(Poster: M. Siewert, High resolution mapping of ecosystem carbon in Siberia)Permafrost soils are a major pool of soil organic carbon world wide. In this research we mapped the soil organic carbon and vegetation carbon for two field sites in Siberia.

 

Kytalyk is a Low Arctic Tundra environment while Spasskaya Pad is a site in the Taiga forest. To map the soil organic carbon we combine soil sample information from different points in the landscape with satellite images. We do the same for the vegetation.

 

To better understand the link between soil organic carbon, vegetation and satellite images, we first analyze statistically how different landforms are represented in satellite images. We then map the area based on the landforms and vegetation into different land cover classes.

 

Finally we combine the land cover classes with the soil and vegetation carbon information from our laboratory analysis. The results are maps that show the distribution of soil organic carbon over larger areas. A special focus of this research is to see how high resolution satellite images can be used to improve our carbon estimates.

Although we are dealing with very different ecosystems, our soil organic carbon estimates are quite similar for both study areas.