Source: UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA submitted to NRP
SOIL CLIMATE ZONATION AND ITS IMPLICATION ON AGRICULTURAL POTENTIAL IN ALASKA
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
HATCH
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1005338
Grant No.
(N/A)
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Nov 21, 2014
Project End Date
Nov 3, 2017
Grant Year
(N/A)
Program Code
[(N/A)]- (N/A)
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA
(N/A)
FAIRBANKS,AK 99775
Performing Department
Agriculture and Horticulture
Non Technical Summary
The climate warming trend recorded over the past decades has amplified effect on soil climate in Alaska which would extend the growing season for agronomic crops thus increase the agriculture potential of the state. Both a regional as well as landscape level understanding of soil climate in Alaska is necessary in order to anticipate the impacts of a changing climate on agriculture, infrastructure and other land use.An understanding of surface site variables and physical properties of soils is necessary in order to understand and predict change useful to land use management decisions. These baseline data are important to ongoing soil survey in Alaska and will be integrated into soil survey datasets as well as land use interpretations.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
10201101070100%
Knowledge Area
102 - Soil, Plant, Water, Nutrient Relationships;

Subject Of Investigation
0110 - Soil;

Field Of Science
1070 - Ecology;
Goals / Objectives
1. To provide statistical data to re-define soil temperature and soil moisture regimes in arctic and subarctic zones of Alaska and to provide the basis for revision of soil climate regimes in the US soil classification system - Soil Taxonomy.2. Update agroclimate parameters, including growing- degree days, frost-free season and near surface soil temperature, precipitation and snowfall distributions for farming communities, Soil and Water Conservation District and land managers.3. Provide products that will include publications, databases and maps.
Project Methods
1. Database searching: to identify all monitoring parameters in each station and the records over the monitoring periods. Only use those sites with at least 3 years of data.2. Build excel files and calculate the following parameters: mean monthly air temperature (MMAT), mean annual air temperature (MAAT), growing-degree days (GDD, based on 28 and 32oF), frost-free days (FFD), mean annual soil temperature (MAST), mean summer soil temperature (MSST), mean winter soil temperature (MWST), mean annual precipitation (MAP), annual snow depth, and mean July growing-degree days (MJGDD).3. In permafrost-affected soils, calculate the active layer depth by extrapolating from soil temperature gradient.4. Identify the physiographic and environmental characteristics of each SNOTEL station thus define the soil climate regimes of each soils type and summarize the result in manuscript for publication.5. Formulating the relationships between these soil climatic parameters with latitude and elevation to build soil climate model for Alaska and summarize the results in a manuscript for publication.6. Provide the updated agroclimate parameters to the Alaska Soil Water Conservation District, the UAF Cooperative Extension Service, Alaska State Division of Agriculture and other end users of the data. Also work with collaborators on manuscript for publication. These will include C and R factor maps for Alaska to be used in calculating soil loss.7. Provide the soil climate parameters to the National Soil Survey Center to update soil climate regimes, especially soil temperature class and propose new classes for the alpine soils.

