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Alaska

The Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center (AK CASC) works with natural and cultural resource managers, policy makers, Alaska Native Tribes, and researchers to provide actionable science, tools, and techniques for climate adaptation. The AK CASC specializes in creating climate models to help forecast species, ecosystem, and human community responses to climate change. 

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Building community-based monitoring partnerships between rural schools and wildlife refuges in Alaska

Project Overview In Alaska, winters are becoming shorter and more unpredictable, leading to changes in lake and river ice, impacting access to hunting grounds, fuel wood transportation and recreation for local communities. Researchers supported by this Alaska CASC project will revitalize and modernize a freshwater ice observation network with a youth-centric partnership that teams...
Building community-based monitoring partnerships between rural schools and wildlife refuges in Alaska

Building community-based monitoring partnerships between rural schools and wildlife refuges in Alaska

Project Overview In Alaska, winters are becoming shorter and more unpredictable, leading to changes in lake and river ice, impacting access to hunting grounds, fuel wood transportation and recreation for local communities. Researchers supported by this Alaska CASC project will revitalize and modernize a freshwater ice observation network with a youth-centric partnership that teams schools with lo
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Hydrologic Futures Web Tool Development Project

Project Overview Many websites that visualize climate change data can often be confusing and misleading to decision makers when they are researching information to devise management plans for water, wildlife, and other natural resources. Researchers supported by this Alaska CASC project will improve the ability of biologists, water managers, and other resource managers to effectively and...
Hydrologic Futures Web Tool Development Project

Hydrologic Futures Web Tool Development Project

Project Overview Many websites that visualize climate change data can often be confusing and misleading to decision makers when they are researching information to devise management plans for water, wildlife, and other natural resources. Researchers supported by this Alaska CASC project will improve the ability of biologists, water managers, and other resource managers to effectively and appropri
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Impacts to Ecosystems and Fisheries in Northwest Alaska from “Rusting Rivers”

Project Overview In Northwest Alaska, “rusting rivers” are becoming increasingly apparent as climate change causes ancient spring seeps to re-emerge after permafrost melts. While they have become more common over the past few years, very little is understood about their impacts on stream food webs. Researchers supported by this Alaska CASC project will bridge the knowledge gap by...
Impacts to Ecosystems and Fisheries in Northwest Alaska from “Rusting Rivers”

Impacts to Ecosystems and Fisheries in Northwest Alaska from “Rusting Rivers”

Project Overview In Northwest Alaska, “rusting rivers” are becoming increasingly apparent as climate change causes ancient spring seeps to re-emerge after permafrost melts. While they have become more common over the past few years, very little is understood about their impacts on stream food webs. Researchers supported by this Alaska CASC project will bridge the knowledge gap by providing import
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Research to Action for Yukon River Salmon: Adapting to Climatic, Food-Web, and Habitat Changes

Project Overview Salmon populations in the Yukon River Basin have plummeted to historic lows, disrupting fisheries, fueling conflicts, and impacting communities that have relied on salmon for generations. Researchers supported by this Alaska CASC project will combine traditional knowledge, field data, and modeling to identify the key drivers of salmon decline and create tools to guide...
Research to Action for Yukon River Salmon: Adapting to Climatic, Food-Web, and Habitat Changes

Research to Action for Yukon River Salmon: Adapting to Climatic, Food-Web, and Habitat Changes

Project Overview Salmon populations in the Yukon River Basin have plummeted to historic lows, disrupting fisheries, fueling conflicts, and impacting communities that have relied on salmon for generations. Researchers supported by this Alaska CASC project will combine traditional knowledge, field data, and modeling to identify the key drivers of salmon decline and create tools to guide restoration
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Alaska's Changing Habitats: A Multi-System Approach for Understanding Climate Impacts in High Latitude Regions

Scientific information can be used to help individuals, communities, and governments alike make more informed decisions. However, for people to become aware of the science that could inform their decisions and its relevance to their lives and decisions, it must be communicated effectively. Multiple obstacles prevent this from happening, including scientists’ lack of time and...
Alaska's Changing Habitats: A Multi-System Approach for Understanding Climate Impacts in High Latitude Regions

Alaska's Changing Habitats: A Multi-System Approach for Understanding Climate Impacts in High Latitude Regions

Scientific information can be used to help individuals, communities, and governments alike make more informed decisions. However, for people to become aware of the science that could inform their decisions and its relevance to their lives and decisions, it must be communicated effectively. Multiple obstacles prevent this from happening, including scientists’ lack of time and communication expertis
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Developing high-resolution CMIP6 climate scenarios for Alaska

Project Overview Climate change is impacting nearly every aspect of life in Alaska, but global climate models lack the spatial resolution needed to predict changes to local hazards like avalanches and wildfires. Researchers supported by this Alaska CASC project will downscale CMIP6 climate models to produce finer-scale data that can be used by federal, state, and tribal leaders to make...
Developing high-resolution CMIP6 climate scenarios for Alaska

Developing high-resolution CMIP6 climate scenarios for Alaska

Project Overview Climate change is impacting nearly every aspect of life in Alaska, but global climate models lack the spatial resolution needed to predict changes to local hazards like avalanches and wildfires. Researchers supported by this Alaska CASC project will downscale CMIP6 climate models to produce finer-scale data that can be used by federal, state, and tribal leaders to make informed
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Effects of Stream Type and Extreme Flow Events on Riverine Ecosystems and Salmon in Southeast Alaska

