Pan-Arctic soil element availability estimations

Arctic soils store large amounts of organic carbon and other elements. Here, we analyzed amorphous silica (ASi), silicon (Si), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), phosphorus (P), and aluminum (Al) availability from 574 soil samples from around the Arctic region. We summarized these data in pan-Arctic maps of ASi, Si, Ca, Fe, P, and Al concentrations focusing on the top 100 cm of Arctic soil. Furthermore, we provide values for element availability for the organic and the mineral layer of the seasonally thawing active layer as well as for the uppermost permafrost layer. We show large differences in ASi, Si, Ca, Fe, P, and Al availability between different lithologies and Arctic regions. Our provided spatially explicit data on differences in the availability of elements between the different lithological classes and regions now and in the future will improve Arctic models for estimating current and future carbon and nutrient feedbacks under climate change.