Temporal Variation of Hydrology in the Alaskan Arctic

ABSTRACT

OPP-9814984

KANE, DOUGLAS

UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA

This project is a continuation and expansion of a hydrology study of the Kuparuk River watershed in northern Alaska. Previous results show that changes in Arctic drainage networks in response to climate change may lead to biogeochemical changes affecting tundra ecosystems. The slow change and interannual variability of the hydrologic processes in response to climate warming requires a long-term project to elucidate climate/hydrology process and temporal trends during the past decade during which there is evidence warming air and soil temperatures. A combination of field work, analysis of satellite imagery, and modeling will be used to examine the factors leading to changes in network geometry, soil moisture, snow melt, and other factors that affect nutrient availability in the tundra ecosystem. The study is an integral component of a long-term, group study of climate, soil, and biologic processes controlling tundra ecology in the Kuparuk watershed, particularly the ecological response to a climate warming.