Progress 11/21/14 to 11/03/17

Outputs
Target Audience:Students - both undergraduate and graduate, to learn about the arctic soils, soil sampling protocols, soil clmate monitoring station setups. Government agancies - mainly USDA-NRCS soil survey progran in Alaska in soil climate zonation, soil database and permafrost soil classification. Others include the Northern Region of the Bureau of Land Management, USDI,, Alaska Department of Fish &Game -Binson Range in Upper Tanana Basin.. Farmers - soils information to potato farmer in southcentral Alaska, barley farmers and hay growers in the Tanana Basin (Dlta Junction) Changes/Problems:1. The PI, Chien-Lu Ping retired on December 31, 2015. 2. Difficulties to acquire soil monitoring data from some collaborators. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?1. Graduate student training: One graduate student conducted MS research on the soil development along a toposequence across different soil temperature clesses in both the cryic and pergelic soil temperature regime in the mountairegions of the Yukon Basin, Interior Alaska.The second graduate student studied digital soil mapping in arctic Alaska as a pilot project that is projected to cover different areas of Alaska. The third graduate student is studying the agroclimate and farming practices in the Delta area, inyterior Alaska 2. In 2015 there were 25 participants, including 7 professionals, 7 graduate students, 4 undergraduate students, 6 governmant agents, and 2 post docs participated in a 10 days summer trip (1.0 credit) to study the soils formation across a climate transect from boreal to the arctic regioons of Alaska. The participants learned about soil description and samling protocols of cryogenic soils. 3. .In July 2016 there were 3 graduate and one undergraduate students participated a 12 days firld training to study soil-landform relations on the North Slope of Alaska.. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?(1). Publications in journals of national and international reach. (2). Presentations at the national and international conferences. (3). A 10-day field trip (2015) transecting from the boreal regions of Interior Alaska to Arctic Alaska to review the relationships between climate gradient and other soil forming factors. There were 26 participants including 7 faculty members from Italy and other US institutes, 2 post docs, 7 graduate students, 4 undergraduate students, 2 government agencies, 4 Texas Tech University Public Broadcast film makers. The documentary film showing the permafrost environment and climate change will be released in March, 2017. (4). Interacting with potato farmers at the Upper Susitna Valley (cryic soil temperature regime) and barley and hay farmers in the Delta area of Upper Tanana Valley (cryic and pergelic soil temperature regimes). (5). Field trip and presentations by graduate student, Melissa Woodgate worked with the local school board at the native villages of St, Mary's and McGrath to show the vegetation succession and permafrost (K-12). (6). Two posters presented at the 2015 National Cooperative Soil Survey Conference. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1. The agroclimate data were extracted from 49 meteorological station across a latitudinal gradient in Alaska (Table 1). The relationships between growing degree days (GDD) and the physiographic and climate parameters is expressed in a multiple regression equation: The stepwise regression for GDD prediction of Alaska R = 0.918 Rsqr = 0.842 Adj Rsqr = 0.831 Standard Error of Estimate = 182.334 Analysis of Variance: Group DF SS MS F P Regression 3 7796516.176 2598838.725 78.171 <0.001 Residual 44 1462807.741 33245.630 Variables in Model Group Coef. Std. Coeff. Std. Error F-to-Remove P Constant -7151.880 1187.367 Col 2 73.188 0.636 15.845 21.336 <0.001 Col 7 155.816 2.547 10.685 212.665 <0.001 Col 8 -54.650 -1.709 4.655 137.843 <0.001 The prediction equation for GDD is; GDD = -7151.88 + (Latitude *73.2) + (MAAT *155.8) - (MWAT* 54.6) R2= 0.83. In summary, besides latitude, the mean annual and mean winter air temperatures play controlling role in GDD of Alaska. The soil climate data from another 10 soil monitoring sites jointly installed by the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the National Soil Survey Center are still being extracted and compiled with the assistance of Mark Clark (retired Alaska State Soil Scientist) and Dr. Ron Patzold (retired NRCS climatologist). 