During the 1980s, Agriculture Canada pedologists Scott Smith (retired from Summerland Research Station, formerly based in Whitehorse) and Charles Tarnocai (retired from Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa) had a large field program which addressed the trends in soil development in the central Yukon. Across this region, particularly between Whitehorse and Dawson City, the land surfaces and surficial deposits vary greatly in age due to the differing extents of glaciations over the past ~2 million years.
This work built on a pioneering study from the previous decade:
Foscolos, A.E., N.W. Rutter, and O.L. Hughes. 1977. The use of pedological studies in interpreting the Quaternary history of central Yukon Territory. Bulletin 271. Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa. 48 p. https://doi.org/10.4095/103066
Tarnocai and Smith presented their results in two publications:
C. A. S. Smith, C. Tarnocai, and O. L. Hughes. 1986. Pedological investigations of Pleistocene glacial drift surfaces in the central Yukon. Géographie physique et Quaternaire, 40 (1): 29–37. https://doi.org/10.7202/032620ar
Tarnocai, C. and C. A. S. Smith. 1989. Micromorphology and development of some central Yukon paleosols, Canada. Geoderma 45 (2): 145-162. https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7061(89)90047-5
Tarnocai and Smith shared the unpublished data and soil samples from this work with Dr. Paul Sanborn, and this resulted in a student project published as:
Daviel, E., P. Sanborn, C. Tarnocai, and C.A.A. Smith. 2011.Clay mineralogy and chemical properties of argillic horizons in central Yukon paleosols. Canadian Journal of Soil Science 91: 83-93. https://doi.org/10.4141/cjss10067
This PDF contains site location data, annotated soil profile photographs, and AMS radiocarbon dates for 2004 soil charcoal samples collected at Kluane Lake, Yukon Territory.
This PDF contains site location data, annotated soil profile photographs, and AMS radiocarbon dates for 2008 soil charcoal samples collected at Kluane Lake, Yukon Territory.
Unpublished results for the Sulphur stable isotope tracer study (E.P. 886.15) were presented in annual reports to the funding agencies, including this FII Final Report from April 2003.
File contains the following data sets:
This image is part of the outbound sequence of aerial images obtained on the helicopter flight to the Klutlan Glacier study site. The sequence starts from the base camp at the White River crossing on the Alaska Highway and heads south, to a point just upvalley of the debris-covered terminus (approx. 10-15 km from Alaska border), and turning back north to the landing spot on the Generc River floodplain close to the study site (see Fig. 1 in paper).
This document file "Cluculz Creek Fertilization Research Site.pdf" contains a field description and basic characterization data for a representative pedon at the E.P. 886.10 site.
Data sets associated with the Cluculz retrospective study (E.P. 886.10):
During a year away from studies in 1987-88, Dr. Paul Sanborn developed a successful grant proposal to the Science Council of BC (SCBC) to pursue a postdoctoral project with Dr. Tim Ballard in relation to sulphur-deficient soils in BC and prescribed fire. This project built on an existing broadcast burning study conducted by Macmillan Bloedel Ltd. near Port Alberni on Vancouver Island, led by Bill Beese (later at Vancouver Island University). Dr. Sanborn's work addressed sulphur forms and amounts in the soils at these sites, and the chemical processes influencing sulphur availability in relation to prescribed fire.
Only one part of this work was eventually published:
Sanborn, P.T. and T.M. Ballard. 1991. Combustion losses of sulphur from conifer foliage: Implications of chemical form and soil nitrogen status. Biogeochemistry 12: 129–134.
https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00001810
The remainder of the work was documented in this Project Completion Report to SCBC, dated February 28, 1990, and entitled "Effects of Prescribed Fire on Sulphur in Forest Soils".
Thirty-four data files were selected for archival retention. There is some redundancy of content among these, with some formatted for incorporation as tables in the report appendices, and others containing some of the same data, but set up as input files for a statistics program. These account for almost all of the data listed in the Project Completion Report appendices. No glossary of variable names is provided, but these should be identifiable by referring to the Report.
Data sets for the Sulphur stable isotope tracer study (E.P. 886.15) include:
Data sets associated with the Arocena & Sanborn 1999 regional soil mineralogy study:
Data set "Yukon-AK 2004 soils data (Lost Chicken).xls" consists of Pliocene Rego Humic Gleysol (peaty) data from the Lost Chicken Mine site.