A network of temperature and humidity sensors was deployed near Yellowknife, Canada to establish 28 distinct study sites reflecting landscape variability. The field campaign was designed to measure the spatial variation of near-surface climatic conditions and ground temperature. The sites differ in their vegetation type and abundance, surficial geology, solar aspect, slope, and elevation. The data will be beneficial for understanding the effects of landscape characteristics on ground temperature and for providing data to conduct systematic model evaluation.
Individual study plots measuring 15 m × 15 m were selected to represent different facets of the landscape. For each plot, up to four sub-plots were selected to represent the diversity of surface characteristics within the plot area. Each plot was characterized according to surface features, disturbances and topography. Sub-plot metadata included vegetation type and abundance as well as leaf-area index. At each sub-plot, a single-channel temperature logger was installed approximately 10 cm below the ground surface.
At other sites, air temperature and humidity sensors were installed 2 m above the ground surface. In addition, seven temperature sensors were installed into horizontal and vertical rock surfaces across the study area. Instruments were programmed to record data every 20 minutes. All instruments were set to UTC time. Time series have been aggregated to hourly and daily averages.
Study plot locations were chosen to provide easy access from Yellowknife while at the same time being sufficiently far from town so as to be infrequently disturbed by people. Overall, sites were selected to represent baseline conditions rather than disturbance . However, some areas show signs of human disturbance such as cutlines which almost certainly will have affected the present thermal regime. In addition, some sites are clearly within degrading permafrost.