2. The agroclimate parameters collected include elevation (asl), mean annual precipitation (MAP), total snow fall, mean annual air temperature (MAAT), mean winter air temperature (MWAT), mean summer air temperature (MSAT), growing degree day (GDD) based on 40F, mean annual soil temperature (MAST) and period of records). 3. Produced products: (1). Eight refereed journal articles (2 in last year's progress report), 2014-2016. Two manuscripts submitted and in review. (2). Three book chapters, 2014-2017. (3). Two Agricultural & Forestry Experiment Station research bulletins, 2017 One research bulletin in preparation with the cooperation of Cooperative Extension Service and the Delta-Salcha Soil Water Conservation District. (4). Eight published abstracts (conference presentations, with 5 in last year's progress report), 2014-2016. (5). One extension circular in preparation. (6). One MS dissertation, Vegetation succession and pedogenesis on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta near St. Mary's, Alaska. 2015. (7). One database on calibration of soil characterization, carbon and nitrogen data of Alaska.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Walter Anthony, K., R. Daanen, P. Anthony, TS von Deimling, C.L. Ping, J. Chanton, and G. Grosse. 2016 Methane emissions proportional to permafrost thaw carbon in Arctic lakes since mid-century. Nature Geoscience 9:679-682. doi:10.1038/ngeo2795
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Michaelson, G.J., B. Wang and C.L. Ping, 2016. Kasatochi Island Volcano: Fertility of the Early Post-Eruptive Surfaces, Arctic, Antarctica and Alpine Research 48(1):45-59.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Chakraborty, S., D.C. Weindorf, G.J. Michaelson, C.L. Ping, A. Choudhury, T. Kandakji, A. . Acree, A. Sharma, D. Wang. 2016. In situ differentiation of acidic and non-acidic tundra via portable x-ray fluorescence (PXRF) spectrometry, Pedosphere 26(4):549-560. Doi:10.1016/S1002-0160 (15)60064-9.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Ping, C.L., J.D. Jastrow, M.T. Jorgeson, G.J. Michaelson, and Y. Shur. 2015. Permafrost soils and carbon cycling. SOIL 1:147-171, doi:10.5194/soil-1-147-2015.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: DAmore, D.V., C.L. Ping and P.A. Herendeen. 2015. Influence of saturation and reduction on soil development along catenas in the perhumid coastal temperate rainforest of Alaska. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 79:698-709; doi:10.2136/sssaj2014.08.0322
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Li, W.P., L. Zhao, X.D. Wu, S.J. Wang, Y. Sheng, C.L. Ping, Y.H. Zhao, H.B. Fang and W. Shi. 2015. Soil distribution modeling using inductive learning in the eastern part of permafrost regions in Qinghai-Xizang (Tibetan) Plateau. Catena 126:98-104.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2017 Citation: Matamala, R. Calderon, F., J.D. Jastrow, S. Hofmann, G.J. Michaelson, U. Mishra, and C.L. Ping. The influence of site and soil properties on the mid-infrared spectra of northern soils. Geoderma (in review)
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ping, C.L., M.H. Clark, G.J. Michaelson, D. DAmore, and D.K. Swanson. 2016. Ch. 17. Soils of Alaska. In L.T. West, M.J. Singer and A.E. Hartemink (Ed.s ) Soils of the USA, Springer Publisher
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Kolka R., Bridgham, S. D., and C.L. Ping. 2014. Ch. 16. Peatland Soils: Histosols and Gelisols. p.343-370. In M.J. Vepraskas and C.L. Craft (eds.). Wetland Soils: Genesis, Hydrology, Landscapes, and Classification, CRC Press/Lewis Publishing, Boca Raton, FL
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Delmelle, P., S. Opfergelt, J-T., Cornelis and C.L. Ping. 2014. Volcanic soils. In Encyclopedia of Volcanoes. In H. Sigurdsson, B. Houghton, S. McNutt, H. Rymer, J. Stix (eds.), Academic Press, San Diego, CA
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Ping, C.L., J.M. Kimble, G.J. Michaelson, T. Malone, J.P. Moore, E.C. Packee, C.A. Stiles, L.A. Wilson, and N.D. Zaman. 2017. Physio-chemical environment, morphology, characterization and classification of soils associated with black spruce in Alaska. AFES Bulletin No. 117. University of Alaska Fairbanks, AK.
