In 2019 a new soil core initiative focusing on carbon and nitrogen pools was implemented in the GeoBasis Zackenberg program.
Two plots of 10 by 10 meters were allocated for the sampling of 20cm soil cores + aboveground biomass, one on the heath and one in the fen. From each plot five soil cores were taken and labelled according to the system: location (Fen/Heath) + number of core (1-10, were 1-5 were sampled in the Fen and 6-10 on the heath). The aboveground biomass samples, where 10 by 10cm. In the fen the diameter of the soil cores was 5.2cm and on the heath 2.7cm. The diameter of the cores were a compromise between what was practically possible and a wish for minimum impact, as these arctic ecosystems have a relatively slow recovery. The cores were kept intact and immediately frozen. The cores were brought to the lab at Department of Geosciences and Natural Management, where they were defrosted and separated into 8 different pools: Leaf, Litter, Stem, Moss, Roots from 0-5cm (0 being Soil properties:Soil properties GeoBasis Zackenberg:The GeoBasis monitoring programme focuses on selected abiotic characteristics in order to describe the state of Greenlandic terrestrial environments and their potential feedback effects in a changing climate. Monitored plot data is up-scaled to a landscape level and is used to improve ecosystem models to be able to quantify these feedback mechanisms. The GeoBasis programme provides an active response to recommendations in international assessments such as ACIA and SWIPA; and is continuously being adapted based on AMAP and other international founded recommendations. Furthermore, the GeoBasis programme is directly involved in several international networks and research projects (e.g. the Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring (CALM) programme, the Nordic Centre of Excellence DEFROST, the Danish Centre of Excellence CENPERM, the EU-projects PAGE21 and INTERACT, and the Arctic Research Centre at Aarhus University). The GeoBasis programme is divided into a number of sub-groups, including:
