The canyon from the toe of Exit Glacier to where Exit Creek opens into the Outwash Plain is susceptible to sudden outburst flood events. These events produce sudden surges of water, ice and rock. The canyon is dangerous and travel is not recommended. More
An ice fall hazard zone has been identified at the toe and sides of Exit Glacier, due to tall blocks and slabs of ice. For your safety, entry into this zone is prohibited. Please do not continue past ice fall hazard signs and see photo for more details. More
Researchers at Kenai Fjords National Park work together with university researchers and scientists from other government agencies to understand the unique changes that are affecting the Harding Icefield and the glaciers of Kenai Fjords. One of the areas that has received the most interest is the rapid retreat of the many of the park's glaciers. Researchers are also interested in learning more about the role weather plays in shaping the unique feature of the park.
"The Harding Icefield's Clue to Climate Science:" This article for Alaska Park Science outlines the effects that climate change is having on the Harding Icefield and its outflowing glaciers.
Resource Briefs - Alaska
The National Park Service-Region 11 (Alaska Regional Office) has issued several state-wide resource briefs to showcase what is being studied in the parks of Alaska, the impacts that are being felt throughout.
The Southwest Alaska Network (SWAN) is part of a greater Inventory and Monitoring Program of the National Park Service. Its mission is to provide the scientific foundation for effective, long-term protection and management of natural resources within the five park units of southwest Alaska, including Kenai Fjords.
Locations:Aniakchak National Monument & Preserve, Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Denali National Park & Preserve, Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve, Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, Katmai National Park & Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Kobuk Valley National Park, Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, Noatak National Preserve, Sitka National Historical Park, Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve, Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preservemore »
Offices:Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate
The rugged beauty of Alaska has been the homelands of Alaska Native people for thousands of generations. Today the relentless march of climate change threatens a range of cultural resources from archeological sites to historic cemeteries. Now the National Park Service is in a race to document heritage across the parklands in Alaska.
Locations:Aniakchak National Monument & Preserve, Denali National Park & Preserve, Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve, Katmai National Park & Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preservemore »
Alaska is one of the most heavily glaciated areas in the world outside of the polar regions. Approximately 23,000 square miles of the state are covered in glaciers—an area nearly the size of West Virginia. Glaciers have shaped much of Alaska’s landscape and continue to influence its lands, waters, and ecosystems. Because of their importance, National Park Service scientists measure glacier change. They found that glaciers are shrinking in area and volume across the state.
Locations:Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Denali National Park & Preserve, Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, Sitka National Historical Park, Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve, Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preservemore »
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.
Locations:Denali National Park & Preserve, Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park, Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve
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
Locations:Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Denali National Park & Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park
Alaska’s national parks face new and unexpected planning, design, and maintenance challenges as we enter a new era of climate change. It behooves the NPS to pay attention to these changes and plan and act accordingly
Locations:Denali National Park & Preserve, Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve, Katmai National Park & Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park, Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, Noatak National Preserve, Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preservemore »
Collared pikas are small mammals within the same order as rabbits and hares, and they resemble small rabbits with very short ears and small limbs. Adapted to thrive at high elevations in Alaska, their habitat is at risk -- climate change may drastically change the fragile environment in which they live.
Locations:Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, Katmai National Park & Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park, Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preservemore »
Seabirds and marine mammals along Alaska's coastline have been experiencing unusually large and consistent die-offs for the past several years, in conjunction with warming ocean temperatures. Researchers want to know if harmful algal blooms, typically associated with warmer climates, are playing a role in these deaths.
Glaciers and the landscapes they create are beautiful, dynamic places to experience as a distant observer, skilled adventurer, or inquisitive scientist. They can also be dangerous; ice falls, calvings, collapses, and outburst floods can and do occur without warning. We study and monitor Bear Glacier to better understand hydrological processes leading to glacial lake outburst floods so we can mitigate their impacts. Alaska Park Science 18(1), 2019.
Locations:Katmai National Park & Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park, Lake Clark National Park & Preserve
Read the abstract and get the link to the article published in Ecological Applications: Csank, A. Z., A. E. Miller, R. L. Sherriff, E. E. Berg, and J. M. Welker. 2016. Tree-ring isotopes reveal drought sensitivity in trees killed by spruce beetle outbreaks in southcentral Alaska. Ecological Applications 26:2001-2020.