Project Overview Streams in Southeast Alaska are changing rapidly due to climate change. Warmer temperatures are bringing more rain, less snow, and causing glaciers to retreat, all of which affects stream flow and food sources for young salmon. Researchers supported by this Alaska CASC project will study whether juvenile salmon can adapt by moving between different types of streams...
Effects of Stream Type and Extreme Flow Events on Riverine Ecosystems and Salmon in Southeast Alaska

Effects of Stream Type and Extreme Flow Events on Riverine Ecosystems and Salmon in Southeast Alaska

Project Overview Streams in Southeast Alaska are changing rapidly due to climate change. Warmer temperatures are bringing more rain, less snow, and causing glaciers to retreat, all of which affects stream flow and food sources for young salmon. Researchers supported by this Alaska CASC project will study whether juvenile salmon can adapt by moving between different types of streams (including rai
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Understanding Ridge-to-Reef and Icefield-to-Ocean Ecosystem Function in a Changing Climate

Steep, mountainous watersheds, dramatic climate gradients, and tight links between the land and sea are common features of both the Pacific Islands and Southeast Alaska. In these "ridge-to-reef" and “icefield-to-ocean" ecosystems, environmental changes that occur at higher elevations have downstream impacts on the waters below. Today, these two ecosystems are undergoing changes in...
Understanding Ridge-to-Reef and Icefield-to-Ocean Ecosystem Function in a Changing Climate

Understanding Ridge-to-Reef and Icefield-to-Ocean Ecosystem Function in a Changing Climate

Steep, mountainous watersheds, dramatic climate gradients, and tight links between the land and sea are common features of both the Pacific Islands and Southeast Alaska. In these "ridge-to-reef" and “icefield-to-ocean" ecosystems, environmental changes that occur at higher elevations have downstream impacts on the waters below. Today, these two ecosystems are undergoing changes in climate that are
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Building a Coastal Flood Hazard Assessment and Adaptation Strategy with At-Risk Communities of Alaska

Coastal flooding and erosion caused by storms and sea-level rise threaten infrastructure and public safety in Alaska Native communities. Though the problem is well known, there are few tools that can assess local vulnerability to coastal flood hazards. Even fewer tools can be customized with specific community information to support local adaptation planning. The main goal of this...
Building a Coastal Flood Hazard Assessment and Adaptation Strategy with At-Risk Communities of Alaska

Building a Coastal Flood Hazard Assessment and Adaptation Strategy with At-Risk Communities of Alaska

Coastal flooding and erosion caused by storms and sea-level rise threaten infrastructure and public safety in Alaska Native communities. Though the problem is well known, there are few tools that can assess local vulnerability to coastal flood hazards. Even fewer tools can be customized with specific community information to support local adaptation planning. The main goal of this project is t
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Building Tribal Capacity to Adapt and Respond to Climate Change in Southern Southeast Alaska

Climate adaptation planning provides a framework for Tribes to exercise sovereignty over wild resources important for the subsistence way of life and economic and cultural activities that are being impacted by climate change. The climate adaptation planning process includes identifying key resources that are currently being impacted by climate change, or that may be impacted in the...
Building Tribal Capacity to Adapt and Respond to Climate Change in Southern Southeast Alaska

Building Tribal Capacity to Adapt and Respond to Climate Change in Southern Southeast Alaska

Climate adaptation planning provides a framework for Tribes to exercise sovereignty over wild resources important for the subsistence way of life and economic and cultural activities that are being impacted by climate change. The climate adaptation planning process includes identifying key resources that are currently being impacted by climate change, or that may be impacted in the future, as well
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Co-producing Climate Research and Adaptation through Partnerships with Alaska Native Communities

Climate change is impacting the land and resources that Alaska Native peoples rely on for food security, resource management, and cultural continuity. In Southeast Alaska, communities face increased weather variability due to climate change, which impacts subsistence food resources in streams and coastal ocean waters. Alaska Native communities are asking for co-production models of...
Co-producing Climate Research and Adaptation through Partnerships with Alaska Native Communities

Co-producing Climate Research and Adaptation through Partnerships with Alaska Native Communities

Climate change is impacting the land and resources that Alaska Native peoples rely on for food security, resource management, and cultural continuity. In Southeast Alaska, communities face increased weather variability due to climate change, which impacts subsistence food resources in streams and coastal ocean waters. Alaska Native communities are asking for co-production models of scientific rese
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Community Engagement in a Stream-network Assessment of Salmon Thermal-habitat in the Situk River Watershed of Yakutat, Alaska

The Situk River is among the most productive resource in Alaska, with nine native fish species and 10 times the density of juvenile coho salmon than any other Southeast Alaskan watershed. The associated fisheries in the Situk River and its adjoining estuary drive a $2 million economy for the community of Yakutat (population 600), with 89 percent of the households harvesting salmon for...
Community Engagement in a Stream-network Assessment of Salmon Thermal-habitat in the Situk River Watershed of Yakutat, Alaska

Community Engagement in a Stream-network Assessment of Salmon Thermal-habitat in the Situk River Watershed of Yakutat, Alaska

The Situk River is among the most productive resource in Alaska, with nine native fish species and 10 times the density of juvenile coho salmon than any other Southeast Alaskan watershed. The associated fisheries in the Situk River and its adjoining estuary drive a $2 million economy for the community of Yakutat (population 600), with 89 percent of the households harvesting salmon for subsistence
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