Filters: Tags: biota (X) > Types: OGC WMS Layer (X) > partyWithName: Arctic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (X)
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Final report detailing the results of the climate change vulnerability assessment conducted by the Wildlife Conservation Society.The specific goals of this assessment were to: provide a climate change vulnerability ranking for selected Arctic Alaskan breeding bird species; evaluate the relative contribution of specific sensitivity and exposure factors to individual species rankings; consider how this assessment may be integrated with other approaches; and appraise the effectiveness of the NatureServe Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI) tool.
The Savannah Sparrow has a widespread breeding range across North America from thesouthern U.S. to Arctic Alaska. This species will breed in open habitats ranging from meadows,cultivated fields, grazed pastures, roadsides, coastal grasslands and tundra (Wheelwright andRising 2008). On the coastal plain of Arctic Alaska, tundra nesting habitat is often associatedwith stream/river drainages, nesting on the ground often hidden under low shrubs (Wheelwrightand Rising 2008). During the breeding season they forage in a wide range of habitats on a varietyof insect prey although seeds and other vegetative matter are also consumed (Wheelwright andRising 2008). Savannah Sparrows are short-distance migrants and winter in the...
The Snowy Owl, a conspicuous and majestic bird of the circumpolar arctic, is an efficient hunterof small mammals in tundra environs. In years of high lemming numbers they will focus on thisabundant food source but will readily switch to a wide variety of other prey when lemmings arescarce (Parmelee 1992). Their breeding range in Alaska is generally restricted to the ArcticCoastal Plain, typically nesting in more upland tundra habitats, although they often, though notexclusively, forage in wetter tundra (Parmelee 1992). Snowy Owls are unpredictable migrantsand will sometimes “invade” portions of southern Canada and the northern contiguous US, inwinters when lemmings are scarce in the Arctic. The current global population...
The Common Eider, a large sea duck, is more closely tied to marine environments than are manyother sea ducks. On the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska this species nests primarily on barrierislands and peninsulas of the Arctic Coastal Plain (a small proportion of the total area) while inother parts of its range they select quite varied nesting sites (Goudie et al. 2000). Common eidersdepend on a marine prey base, eating invertebrates (primarily mollusks and crustaceans) bydiving to the sea floor. Alaskan breeders spend their winters nearby in the Bering Sea, Gulf ofAlaska, and off Russia’s Chukotka Peninsula (SDJV 2004). Current Arctic Coastal Plainpopulation is estimated at approximately 2,000 (Dau and Bollinger 2009).
Results indicate that the regions most vulnerable to ecological shifts under the influence of climate change are likely to be the interior and northern mountainous portions of Alaska; the northern Yukon; and much of the Northwest Territories. Although the A1B and A2 emissions scenarios predict more cliome shift overall, as compared to the more conservative B1 scenario, the patterns hold true across all three. Notably, there are no areas of the NWT predicted to retain their current cliomes.
The Fish Creek Watershed encompasses diverse aquatic habitats representative of much of the Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska. Beyond surface water and permafrost responses caused by changes in climate, this landscape is also subject to potential land-use impacts related to petroleum development in the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska (NPR-A). Thus, this region is an ideal setting to address aquatic habitat questions of longstanding interest to Arctic resource managers, scientists, and other stakeholders. Our multidisciplinary team is focusing on broad hypothesis that surface-water availability, connectivity, and temperature mediate aquatic habitats and trophic dynamics. We are working to understand and...
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