Loboda, Tatiana V., Macander, Matt J., Mack, Michelle, Miller, Charles E., Miller, Eric A., Natali, Susan M., Raynolds, Martha K., Rocha, Adrian V., Tsuyuzaki, Shiro, Tweedie, Craig E., Walker, Donald A., Williams, Mathew, Xu, Xin, Zhang, Yingtong, French, Nancy, Goetz, Scott Soil Moisture/Water Content, Soil Chemistry, Soil Ph, Soil Depth, Terrestrial Ecosystems, Vegetation Index, Vegetation Cover, Vegetation Species, Soil Horizons/Profile, Biomass, Vegetation Index, Organic Matter, Soil Texture, Topographic Effects, Canopy Characteristics, Forest Composition/Vegetation Structure, Reflectance, Air Temperature, Terrain Elevation, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Active Layer, Periglacial Processes, Pingo, Dew Point Temperature, Alpine/Tundra, Humidity, Fire Occurrence, Wind Speed, Wildfires, Soil Temperature, Wind Direction, Shrubland/Scrub, Soil Classification, Community Structure, Active Layer, Soil Temperature, Fire Ecology, Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Soil Bulk Density, Forest Fire Science, Burned Area, LICHENS, Plant Succession, PLANTS, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Soil Color, Freeze/Thaw, Freeze/Thaw, Permafrost, Soil Water Holding Capacity, Cation Exchange Capacity, Electrical Conductivity, Snow Cover, Snow Cover, Anthropogenic/Human Influenced Ecosystems, Land Use/Land Cover, Fire Disturbance
The ABoVE L-band and P-band airborne synthetic aperture radar surveys Miller, Charles E., Griffith, Peter C., Hoy, Elizabeth, Pinto, Naiara S., Lou, Yunling, Hensley, Scott, Chapman, Bruce D., Baltzer, Jennifer, Bakian-Dogaheh, Kazem, Bolton, W. Robert, Bourgeau-Chavez, Laura, Chen, Richard H., Choe, Byung-Hun, Clayton, Leah K., Douglas, Thomas A., French, Nancy, Holloway, Jean E., Hong, Gang, Huang, Lingcao, Iwahana, Go, Jenkins, Liza, Kimball, John S., Loboda, Tatiana, Mack, Michelle, Marsh, Philip, Michaelides, Roger J., Moghaddam, Mahta, Parsekian, Andrew, Schaefer, Kevin, Siqueira, Paul R., Singh, Debjani, Tabatabaeenejad, Alireza, Turetsky, Merritt, Touzi, Ridha, Wig, Elizabeth, Wilson, Cathy J., Wilson, Paul, Wullschleger, Stan D., Yi, Yonghong, Zebker, Howard A., Zhang, Yu, Zhao, Yuhuan, Goetz, Scott J. Burned Area, Vegetation Species, Forests, Fire Occurrence, Soil Classification, Tree Rings, Soil Depth, Carbon, Topographic Effects, Terrain Elevation, Dew Point Temperature, Alpine/Tundra, Humidity, Active Layer, Soil Moisture/Water Content, Wind Speed, Wildfires, Vegetation Cover, Soil Temperature, Wind Direction, Land Use/Land Cover Classification, Dominant Species, Sensor Counts, Litter Characteristics, Organic Matter, Surface Roughness, Forest Fire Science, Biomass, Emissions, Lakes/Reservoirs, Rivers/Streams, Radar Backscatter, RADAR IMAGERY, Soil Texture, Cation Exchange Capacity, Soil Bulk Density, Soil Porosity, Permafrost, Aerosol Particle Properties, Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide, Trace Gases/Trace Species, Flight Data Logs, SIGMA NAUGHT, VISIBLE IMAGERY, Rivers/Stream, Infrared Imagery, Lake/Pond, Surface Water Features
Unraveling the non-linear relationship between seasonal deformation and permafrost active layer thickness Chang, Tian, Yi, Yonghong, Jiang, Huiru, Li, Rongxing, Lu, Ping, Liu, Lin, Wang, Lingxiao, Zhao, Lin, Zwieback, Simon, Zhao, Jingyi Land Surface Temperature, Emissivity, Soil Depth, Active Layer, Soil Moisture/Water Content
Polarimetric L-Band ALOS2-PALSAR2 for Discontinuous Permafrost Mapping Touzi, Ridha, Pawley, Steven M., Wilson, Paul, Jiao, Xianfeng, Hosseini, Mehdi, Shimada, Masanobu Soil Depth, Active Layer, Soil Moisture/Water Content
Permafrost Dynamics Observatory (PDO)Part II: Joint Retrieval of Permafrost Active Layer Thickness and Soil Moisture from Lband InSAR and Pband PolSAR Chen, Richard H., Michaelides, Roger J., Zhao, Yuhuan, Huang, Lingcao, Wig, Elizabeth, Sullivan, Taylor D., Parsekian, Andrew D., Zebker, Howard A., Moghaddam, Mahta, Schaefer, Kevin M. Aquatic Ecosystems, Terrestrial Ecosystems, Vegetation, Soils, Soil Texture, Active Layer, Cation Exchange Capacity, Soil Moisture/Water Content, Soil Bulk Density, Soil Porosity, Organic Matter, Soil Depth, Active Layer, Permafrost, Permafrost, PERMAFROST MELT
Active layer thickness as a function of soil water content Clayton, Leah K, Schaefer, Kevin, Battaglia, Michael J, Bourgeau-Chavez, Laura, Chen, Jingyi, Chen, Richard H, Chen, Albert, Bakian-Dogaheh, Kazem, Grelik, Sarah, Jafarov, Elchin, Liu, Lin, Michaelides, Roger John, Moghaddam, Mahta, Parsekian, Andrew D, Rocha, Adrian V, Schaefer, Sean R, Sullivan, Taylor, Tabatabaeenejad, Alireza, Wang, Kang, Wilson, Cathy J, Zebker, Howard A, Zhang, Tingjun, Zhao, Yuhuan Soil Depth, Active Layer, Soil Moisture/Water Content
Sensitivity of Multi-frequency Polarimetric SAR Data to Post-Fire Permafrost Changes and Recovery Processes in Arctic Tundra Yi, Yonghong, Chen, Richard H., Moghaddam, Mahta, Kimball, John S., Jones, Benjamin M., Jandt, Randi R., Miller, Eric A., Miller, Charles E. Soil Depth, Active Layer, Soil Moisture/Water Content
Validation of Permafrost Active Layer Estimates from Airborne SAR Observations Parsekian, Andrew D., Chen, Richard H., Michaelides, Roger J., Sullivan, Taylor D., Clayton, Leah K., Huang, Lingcao, Zhao, Yuhuan, Wig, Elizabeth, Moghaddam, Mahta, Zebker, Howard, Schaefer, Kevin Aquatic Ecosystems, Terrestrial Ecosystems, Vegetation, Soils, Soil Depth, Active Layer, Soil Moisture/Water Content, Radar Reflectivity, Radio Wave, Permafrost, Permafrost, Permafrost, Permafrost, PERMAFROST MELT, Active Layer, Permafrost
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