Microclimate of Arctic Tree Line 2. Soil Microclimate of Tundra and Forest

Forest and tundra soils display distinctive microclimates for a climatically normal year at Churchill. Forest soils are substantially warmer in the active layer than those of the tundra but the tundra active layer is deeper. Forest soils are much wetter than those of the tundra. This results from the deep winter snow pack, which provides abundant meltwater to already thawed soils. The soils remain wet throughout the year, and the large latent heat release delays the freezing of forest soils until a snow pack is established. As a result, soils stay relatively warm throughout winter and thaw rapidly and deeply before snow pack melting in the spring. The thaw period in the tree rooting zone is about 6 months, compared to 4 months at the same depth in tundra. The magnitude of soil heat storage is large, comprising 18% and 16% of net radiation in tundra and forest, respectively, during the thaw season. During freeze back it is the dominant heat exchange process. Between 80% and 90% of the total soil heat storage is involved in the latent heat exchange accompanying thawing and freezing. Soil heat flux plates strongly underestimate the ground heat exchange and are unreliable in permafrost terrain.