Impacts of Climate Change and Melting Glaciers on Coastal Ecosystems in the Gulf of Alaska

As glaciers melt from climate change, their contents – namely, large quantities of freshwater, sediment, and nutrients – are slowly released into coastal ecosystems. This project addressed the impacts of melting glaciers on coastal ecosystems in the Copper River region of the Gulf of Alaska, which is home to several commercially important fisheries. Researchers examined how glacial melting is altering the amount and timing of freshwater that enters the Gulf of Alaska from the Copper River. They also investigated the source and amount of two nutrients, iron and nitrate, dissolved in the water. As a complementary piece of the study, researchers tested the relationship between nutrient levels, plankton populations,...

Categories: Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2009, CASC, Completed, Glaciers and Permafrost, Glaciers and Permafrost, All tags... Gulf of Alaska, Iron, National CASC, National CASC, Projects by Region, Rivers, Streams and Lakes, Rivers, Streams and Lakes, Sea-Level Rise and Coasts, Sea-Level Rise and Coasts, Water, Coasts and Ice, Water, Coasts and Ice, climate change, melting glaciers, Fewer tags