  • Type: Other Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2017 Citation: ing, C.L. and G.J. Michaelson. 2017. Guidebook - Arctic soils geography field study - Permafrost-Affected Soils, NRM-F489/F689, AFES Bulletin 118. University of Alaska Fairbanks. (in press)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Jastrow, J.D., C.L. Ping, B. Deck, C.R., Matamala, T.W. Vugteveen, J.S. Lederhouse, and G.J. Michaelson. 2016. Distribution and degradation state of soil organic carbon stocks in ice wedge polygons of the Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska, Abstract B43C-0634. 2016 AGU Fall Meeting, Dec. 12-16, 2016, San Francisco, CA
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Harden, J.W., J.A. ODonnell, K. Heckman, B. Sulman, C. Koven, C.L. Ping, G. Michaelson, G. Hugelius, N. Rosenbloom, Y.J. He, C. Treat, C. Sierra. Changes in belowground C that accompany ecosystem shifts: an approach to constraining depth, timing, and magnitudes of soil change. Abstract 167887. 2016 AGU Fall Meeting, Dec. 12-16, 2016, San Francisco, CA


Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:Scientists, professionals and technical peopleinterested in permafrost soils. Students who were interested in soil fromation across the climate gradients and topographic gradients in northern Alaska. General public interested in soil and environmentl changes due to climate change in teh Arctic. Salcha-DeltaSoil & Water Conservation District. Environmental section of the Hilcorp Petroleum Co. Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. Potato farmers in Upper Susitna Valley and Gardners in Anchorage. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?1. The soil climate zones of major MLRAs of Alaska were evaluated based on available soil survey data and NRCS-NCSS soil-climate monitoring stations (Table 1). There are 2 soil moisture regimes in Alaska; aquic and udic, and 2 soil temperature regimes; cryic and gelic. There are 3 soil temperature classes; pergelic, subgelic and frigid. The Arctic Coastal Plain (MLRA 246) has gelic soil temperature (MAST -5 to -8oC). However based on monitoring data from 1998 to 2011 in Atqasuk and Barrow, the MAST has increased 1oC since 2008. The Arctic Foothills (MLRA245) also has a gelic soil temperature regime but the soil temperature class has changed from borderline between pergelic and subgelic to subgelic, an increase of slightly over 1oC since 2009 based on records from the Toolik Lake Field Station and Sagwon Hills. The effects of climatic warming on arctic soils is evident. 2. The agroclimate data were extracted from 26 meteorological station across a latitudinal gradient in Alaska (Table 1). 3. The agroclimate parameters collected include elevation (asl), mean annual precipitation (MAP), total snow fall, mean annual air temperature (MAAT), growing-degree days (GDD) based on 40F, mean annual soil temperature (MAST) and period of records. The major economic crops in Alaska include potato, barley, oats and row crops (vegetables). In general, potato requires 75 to 35 frost-free days (FFD) which is attainable in the lowlands of Land Resources Region, LRR X1, X2 and W1. These include MLRA 232 Yukon Flats, MLRA 227 Copper River Basin, MLRA 229 Interior Alaska Lowlands, and MLRA 224 Cook Inlet Lowlands. The yield of potatoes ranged from 120-200 cwt in MLRA 229 and 220-260 cwt in MLRA 224. The cereal grains require higher heat unit expressed as growing degree days (GDD) with base of 40oF. Barley requires 1300-1540 GDD and only MLRA 229 and the south end of MLRA 224 meet this requirement. Oats requires higher GDD and only MLRA 229 has GDD >1500 that allows oats to mature. Currently the barley yield can reach 50 bu/a and oats up to 88bu/a in favorable years in MLRA 229. In most years in MLRA 224, the oats reaches milk stage before the first frost, thus bailed into hay for feeds. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?