Soil temperature and soil water content data for a black spruce forest on permafrost in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Soil temperature and soil moisture were observed at four plots in a black spruce forest on permafrost in Fairbanks, Alaska. The four plots have different soil and vegetation conditions, namely three wet soil plots covered with different vegetation: Sphagnum moss, sedge/Sphagnum moss, alder, and one relatively dry soil plot covered with lichen. At each plot, soil temperature was observed at multiple depths up to 1 m depth using thermistors and a one-meter soil profiler, and soil moisture was observed at multiple depths up to 30 cm depth using time-domain reflectometry sensors.