Title:

Point frame vegetation data collected 1989-2023 at the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX) experimental warming plots and the Toolik-Imnavait 1 km ambient grids in the North Slope of Alaska

Author(s):

Gould, William A.; Betway-May, Katlyn R.; Walker, Marilyn D.; Walker, Donald A.

Publication Year:

2025

How to Cite:

These data were collected using funding from the U.S. Government and can be used without additional permissions or fees. If you use these data in a publication, presentation, or other research product please use the following citation:

Gould, William A.; Betway-May, Katlyn R.; Walker, Marilyn D.; Walker, Donald A. 2025. Point frame vegetation data collected 1989-2023 at the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX) experimental warming plots and the Toolik-Imnavait 1 km ambient grids in the North Slope of Alaska. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2024-0048

Abstract:

The Arctic is warming at more than twice the rate of the global average. The International Tundra Experiment (ITEX) was established in the early 1990s to understand the effects of environmental variability as a result of climate change on tundra vegetation. This data publication includes tabular plant community composition and structure data for four sites in the North Slope of Alaska, USA that are part of the ITEX: 1) 1-square kilometer (km²) ambient grid near Toolik Lake (85 plots), 2) 1 km² ambient grid near Imnavait Creek (71 plots), 3) one experimentally warmed manipulated site near Toolik Lake (21 control plots and 21 treated plots), and 4) a snow depth manipulated site near Toolik Lake (25 control plots and 23 treated plots). Treated plots were warmed with open-top chambers which raised the ambient air temperature 2-3 degrees Celsius. Data at the two ambient sites were collected approximately every four to six years from 1989 to 2023. The experimentally warmed/snow manipulated plots were sampled approximately every two to five years from 1994-2023. Measurements at points on each plot include: the height of the top (canopy) and bottom (understory) vegetation structures relative to the ground; whether the vegetation was live or standing dead; and whether the vegetation was a woody or non-woody structure. Species, or the large taxa, was also recorded.

Keywords:

biota; Climate change; Climate change effects; Ecology, Ecosystems, & Environment; Plant ecology; Forest & Plant Health; Climate effects; Inventory, Monitoring, & Analysis; ITEX; vegetation species; vegetation cover; point framing; arctic; tundra; OTC (open-top chamber); snowfence; Alaska; Imnavait Creek; Toolik Lake; North Slope

Related publications:

