Ecosystem Dynamics and Fate of Warm Permafrost after Tundra Wildfire and Lake Drainage on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta

The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (YKD) encompasses the southernmost, warmest parts of the arctic tundra biome and is renowned for its high biological productivity and large subsistence-based human population. Ice-rich permafrost currently is widespread and strongly influences terrestrial and aquatic habitats, including local topography, vegetation, soil hydrology, and the water balance of lakes. Ground temperatures are near the freezing point, however, and recent projections indicate that the YKD is poised for widespread loss of permafrost by the end of this century. This has implications for the region’s extensive and heretofore stable terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Tundra wildfire is a common ecological “pulse” disturbance...

Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2016, AK-00, Academics & scientific researchers, Academics & scientific researchers, Conservation NGOs, All tags... DRAINAGE, DRAINAGE, Data Acquisition and Development, ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS, ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS, Federal resource managers, Federal resource managers, Hunters & anglers, Interested public, Interested public, LAKES, LAKES, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Large mammals, MODELS, MODELS, Map, Monitoring, PERMAFROST, PERMAFROST, PERMAFROST MELT, PERMAFROST MELT, Policy makers & regulators, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Presentation, Project, Regional & county planners, Report, Socio-economics/Ecosystem Services, State agencies, State agencies, Training/Outreach/Workshop, Tribes, Tribes, VEGETATION, VEGETATION, VEGETATION COVER, VEGETATION COVER, Vulnerability Assessment, WILDFIRES, WILDFIRES, Western Alaska Landscape Conservation Cooperative, climatologyMeteorologyAtmosphere, climatologyMeteorologyAtmosphere, environment, environment, onGoing, Fewer tags

Traditional ecological knowledge of Mulchatna Caribou Herd phenology, habitat change, subsistence use, and related species interactions

Caribou are an important source of food for residents of western Alaska, but as environmental conditions and migration patterns change, some local hunters have encountered difficulty accessing the Mulchatna caribou herd (MCH). Existing data describe MCH harvests, herd movements, and caribou abundance through time, but an investigation drawing from traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) has not occurred. This project will integrate TEK with existing knowledge of caribou movements and subsistence harvests. Targeted stakeholders include local tribes, including Bristol Bay Native Association (BBNA), local village councils, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve (LCNP), and...

Categories: Data, Project; Types: Citation, Downloadable, Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, Shapefile; Tags: 2016, AK-00, Academics & scientific researchers, Academics & scientific researchers, Data Acquisition and Development, All tags... Data Acquisition and Development, Federal resource managers, Federal resource managers, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Map, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Presentation, Project, Report, Socio-economics/Ecosystem Services, Socio-economics/Ecosystem Services, State agencies, State agencies, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Training/Outreach/Workshop, Tribes, Tribes, Western Alaska Landscape Conservation Cooperative, biota, biota, onGoing, Fewer tags

Predicting Geese and Eider Nest Distributions on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta of Alaska, 1985–2013

To determine the current spatial distribution of waterfowl nesting areas and understand the importance of environmental variables in the selection of nest locations, we modeled nest densities for six species of geese and eiders that commonly breed on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, including cackling goose ( Branta hutchinsii minima), emperor goose ( Chen canagica), black brant ( B. bernicla nigricans), greater white-fronted goose ( Anser albifrons frontalis), spectacled eider ( Somateria fischeri), and common eider ( S. mollissima). The data used were from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's long-term waterbird monitoring program in which single-visit nest searches were conducted during incubation (typically from early...

Tags: AK-00, Alaska, Data, Datasets/Database, LCC, All tags... Map, Map, Project, Western Alaska Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, eider, geese, nest density, predicted distribution, random forests, waterbirds, waterfowl, Fewer tags

Estimating moose abundance at varying snow cover levels

Lack of complete snow cover for the past 3 winters in southwestern Alaska has forced agencies to postpone moose surveys due to the likelihood of underestimating the population/lack of comparability to previous surveys. Poor snow conditions lower the sightability of moose, yet, for most regions of Alaska, the variation in moose sightability during suboptimal conditions has not yet been quantified. Because scientists are predicting less snowfall in this region over the long term, we initiated research to estimate sightability correction factors (SCF_c) using radiocollared animals to apply to abundance estimates obtained via the GeoSpatial Population Estimator (GSPE) method. The Project Goal is to develop a model that...

Categories: Data, Project; Tags: 2016, Academics & scientific researchers, Academics & scientific researchers, CALIBRATION/VALIDATION, CALIBRATION/VALIDATION, All tags... DEER/MOOSE, DEER/MOOSE, Data Acquisition and Development, Data Acquisition and Development, Datasets/Database, Decision Support, Decision Support, Federal resource managers, Federal resource managers, Hunters & anglers, Informing Conservation Delivery, Informing Conservation Delivery, Interested public, Interested public, LCC, LCC Network Science Catalog, Large mammals, Methodology/Protocol, Monitoring, Monitoring, Policy makers & regulators, Policy makers & regulators, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Population & Habitat Evaluation/Projection, Presentation, Project, Publication, Regional & county planners, Regional & county planners, Report, Report, SNOW COVER, SNOW COVER, STATISTICAL APPLICATIONS, STATISTICAL APPLICATIONS, State agencies, State agencies, Tribes, Tribes, Western Alaska Landscape Conservation Cooperative, biota, biota, onGoing, Fewer tags

Ecosystem Dynamics and Fate of Warm Permafrost after Tundra Wildfire on Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta

The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (YKD) encompasses the southernmost, warmest parts of the arctic tundra biome and is renowned for its high biological productivity and large subsistence-based human population. Ice-rich permafrost currently is widespread and strongly influences terrestrial and aquatic habitats, including local topography, vegetation, soil hydrology, and the water balance of lakes. Ground temperatures are near the freezing point, however, and recent projections indicate that the YKD is poised for widespread loss of permafrost by the end of this century. This has implications for the region’s extensive and heretofore stable terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Tundra wildfire is a common ecological “pulse” disturbance...

Categories: Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2016, LCC, Western Alaska Landscape Conservation Cooperative