Climate Change and Alaskan Wetlands - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Climate Change and Alaskan Wetlands

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Climate Change and Alaskan Wetlands Sadie Iverson SWES 574 Wetlands in Alaska Wetland Types Many varieties Peatlands (muskegs) Marshes (salt and freshwater) Some ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Climate Change and Alaskan Wetlands


1
Climate Change and Alaskan Wetlands
  • Sadie Iverson
  • SWES 574

2
Wetlands in Alaska
As of 1990, only 0.1 lost
Walker et al. 2005
3
Wetland Types
  • Many varieties
  • Peatlands (muskegs)
  • Marshes (salt and freshwater)
  • Some affected by permafrost

Copper River Delta, southeast Alaska
4
Wildlife Signficance
  • Examples
  • Yukon-Kuskokwim River Delta (at left)
  • Copper River Delta

bna.birds.cornell.edu
5
Climate Change
  • 0.6C warming over 20th century
  • Causes
  • End of Little Ice Age
  • Excess greenhouse gases

6
Arctic Impact?
  • Importance of ice
  • Atmospheric effects
  • Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, 2004

7
Why Alaska?
  • Arctic effects
  • Heavily mapped for oil and mineral exploration
  • Low population density (fewer human effects)

A muskeg
8
Methane Effect
  • Alaska produces 7 of the Arctics methane
  • Attributed to warming of peatlands

Felzer and Hu 2004
9
Successional Effect
  • Encroachment of scrubby trees like spruce
  • Typical of warming eras in history
  • Potential effects not fully understood

Sturm 2001
10
Wetland Loss Example
  • Kenai Peninsula Lowlands

11
Kenai Results
  • Muskegs, kettle ponds turn to wet soil or uplands
  • Rise in temperature, lowering of moisture
  • (Klein et al. 2005)
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