(1). Publications in journals of national and international reach. (2). Presentations at the national and international conferences (ASA and AGU annual meetings). (3). A 10-day field trip (2015, 2016) transecting from the boreal regions of Interior Alaska to Arctic Alaska to review the relationships between climate gradient and other soil forming factors. There were 24-26 participants including faculty members from the US and international institutes, post docs, graduate students, undergraduate students, and government agencies, (4). In 2015, the film makers from Texas Tech University Public Broadcast filmed my field trip class and made a documentary film series "Between Earth and Sky" showing the permafrost environment and climate change which was released in the 26th Environmental Film Festival on March 14, 2017 at the Woodrow Wilson Peace Center in Washington D.C. on March 14, 2017. Following that the film was released more than 25 times in the film festivals in several major cities and universities in the US and overseas. (5). Interacting with potato farmers at the Upper Susitna Valley (cryic soil temperature regime, MLRA 224) and barley and hay farmers in the Delta area of Upper Tanana Valley (cryic and gelic soil temperature regimes, MLRA 229). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1. The soil climate zones of major MLRAs of Alaska were evaluated based on available soil survey data and NRCS-NCSS soil-climate monitoring stations (Table 1). There are 2 soil moisture regimes in Alaska; aquic and udic, and 2 soil temperature regimes; cryic and gelic. There are 3 soil temperature classes; pergelic, subgelic and frigid. The Arctic Coastal Plain (MLRA 246) has gelic soil temperature (MAST -5 to -8oC). However based on monitoring data from 1998 to 2011 in Atqasuk and Barrow, the MAST has increased 1oC since 2008. The Arctic Foothills (MLRA245) also has a gelic soil temperature regime but the soil temperature class has changed from borderline between pergelic and subgelic to subgelic, an increase of slightly over 1oC since 2009 based on records from the Toolik Lake Field Station and Sagwon Hills. The effects of climatic warming on arctic soils is evident. 2. The agroclimate data were extracted from 26 meteorological station across a latitudinal gradient in Alaska (Table 1). 3. The agroclimate parameters collected include elevation (asl), mean annual precipitation (MAP), total snow fall, mean annual air temperature (MAAT), growing-degree days (GDD) based on 40F, mean annual soil temperature (MAST) and period of records. The major economic crops in Alaska include potato, barley, oats and row crops (vegetables). In general, potato requires 75 to 35 frost-free days (FFD) which is attainable in the lowlands of Land Resources Region, LRR X1, X2 and W1. These include MLRA 232 Yukon Flats, MLRA 227 Copper River Basin, MLRA 229 Interior Alaska Lowlands, and MLRA 224 Cook Inlet Lowlands. The yield of potatoes ranged from 120-200 cwt in MLRA 229 and 220-260 cwt in MLRA 224. The cereal grains require higher heat unit expressed as growing degree days (GDD) with base of 40oF. Barley requires 1300-1540 GDD and only MLRA 229 and the south end of MLRA 224 meet this requirement. Oats requires higher GDD and only MLRA 229 has GDD >1500 that allows oats to mature. Currently the barley yield can reach 50 bu/a and oats up to 88bu/a in favorable years in MLRA 229. In most years in MLRA 224, the oats reaches milk stage before the first frost, thus bailed into hay for feeds.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Dou, F., C.L. Ping, X.F. Li, T. Jorgenson, L.D. Guo, K. Chen, G. Michaelson. 2017. Soil Organic Carbon Reactivity along the Eroding Coastline of Northern Alaska. Soil Science 182:227-232.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Cocco, S., V. Cardelli, F. Bigaran, L. Massaccesl, A. Agnelli, D.C. Weindorf, C.L, Ping, G.J. Michaelson, and G. Corti. 2017. Latitudinal transect relationship between soil organic horizons and permafrost depth in Alaska. Applied Soil Ecology. DOI.10.1016/j.apsoil.2017.10.021
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Zhang, X., T.S. Bianchi, X. Cui, B.E. Rosenheim, C.L. Ping, A.J.M. Hanna, M. Kanevskiy, K.M. Schreiner, and M.A. Allison. 2017. Permafrost Organic Carbon Mobilization from the Watershed to the Colville River Delta: Evidence From 14C Ramped Pyrolysis and Lignin Biomarkers. Geophysical Research Letters 44, doi.org/10.1002/2017GL075543
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Matamala, R. Calderon, F., J.D. Jastrow, S. Hofmann, G.J. Michaelson, U. Mishra, and C.L. Ping. 2017. The influence of site and soil properties on the mid-infrared spectra of northern soils. Geoderma305:80-91.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Eitan Shelef, Joel C. Rowland, Cathy J. Wilson1 George E. Hilley, Umakant Mishra, Garrett L. Altmann, and Chien-Lu Ping. Impact of Hillslope Soil-transport on Carbon Stocks in Permafrost Landscapes. Geophysics Research Letters 44(12):6134-6144 10.1002/2017GL073823
