Alpine grassland soil microbial and biogeochemical data from a snow manipulation experiment in Hohe Mut, Austria, 2017

Soil was sampled at six time-points from late winter (28th march 2017) to early summer (8th July 2017) across 15 experimental plots. Snow had been removed from five plots, added to five other plots and remained untouched on five plots (controls). Soil cores were taken (Ø = 2 cm, depth = 7 cm, where possible, although some cores were shallower when soil was frozen during winter) using a steel corer from five randomly chosen locations in each plot. Soil cores from the same plot were pooled and homogenised, any vegetation or litter was separated and discarded. Soil subsamples were immediately lysed in the field and stored at -80 deg C prior to molecular analyses. The remaining soil samples were sieved (4 mm) and stored at 4oC prior to biogeochemical analyses. See documentation accompanying the data for further details.