SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL PATTERNS OF SOIL MOISTURE AND THAW DEPTH AT BARROW, ALASKA U.S.A.

Data on active-layer thickness and near-surface soil moisture content were collected in late summer 1996 and 1997 at 100-m intervals over a 1 km2 area near Barrow, Alaska. Thaw depth and soil moisture data were mapped to facilitate interannual comparisons and to evaluate the effects of terrain and parent material on moisture content. Statistical analysis indicates that: (1) substantial differences in soil moisture and thaw depth occur in dissimilar terrain units; (2) soil moisture and thaw depth are relatively uniform within terrain units; (3) spatial patterns of thaw depth are consistent within the study area on an interannual basis; and (4) patterns of soil moisture and thaw depth do not necessarily show close spatiotemporal correspondence. Time series of soil moisture show large variations near the surface in response to precipitation and evaporative drying, but the lower part of the active layer remains near saturation throughout the summer.