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Walter Anthony, K., R. Daanen, P. Anthony, TS von Deimling, C.L. Ping, J. Chanton, and G. Grosse. 2016. Methane emissions proportional to permafrost thaw carbon in Arctic lakes since mid-century. Nature Geoscience 9:679-682. doi:10.1038/ngeo2795
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Michaelson, G.J., B. Wang and C.L. Ping, 2016. Kasatochi Island Volcano: Fertility of the Early Post-Eruptive Surfaces, Arctic, Antarctica and Alpine Research 48(1):45-59.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Chakraborty, S., D.C. Weindorf, G.J. Michaelson, C.L. Ping, A. Choudhury, T. Kandakji, A. Acree, A. Sharma, D. Wang. 2016. In situ differentiation of acidic and non-acidic tundra via portable x-ray fluorescence (PXRF) spectrometry, Pedosphere 26(4):549-560. Doi:10.1016/S1002-0160 (15)60064-9.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Ping, C.L., M.H. Clark, G.J. Michaelson, D. DAmore, and D.K. Swanson. 2016. Ch. 17. Soils of Alaska. p. 329-350. In L.T. West, M.J. Singer and A.E. Hartemink (Eds.) The Soils of the USA, Springer Publisher
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Ping, C.L., J.M. Kimble, G.J. Michaelson, T. Malone, J.P. Moore, E.C. Packee, C.A. Stiles, L.A. Wilson, and N.D. Zaman. 2017. Physio-chemical environment, morphology, characterization and classification of soils associated with black spruce in Alaska. AFES Bulletin No. 117. University of Alaska Fairbanks, AK
  • Type: Other Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2018 Citation: Ping, C.L. and G.J. Michaelson. 2017. Guidebook - Arctic soils geography field study - Permafrost-Affected Soils, NRMF489/F689, AFES Bulletin 118. University of Alaska Fairbanks.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Ping, C.L., J.D. Jastrow. R. Matamala, G.J. Michaelson, U. Mishra, Y. Shur. 2017. Cryostratigraphy and soil development in ice wedge polygons on Arctic coastal plains, Alaska. Abstract ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meetings, Oct. 22-25. Tampa, FL
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Jastrow, J.D., C.L. Ping, B. Deck, C.R., Matamala, T.W. Vugteveen, J.S. Lederhouse, and G.J. Michaelson. 2016. Distribution and degradation state of soil organic carbon stocks in ice wedge polygons of the Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska, Abstract B43C-0634. 2016 AGU Fall Meeting, Dec. 12-16, 2016, San Francisco, CA


Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Arctic scientic community, Alaska State Department of Agriculture, USDI-Bureau of Land Management, Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?1. Graduate student training: One graduate student conducted MS research on the soil development along a toposequence across different soil temperature clesses in both the cryic and pergelic soil temperature regime in the mountairegions of the Yukon Basin, Interior Alaska.The second graduate student studied digital soil mapping in arctic Alaska as a pilot project that is projected to cover different areas of Alaska. The third graduate student is studying the agroclimate and farming practices in the Delta area, inyterior Alaska 2. In 2015 there were 25 participants, including 7 professionals, 7 graduate students, 4 undergraduate students, 6 governmant agents, and 2 post docs participated in a 10 days summer trip (1.0 credit) to study the soils formation across a climate transect from boreal to the arctic regioons of Alaska. The participants learned about soil description and samling protocols of cryogenic soils. 3. .In July 2016 there were 3 graduate and one undergraduate students participated a 12 days firld training to study soillandform relations on the North Slope of Alaska.. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?(1). Publications in journals of national and international reach. (2). Presentations at the national and international conferences. (3). A 10-day field trip (2015) transecting from the boreal regions of Interior Alaska to Arctic Alaska to review the relationships between climate gradient and other soil forming factors. There were 26 participants including 7 faculty members from Italy and other US institutes, 2 post docs, 7 graduate students, 4 undergraduate students, 2 government agencies, 4 Texas Tech University Public Broadcast film makers. The documentary film showing the permafrost environment and climate change will be released in March, 2017. (4). Interacting with potato farmers at the Upper Susitna Valley (cryic soil temperature regime) and barley and hay farmers in the Delta area of Upper Tanana Valley (cryic and pergelic soil temperature regimes). (5). Field trip and presentations by graduate student, Melissa Woodgate worked with the local school board at the native villages of St, Mary's and McGrath to show the vegetation succession and permafrost (K-12). (6). Two posters presented at the 2015 National Cooperative Soil Survey Conference. