The application of an instrument for non-destructive measurements of soil temperature and resistance profiles at a high Arctic field site

Abstract

An easily constructed and installed instrument for measuring colocated soil temperature and resistance profiles is described. Minimum disturbance to the soil structure is achieved. The system indicates the melting front of permafrost at a high Arctic field site and shows the effect and extent of summer rainfall events upon the soil water profile. The system is capable of long-term recording of soil moisture profiles at a frequency commensurate with eddy correlation measurements of the surface fluxes of water vapour and carbon dioxide; it thus provides the information necessary for understanding the processes involved in the soil-atmosphere exchange of water and carbon dioxide.