All LTER sites include research efforts in five core research areas: primary production, spatial and temporal distribution of populations representative of trophic structure, nutrient inputs, site disturbances and organic matter accumulation. The long-term data sets of the Arctic LTER include both the monitoring data and data from the whole ecosystem manipulations in tundra, lakes and streams.
Because of the broad nature of the Arctic LTER the data sets have been divided into the following six areas:
Lakes
Long-term monitoring of physical and chemical components of lakes variation in growth and reproduction of various populations. Types and locations of the whole lake manipulations. Map and locations of lakes. Protocols for field sampling.
Rivers and Streams
Long-term monitoring of discharge, temperature, nutrient concentrations, primary production, insects, and fish in streams under control and fertilized conditions.
Terrestrial
Included here are data on growth and flowering of Eriophorum vaginatum, plant and soil responses to long-tern experimental manipulations, precipitation chemistry, and other terrestrial data of the ARC LTER. Vegetation maps can be found under GIS/Maps.
Landscape Interactions
Landscape Interactions research project descriptions, site descriptions and data on the controls on land-water-atmosphere interactions in the Arctic, and how these interactions influence ecosystem structure and function.
Weather
Weather data from Toolik Lake and surrounding areas. The Arctic LTER weather stations were setup in 1989. Stations have been setup to collect standard weather parameters, such as air temperatures, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, rainfall, and soil temperatures, from control and experimental plots. For current conditions see Current Reports provided by Natural Resources Conservation Service -Alaska.
GIS/Maps
Vegetation, geomorphology, hydrology, elevation, and geology maps and GIS data from around Toolik Lake and throughout the arctic.
Modeling
Input data and results from ecosystem models.
Artic LTER Datasets by Research Categories