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?To provide a drfat digital soil map of the Dalton Highway corridor and MS dessertation.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1. The agroclimate data were extracted from 49 meteorological station across a latitudinal gradient in Alaska (Table 1). The relationships between growing degree days (GDD) and the physiographic and climate parameters is expressed in a multiple regression equation: The stepwise regression for GDD prediction of Alaska R = 0.918 Rsqr = 0.842 Adj Rsqr = 0.831 Standard Error of Estimate = 182.334 Analysis of Variance: Group DF SS MS F P Regression 3 7796516.176 2598838.725 78.171 <0.001 Residual 44 1462807.741 33245.630 Variables in Model Group Coef. Std. Coeff. Std. Error F-to-Remove P Constant -7151.880 1187.367 Col 2 73.188 0.636 15.845 21.336 <0.001 Col 7 155.816 2.547 10.685 212.665 <0.001 Col 8 -54.650 -1.709 4.655 137.843 <0.001 The prediction equation for GDD is; GDD = -7151.88 + (Latitude *73.2) + (MAAT *155.8) - (MWAT* 54.6) R2 = 0.83. In summary, besides latitude, the mean annual and mean winter air temperatures play controlling role in GDD of Alaska. The soil climate data from another 10 soil monitoring sites jointly installed by the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the National Soil Survey Center are still being extracted and compiled with the assistance of Mark Clark (retired Alaska State Soil Scientist) and Dr. Ron Patzold (retired NRCS climatologist). 2. The agroclimate parameters collected include elevation (asl), mean annual precipitation (MAP), total snow fall, mean annual air temperature (MAAT), mean winter air temperature (MWAT), mean summer air temperature (MSAT), growing degree day (GDD) based on 40F, mean annual soil temperature (MAST) and period of records). 3. Produced products: (1). Eight refereed journal articles (2 in last year's progress report), 2014-2016. Two manuscripts submitted and in review. (2). Three book chapters, 2014-2017. (3). Two Agricultural & Forestry Experiment Station research bulletins, 2017 One research bulletin in preparation with the cooperation of Cooperative Extension Service and the Delta-Salcha Soil Water Conservation District. (4). Eight published abstracts (conference presentations, with 5 in last year's progress report), 2014-2016. (5). One extension circular in preparation. (6). One MS dissertation, Vegetation succession and pedogenesis on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta near St. Mary's, Alaska. 2015. (7). One database on calibration of soil characterization, carbon and nitrogen data of Alaska.

Publications

  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Ping, C.L., M.H. Clark, G.J. Michaelson, D. DAmore, and D.K. Swanson. 2017. Ch. 17. Soils of Alaska. In L.T. West, M.J. Singer and A.E. Hartemink (Ed.s ) Soils of the USA, Springer Publisher
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Ping, C.L., J.M. Kimble, G.J. Michaelson, T. Malone, J.P. Moore, E.C. Packee, C.A. Stiles, L.A. Wilson, and N.D. Zaman. 2017. Physio-chemical environment, morphology, characterization and classification of soils associated with black spruce in Alaska. AFES Bulletin No. 117. University of Alaska Fairbanks, AK.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Ping, C.L., J.D. Jastrow, M.T. Jorgeson, G.J. Michaelson, and Y. Shur. 2015. Permafrost soils and carbon cycling. SOIL 1:147-171, doi:10.5194/soil-1-147-2015.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: DAmore, D.V., C.L. Ping and P.A. Herendeen. 2015. Influence of saturation and reduction on soil development along catenas in the perhumid coastal temperate rainforest of Alaska. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 79:698-709; doi:10.2136/sssaj2014.08.0322
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Michaelson, G.J., B. Wang and C.L. Ping, 2016. Kasatochi Island Volcano: Fertility of the Early Post-Eruptive Surfaces, Arctic, Antarctica and Alpine Research 48(1):45-59.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Li, W.P., L. Zhao, X.D. Wu, S.J. Wang, Y. Sheng, C.L. Ping, Y.H. Zhao, H.B. Fang and W. Shi. 2015. Soil distribution modeling using inductive learning in the eastern part of permafrost regions in Qinghai-Xizang (Tibetan) Plateau. Catena 126:98-104.


