High latitude northern ecosystems are currently warming twice as fast as the global average. Over the last several decades, this has caused dramatic losses of frozen area in the Arctic and sub-Arctic. However, it is unclear how melting coastal mountain glaciers, thawing permafrost, and declines in snowpack will affect the quality of freshwater habitat for culturally and economically important salmon in Alaska.
As a collaborative effort with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, this project aims to answer three questions:
- How does melting affect the freshwater habitat of Pacific salmon?
- How will changes to aquatic flows impact freshwater ecosystems and communities?
- How will those communities and ecosystems be impacted by climate-driven changes in the frequency of extreme events like floods?
To answer these questions, researchers will use models to explore how physical and biological characteristics of glacier and snow-fed rivers influence the ability of watersheds to support juvenile salmon.
Efforts from this project will provide a way to understand salmon production in future climate scenarios and will identify regions within Alaska where salmon populations may be particularly vulnerable. Characterizing freshwater habitat for salmon is an important component of watershed management as rapid environmental change continues across the Arctic and sub-Arctic.
