2008 Alaska Park Science Symposium
October 14, 2008
Evaluating Potential Climate Monitoring Sites in the Arctic Network Parks
Pamela J. Sousanes1
1Physical Sciences, National Park Service, PO Box 9, Denali Park, AK, 99755, USA, Phone 907-683-9573, Fax 907-683-9639, pam_sousanes@nps.gov
The Arctic Network (ARCN) spans from the Seward Peninsula in the west to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the east across the slopes of the Brooks Range. These are the farthest north parks in the National Park System and are a logical place to look at Alaska’s changing climate in cooperation with other agencies and networks in the state. Weather and climate are key drivers in ecosystem structure and function. The arctic climate is complex due to numerous interactions between and within the atmosphere, cryosphere, ocean, land and ecosystems. In the past 100 years the average arctic temperatures increased at almost twice the global average rate, and the Arctic is very likely to warm during this century more than the global mean. Annual arctic precipitation is very likely to increase (IPCC, 2007). Changes in climate that have already taken place are revealed in the decrease in extent and thickness of arctic sea ice, permafrost thawing, coastal erosion, changes in ice sheets and ice shelves, and changes in species distribution. Without climate data, it is impossible to understand the causes of a variety of ecosystem changes now underway. This field season we evaluated numerous sites within the five arctic parks for long-term climate monitoring sites. Strategic deployment of stations in the ARCN will provide data on long term trends and variability within the region. The data generated by these stations will also contribute significantly to the understanding of Alaska’s climate and high latitude manifestations of climate change.
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