Progress 11/21/14 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:Target Audiences: Federal and state agricultural policy makers, local soil and water conservation district, farmers and the USDA-NRCS National Soil Survey Center and state office. Effort: Data minings. Participants: Individuals: Dr. Chien-Lu Ping and Research Associate, Gary Michaelson. Partner Organization: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Alaska Soil & Water Conservation District. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The PI serves on the graduate committee of one M.S. student who is interested in agricultural potential and climate change in boreal regions of Alaska. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Even though this project just started in November of 2014, we can summarized the preparation work in the early stage of the project. The climate parameters were collected from NOAA annual reports from 20 sites across the arctic and subarctic regions of Alaska. The PI and research associate, Gary Michaelson visited the Kaspari and Shultz farms in the Delta agricultural project at Delta Junction, Alaska to gather background information in the farming history of the area, and sampled soils for soil quality assessment after 30 years of land clearing.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Ping, C.L., J.D. Jastrow, G.J. Michaelson, M.T. Jorgenson, and Y.L. Shur. 2014. Permafrost soils and carbon cycling. SOIL Discuss., 1:709-756. Doi:10.5194/solid-1-709-2014.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Hugelius, G., Strauss, J., Zubrzycki, S., Harden, J.W., Schuur, E.A.G., Ping,C.L., Schirrmeister, L., Grosse, G.,, Michaelson, G.J., Koven, C.D., ODonnell, J.A., Elberling, B., Mishra, U., Camill, P., Yu, Z., Palmtag, J, and Kuhry, P. 2014. Improved estimates show large circumpolar stocks of permafrost carbon while quantifying substantial uncertainty ranges and identifying remaining data gaps. Biogeoscience , 11:6573-6593, doi:10.5194/bg-11-6573-2014.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Weindorf, D. N. Bakr, Y. Zhu, A. McWhirt, C. Nelson, K. Shook, C.L. Ping, G.J. Michaelson, and S. Nuss. 2014. Influence of ice on soil elemental characterization via portable x-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Pedosphere 24(1):1-12.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Jastrow, J.D., C.L. Ping, R. Matamala, T.W. Vugteveen, J.S. Lwederhouse, and G.J. MIchaelson. 2014 Variations in the Horizontal and Vertical Distributions of Organic Carbon Stocks across Ice Wedge Polygons of Arctic Alaska. Abstract 28799. 2014 AGU Fall Meeting, Dec. 15-19, 2014, San Francisco, CA
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Matamala, R., J.D. Jastrow, Calderon, Liang, M. Miller, G.J. Michaelson, C.L. Ping. Characterizing soil organic matter degradation levels in permafrost-affected soils using infra red spectroscopy. Abstract 26674. 2014 AGU Fall Meeting, Dec. 15-19, 2014, San Francisco, CA
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Ping, C.L., M.H. Clark, G.J. Michaelson, S. Nield, and M. Woodgate. 2014. Permafrost Degradation and Soil Change in Temperature Sensitive Gelisols in SW Alaska. In: Symposium--Climate Change Impacts on Soil Carbon: Understanding and Estimating the Extent and Rates of Reactions, Processes, Interactions and Feedbacks. November 3, 2014, Long Beach, CA
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Harden, J., Improved Estimates Show Large Circumpolar Stocks of Permafrost Carbon While Quantifying Substantial Uncertainty Ranges and Identifying Remaining Data Gaps. 2014 AGU Fall Meeting, Dec. 15-19, 2014, San Francisco, CA
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Ping, C.L., J.D. Jastrow, M.T. Jorgenson, R. Matamala, G.J. Michaelson, Y. Shur. 2014. Soils and cryostratigraphy of ice wedge polygons in Arctic Alaska. 4th European Conference on Permafrost, June 18-22, 2014, Evora, Portugal