Alaska Park Science

The wild lands of Alaska national parks are changing at a rapid pace due to the disproportionate increases in temperature at high latitudes. Climate has fundamentally shaped the landscape of high-latitude parks, but now climate change is redefining them. This collection of articles provides a glimpse of the science related to climate change in the high-latitude parks of Alaska.

Climate change is a task society must address sooner rather than later. Park interpreters know it’s important to explain the science, the changes happening on the landscape, and the reasons why, but that’s only half their task. They aspire to inspire; to provoke their audiences to care. Societal action is the ultimate measure of success for effective communication. Alaska Park Science 22(1), 2023

Climate is a fundamental driver of the character, structure, and distribution of plant communities in the Far North. Periodic and massive change is deeply woven into the fabric of Alaska’s ecosystems, which have been subject to repeated, dramatic shifts precipitated by disturbance and changing climatic conditions, among other drivers. We are just starting to see the earliest results of a huge experiment playing out on northern ecosystems. Alaska Park Science, 22(1), 2023

Within the modern boundaries of Alaska are some of the oldest-dated archeological sites in the Americas. An understanding of the depth and breadth of human history in Alaska informs our global understanding of human evolution, migration, occupation, adaptation, and cultural change around the planet. Climate change is threatening irreplaceable archeological sites, historical sites, and modern communities. Alaska Park Science 22(1), 2023

Telemetry studies provide new information on the movements of non-territorial (migrating) Golden Eagles in Alaska during the breeding season, expanding our understanding of the ecology of this species. This information should be useful for developing effective management and conservation. Alaska Park Science 17(1), 2018.

Alaska Park Science (2015) - Within just six weeks of fledging, some of Denali’s juvenile eagles fly over 4,000 miles to spend the winter in central Mexico. Here they are in the company of other migratory golden eagles from interior and northern Alaska and northwest Canada, flying back to Alaska in the spring. Changing climate, and changing habitat over those thousands of miles, presents significant challenges to eagles' survivability.

There are many tools available to study the movements of birds and the technology is evolving rapidly. Explore how satellite telemetry, global system for mobile communications telemetry, archival light-level loggers, and GPS data loggers are used in migratory bird research and what we are learning as a result. Alaska Park Science (20)1, 2021

Alaska Park Science (2006) - Thanks to results of a long-term monitoring program for golden eagles ( Aquila chrysaetos), visitors frequently turn their eyes skyward in hopes of seeing one of North America’s largest aerial predators. With an abundance of cliffs and rock outcroppings for nest sites, as well as a diversity of prey, the northern foothills of the towering Alaska Range are well suited for this large aerial predator.

The study of subsistence resources in parks has been a mix of long-term work and projects instigated by issues facing the Federal Subsistence Board.

Combining art and science, Denali Quilters created a quilt (approximately 3.3 meters square) to interpret Denali National Park and Preserve’s landcover types. The central map is a satellite image of 23 land-cover types (13,600 colored fabric pixels). Twenty-two blocks surround the map, each depicting a close-up view of selected plants and animals found in a cover type. The machine quilting outlines the park’s boundary, highlights drainages and topographic lines, and depicts a