Foliage projective cover of 40 vegetation sites of central Chukotka from 2018

Field investigations were performed in four areas: a treeless mountainous tundra (16-KP-04; Lake Rauchuagytgyn area), tundra-taiga transition zone (16-KP-01, Lake Ilirney area) and a northern taiga (18-BIL-01, 18-BIL-02). In total, 40 sites were investigated. The sites were placed to cover different vegetation communities that characterise central Chukotka. Fifteen-metre radius sampling plots (sites) were demarcated in the most homogeneous locations. Heterogeneity was accommodated by roughly assorting vegetation into two to three vegetation types per sampling plot. Within each area of roughly estimated vegetation types we selected three representative 2 x 2 m subplots for representative ground-layer foliage projective cover assessment. Projective cover of tall shrubs and trees was estimated on 15-m radius circular plots directly. All data was collected by scientists from Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research and University of Potsdam, Germany, The Institute for Biological problems of the Cryolithozone, Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian branch, and The Institute of Natural Sciences, North-Eastern Federal University of Yakutsk, Yakutsk, Russia.