Soil Temperature Measurements from a Small Mammal Experiment near Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska (2018 - 2024)

We conducted a manipulative experiment to quantify the impact of small mammal herbivores on the belowground biogeochemistry of the tundra at three sites near Toolik Lake, Alaska. At each site we set up grazing fences in July of 2018 to simulate different levels of small mammal herbivore (vole and lemming) activity. Each site had 3 treatment plots and a control plot: 1)Exclosure treatments (EX) were 8 meter (m) x 8m square mesh fences 2) control plots (CT) were 8m x 8m unfenced plots marked with pin flags at corners 3) press treatments (PR) were 20m x 20m square mesh fences stocked with 4 brown lemmings (Lemmus trimucronatus) every summer except for 2024 and 4) pulse treatments (PU) where we stocked the fence with 4 lemmings in 2018 and then removed and excluded voles from 2019 onward. At each site we collected temperature measurements using iButton data loggers from the soil surface, the soil organic layer, and the soil mineral layer every 4 hours from 2018 - 2024. iButton loggers were removed and replaced after soil thaw every summer.