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We examined the effects of fire disturbance on permafrost degradation and thaw settlement across a series of wildfires (from ~1930 to 2010) in the forested areas of collapse-scar bog complexes in the Tanana Flats lowland of interior Alaska. Field measurements were combined with numerical modeling of soil thermal dynamics to assess the roles of fire severity and climate history in postfire permafrost dynamics. Field-based calculations of potential thaw settlement following the loss of remaining ice-rich permafrost averaged 0.6 m. This subsidence would cause the surface elevations of forests to drop on average 0.1 m below the surface water level of adjacent collapse-scar features. Up to 0.5 m of thaw settlement was...
Categories: Data,
Publication;
Types: Citation,
Downloadable,
Map Service,
OGC WFS Layer,
OGC WMS Layer,
Shapefile;
Tags: Adaptation planning 1-Best management practices,
Modeling,
Monitoring 1-Changes in Plant and Animal Distribution: Ecosystems,
Monitoring 3-Improve Permafrost Mapping,
and Monitoring, All tags...
landscape scale conservation: Fire, Fewer tags
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In 1989, the Chisana caribou (Rangifer tarandus) herd in the northern Wrangell Mountains, Alaska, U.S.A., declined substantially in population size and productivity. Grasses, sedges, forbs, and willows (Salix spp.) are critical components of the diet of caribou in spring and summer, and the abundance and quality of forage are influenced by climate. To evaluate effects of climatic variation on caribou forage we conducted a field experiment in subarctic tundra where light, air temperature, and precipitation were manipulated. We used a plastic tarpaulin to increase air temperature and decrease precipitation. We also decreased light intensity with a shade cloth and increased precipitation by adding water to determine...
Categories: Data,
Publication;
Types: Citation,
Downloadable,
Map Service,
OGC WFS Layer,
OGC WMS Layer,
Shapefile;
Tags: B5-Caribou,
Chisana,
P2-Changes in Plant and Animal Species Due to Climate Change,
Projecting Future States 2,
White River
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