• Wahren, Carl-Henrik A.; Walker, Marilyn D.; Bret-Harte, M. Sydonia. 2005. Vegetation responses in Alaskan arctic tundra after 8 years of a summer warming and winter snow manipulation experiment. Global Change Biology. 11(4): 537-552. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2005.00927.x
• Elmendorf, Sarah C.; Henry, Gregory H. R.; Hollister, Robert D.; Björk, Robert G.; Bjorkman, Anne D.; Callaghan, Terry V.; Collier, Laura Siegwart; Cooper, Elisabeth J.; Cornelissen, Johannes H. C.; Day, Thomas A.; Fosaa, Anna Maria; Gould, William A.; Grétarsdóttir, Járngerður; Harte, John; Hermanutz, Luise; Hik, David S.; Hofgaard, Annika; Jarrad, Frith; Jónsdóttir, Ingibjörg Svala; Keuper, Frida; Klanderud, Kari; Klein, Julia A.; Koh, Saewan; Kudo, Gaku; Lang, Simone I.; Loewen, Val; May, Jeremy L.; Mercado, Joel; Michelsen, Anders; Molau, Ulf; Myers-Smith, Isla H.; Oberbauer, Steven F.; Pieper, Sara; Post, Eric; Rixen, Christian; Robinson, Clare H.; Schmidt, Niels Martin; Shaver, Gaius R.; Stenström, Anna; Tolvanen, Anne; Totland, Ørjan; Troxler, Tiffany; Wahren, Carl-Henrik; Webber, Patrick J.; Welker, Jeffery M.; Wookey, Philip A. 2012. Global assessment of experimental climate warming on tundra vegetation: heterogeneity over space and time. Ecology Letters. 15(2): 164-175. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2011.01716.x https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/40535
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• Bjorkman, Anne D.; Myers-Smith, Isla H.; Elmendorf, Sarah C.; Normand, Signe; Rüger, Nadja; Beck, Pieter S. A.; Blach-Overgaard, Anne; Blok, Daan; Cornelissen, J. Hans C.; Forbes, Bruce C.; Georges, Damien; Goetz, Scott J.; Guay, Kevin C.; Henry, Gregory H. R.; HilleRisLambers, Janneke; Hollister, Robert D.; Karger, Dirk N.; Kattge, Jens; Manning, Peter; Prevéy, Janet S.; Rixen, Christian; Schaepman-Strub, Gabriela; Thomas, Haydn J. D.; Vellend, Mark; Wilmking, Martin; Wipf, Sonja; Carbognani, Michele; Hermanutz, Luise; Lévesque, Esther; Molau, Ulf; Petraglia, Alessandro; Soudzilovskaia, Nadejda A.; Spasojevic, Marko J.; Tomaselli, Marcello; Vowles, Tage; Alatalo, Juha M.; Alexander, Heather D.; Anadon-Rosell, Alba; Angers-Blondin, Sandra; Beest, Mariska te; Berner, Logan; Björk, Robert G.; Buchwal, Agata; Buras, Allan; Christie, Katherine; Cooper, Elisabeth J.; Dullinger, Stefan; Elberling, Bo; Eskelinen, Anu; Frei, Esther R.; Grau, Oriol; Grogan, Paul; Hallinger, Martin; Harper, Karen A.; Heijmans, Monique M. P. D.; Hudson, James; Hülber, Karl; Iturrate-Garcia, Maitane; Iversen, Colleen M.; Jaroszynska, Francesca; Johnstone, Jill F.; Jørgensen, Rasmus Halfdan; Kaarlejärvi, Elina; Klady, Rebecca; Kuleza, Sara; Kulonen, Aino; Lamarque, Laurent J.; Lantz, Trevor; Little, Chelsea J.; Speed, James D. M.; Michelsen, Anders; Milbau, Ann; Nabe-Nielsen, Jacob; Nielsen, Sigrid Schøler; Ninot, Josep M.; Oberbauer, Steven F.; Olofsson, Johan; Onipchenko, Vladimir G.; Rumpf, Sabine B.; Semenchuk, Philipp; Shetti, Rohan; Collier, Laura Siegwart; Street, Lorna E.; Suding, Katharine N.; Tape, Ken D.; Trant, Andrew; Treier, Urs A.; Tremblay, Jean-Pierre; Tremblay, Maxime; Venn, Susanna; Weijers, Stef; Zamin, Tara; Boulanger-Lapointe, Noémie; Gould, William A.; Hik, David S.; Hofgaard, Annika; Jónsdóttir, Ingibjörg S.; Jorgenson, Janet; Klein, Julia; Magnusson, Borgthor; Tweedie, Craig; Wookey, Philip A.; Bahn, Michael; Blonder, Benjamin; van Bodegom, Peter M.; Bond-Lamberty, Benjamin; Campetella, Giandiego; Cerabolini, Bruno E. L.; Chapin, F. Stuart; Cornwell, William K.; Craine, Joseph; Dainese, Matteo; de Vries, Franciska T.; Díaz, Sandra; Enquist, Brian J.; Green, Walton; Milla, Ruben; Niinemets, Ülo; Onoda, Yusuke; Ordoñez, Jenny C.; Ozinga, Wim A.; Penuelas, Josep; Poorter, Hendrik; Poschlod, Peter; Reich, Peter B.; Sandel, Brody; Schamp, Brandon; Sheremetev, Serge; Weiher, Evan. 2018. Plant functional trait change across a warming tundra biome. Nature. 562(7725): 57-62. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0563-7 https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/57635

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