Alaska Project: Implications of climate change for biodiversity in Yukon River Basin wetlands: Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge as a test case

Alaska Project

Implications of climate change for biodiversity in Yukon River Basin wetlands: Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge as a test case

June 2009 - May 2014

Personnel

Participating Agencies

Global Change

The overall goal of the biological component of the Yukon River Basin (YRB) science plan is to estimate the potential effects of climate induced lake change on terrestrial and aquatic species richness and abundance that is relevant to local and national users.

Research Publications

Research Publications	Publication Date
Roach, J. and B. Griffith. 2015. Climate-induced lake drying causes heterogeneous reductions in waterfowl species richness. Landscape Ecology 30:1005–1022.	May 2015
Roach, J. K., B. Griffith, and D. Verbyla. Landscape influences on climate-related lake shrinkage at high latitudes. Global Change Biology doi: 10.1111/gcb.12196 \| Abstract \| Download	April 2013	Climate-related declines in lake area have been identified across circumpolar regions and have been characterized by substantial spatial heterogeneity. An improved understanding of the mechanisms underlying lake area trends is necessary to predict where change is most likely to occur and to identify implications for high latitude reservoirs of carbon. Here, using a population of ca. 2300 lakes with statistically significant increasing and decreasing lake area trends spanning longitudinal and latitudinal gradients of ca. 1000 km in Alaska, we present evidence for a mechanism of lake area decline that involves the loss of surface water to groundwater systems. We show that lakes with significant declines in lake area were more likely to be located: (1) in burned areas; (2) on coarser, well-drained soils; and (3) farther from rivers compared to lakes that were increasing. These results indicate that postfire processes such as permafrost degradation, which also results from a warming climate, may promote lake drainage, particularly in coarse-textured soils and farther from rivers where overland flooding is less likely and downslope flow paths and negative hydraulic gradients between surface water and groundwater systems are more common. Movement of surface water to groundwater systems may lead to a deepening of subsurface flow paths and longer hydraulic residence time which has been linked to increased soil respiration and CO2 release to the atmosphere. By quantifying relationships between statewide coarse resolution maps of landscape characteristics and spatially heterogeneous responses of lakes to environmental change, we provide a means to identify at-risk lakes and landscapes and plan for a changing climate.

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Alaska Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Alaska Project

Implications of climate change for biodiversity in Yukon River Basin wetlands: Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge as a test case

June 2009 - May 2014

Personnel

Participating Agencies

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Alaska
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources