Polaris Project 2018-2024: Weather station data, Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska

This project is integrating scientific research in the Arctic with education and outreach, with a strong central focus on engaging undergraduate students and visiting faculty from groups that have had little involvement in Arctic science to date. The central element of the project is a month-long research expedition to the Yukon River Delta in Alaska. The expedition provides a deep intellectual and cultural immersion in the context of an authentic research experience that is paramount for "hooking" students and keeping them moving along the pipeline to careers as Arctic scientists. The overarching scientific issue that drives the research is the vulnerability and fate of ancient carbon stored in Arctic permafrost (permanently frozen ground). Widespread permafrost thaw is expected to occur this century, but large uncertainties remain in estimating the timing, magnitude, and form of carbon that will be released when thawed. Project participants are working in collaborative research groups to make fundamental scientific discoveries related to the vulnerability of permafrost carbon in the Yukon River Delta and the potential implications of permafrost thaw in this region for the global climate system. This data set contains pressure, Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR), air temperature, wind direction, wind speed, wind gust speed, rain, relative humidity, soil moisture at 15 centimeter (cm) depth, and two measurements of soil temperature at 15 cm depth from July 2018 to July 2024.本项目将北极科学研究与教育推广深度融合，核心目标是吸引此前极少参与北极科研的群体中的本科生与访问学者参与其中。 本项目的核心活动为前往美国阿拉斯加州育空河三角洲开展为期一个月的科学考察。此次考察将为参与者提供沉浸式的学术与文化体验，并辅以真实的科研实践，这对于‘吸引’学生并推动其沿北极科学家职业路径发展至关重要。 本项目的核心科学议题为北极永久冻土（permafrost）中储存的古老碳的脆弱性与归宿。预计本世纪将出现大范围永久冻土消融，但当前对于冻土消融时释放的碳的时间尺度、释放规模与赋存形式，仍存在较大不确定性。 项目参与者将以协作研究小组为单位开展工作，围绕育空河三角洲永久冻土碳的脆弱性，以及该区域永久冻土消融对全球气候系统的潜在影响，开展基础性科学研究。 本数据集涵盖2018年7月至2024年7月期间采集的以下观测数据：气压、光合有效辐射（Photosynthetically Active Radiation，PAR）、气温、风向、风速、阵风风速、降雨量、相对湿度、15厘米深度土壤湿度，以及两处15厘米深度的土壤温度值。