Circumpolar Arctic Substrate pH

Differences in substrate chemistry have important effects on dominant plant communities. Some of the most important effects are related to soil pH, which governs the availability of essential plant nutrients. Soils in the circumneutral range (pH 5.5-7.2) are generally mineral rich, whereas the full suite of essential nutrients are often unavailable in acidic soils (pH < 5.5) or in soils associated with calcareous bedrock (pH > 7.2). The latter often have unique assemblages of endemic plant species. There are no common base maps that show this essential difference in substrate chemistry, so the CAVM substrate map was derived from a wide variety of available sources including soil, surficial geology, and bedrock geology maps, and from spectral patterns that could be recognized on the AVHRR base image. The pH values of the three categories were based on the field experience and hundreds of Arctic vegetation relevé plots sampled by D.A. Walker on the North Slope and Seward Peninsula of Alaska, in consultation with F.J.A. Daniëls (Greenland) and N.G. Moskalenko (Yamal and Gydan Peninsulas, Russia).

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Go to Website Link :: Toolik Arctic Geobotanical Atlas below for details on legend units, photos of map units and plant species, glossary, bibliography and links to ground data.

Map Themes: AVHRR Biomass 2010, AVHRR Biomass Trend 1982-2010, AVHRR False Color-Infrared 1993-1995, AVHRR NDVI 1993-1995, AVHRR NDVI Trend 1982-2010, AVHRR Summer Warmth Index 1982-2003, Bioclimate Subzone, Coastline and Treeline, Elevation, Floristic Provinces, Lake Cover, Landscape, Landscape Age, Substrate pH, Vegetation Layer

References

Elvebakk, A. 1999. Bioclimate delimitation and subdivisions of the Arctic. Pages 81-112 in I. Nordal and V. Y. Razzhivin, editors. The Species Concept in the High North - A Panarctic Flora Initiative. The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, Oslo.

Yurtsev, B. A. 1994. Floristic divisions of the Arctic. Journal of Vegetation Science 5:765-776.

Data and Resources

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  Download :: GIS Data

  aga_circumpolar_substrate_ph_2003_shp.zip (2.07 MB)

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  Download :: Map Image

  aga_circumpolar_substrate_ph_2003.pdf (613 KB)

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  Website :: Toolik Arctic Geobotanical Atlas

  http://www.arcticatlas.org/maps/themes/cp/cpsc