Arctic Science

After nearly 20 years, the snowshoe hare population in the central Brooks Range on the eastern boundary of Gates of the Arctic National Park is building toward a peak in the population. Traditional ecological knowledge of the area tells us that the coming peak should be considerably larger than the small population increase we saw in 2008-2010. Based on the report: Snowshoe hare population trends at mineral and non-mineral sites in the central Brooks Range, Alaska.

Read the abstract and link to a paper that describes increasing temperatures and their effects on permafrost in northern parks: Swanson, D. K., P. J. Sousanes, and K. Hill. 2021. Increased mean annual temperatures in 2014-2019 indicate permafrost thaw in Alaskan national parks. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 53(1): 1-19.

Caribou—a type of deer closely related to reindeer—are intimately connected to their Arctic environment, which is experiencing rapid climate change. These animals are notoriously hard to study, but new video camera collars put the spotlight on how they’re responding.

The Arctic continues to warm at a faster rate than the global average. The 2024 Arctic Report Card highlights record-breaking and near-record-breaking observations that demonstrate dramatic change, including Arctic tundra transformation from carbon sink to carbon source, declines of previously large inland caribou herds, and increasing winter precipitation.

Read a summary and get the link to an article on methane changes in Beringia since the last Glacial Maximum, in: Fuchs, M., M. Jones, E. Gowan, S. Frolking, K. W. Walter Anthony, G. Grosse, B. Jones, L. Brosius, J. A. O’Donnell, and C. Treat. 2024. Potential methane flux from Beringian coastal wetlands during the last deglaciation. Quaternary Science Reviews 344: 108976.

In the pristine Brooks Range in Arctic Alaska, streams are turning bright orange and fish are disappearing, threatening the well-being of local communities. A recent scientific paper reveals why.

Read the abstract and get the link to this article about hydrological response to disturbance in Arctic streams: Shogren, A. J., J. P. Zarnetske, B. W. Abbott, A. L. Grose, A. F. Rec, J. Nipko, C. Song, J. A. O’Donnell, and W. B. Bowden. 2024. Hydrology controls dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen export and post-storm recovery in two Arctic headwaters. JGR Biogeosciences 129(2): e2023JG007583.

Read the abstract and get the link to a published article on detecting icing events in: Bartsch, A., H. Bergstedt, G. Pointner, X. Muri, K. Rautiainen, L. Leppänen, K. Joly, A. Sokolov, P. Orekhov, D. Ehrich, and E. M. Soininen. 2023. Towards long-term records of rain-on-snow events across the Arctic from satellite data. The Cryosphere 17(2): 889-915.

The subsistence harvest of animals and plants—that is, harvest for survival or continuation of cultural traditions—is critical to Alaska Native peoples for nutritional, cultural, social, and spiritual benefits. Interviews about subsistence resources statewide were conducted to understand the perspectives about: (1) the communication and relationships between these two groups; and (2) barriers to, and solutions for, improving subsistence management.

Over the past few years, scientists have observed a new phenomenon related to thawing soils: streams which have turned a vibrant orange color across Alaska’s Arctic. Of particular concern is the recent discoloration of the Salmon Wild & Scenic River in Kobuk Valley National Park.