Alaska is a state with various landforms such as jagged mountains, glaciers, active volcanoes, tundra, and vast swaths of boreal forests (Harris 2021). The mountain ranges in the state are Alaska Range where Mt. Denali is located at the highest point on the North American continent (Harris 2021). You also have the Brooks Range which is an extension of the Rocky Mountain Range, and then the final major mountain range is the Chugach Mountains which contains the most glacier volume in the state (Harris 2021). My three specific locations of interest in Alaska are Barrow, Fairbanks, and Anchorage. The geography ranges in these regions varies a lot as Barrow is a flat treeless Tundra with a very cold arctic climate with summer temperatures only getting into the 40s (Harris 2021; Alaska Travel Tips 2021). While Fairbanks sits in the interior region which has braided rivers such as the Yukon river that runs through it and has a lot of Tundra and wetlands (Harris 2021; Alaska Travel Tips 2021). The climate in Fairbanks is considered subarctic continental so during the summer months temperatures average out at 73 degrees Fahrenheit (Alaska Travel Tips 2021). Anchorage sits on a coastal plain but in its surroundings sits the Kenai Mountains to the south east and south and the Alaska range to its north (Harris 2021). The climate here is mild due to the maritime influences so summer temperatures only average out around 60 degrees Fahrenheit (Alaska Travel Tips 2021).
Alaska has seven of the 12 major orders of soils, and those are Gelisols which are found in the Alaskan Tundra, Andosols, entisols, histosols, inceptisols, mollisols, and spodosols (Ballard 2021). The dominant soils in Barrow are Turbels which are frost mix soil with some organic matter, this soil type is a part of the Gelisols order(Ballard 2021). Fairbanks dominant soil type is Chatanika which is a rocky silt soil, and this soil is considered a part of the Gelisols order as well (USDA 2021). Anchorage dominant soil type is Histosols which are full of organic matter (USDA 2021).
Barrow, Alaska dominant biome is the tundra which is a treeless barren plain that is dominated by lichens and mosses that can grow easily in its short growing season (Wagner 2018). Prominent animals in this biome are large mammals such as polar bears and caribou, and smaller mammals such as various rabbits, and mice and arctic foxes (Wagner 2018). The tundra has few insects as the cold is a big limitation for them in this biome (Wagner 2018). The tundra is also home to various species of birds that migrate northward to nest in the summer such as tundra ducks, canada goose, snow owls and loons (Wagner 2018).
Fairbanks, Alaska my second location, the dominant biome is taiga or the boreal forest which encompasses the majority of the interior region of Alaska (Wagner 2018). This biome supports large stands of cold tolerant trees such as spruce, fir and birch, and it also supports large mammal populations of moose, grizzly and black bears, caribou (during the winter months),and wolves (Wagner 2018). The region also supports birds such as owls, hawks, and grosbeaks (Wagner 2018).
Anchorage, Alaska dominant biome is also the taiga, but to make things interesting there are ecosystems in Alaska that are dominant around the coasts and those are marshes and wetlands. Alaska has over 40,000 miles of coastline which is more than the lower 48 states combined (Wagner 2018). This ecosystem also supports millions of birds, fishes, and the wood frog, one of two frog species in the state (Wagner 2018).
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| Image source:picea-mariana-3.png (800×590) (wordpress.com) |
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Black spruce are adapted to low nutrient available locations and they are also shade tolerant (Homs 1983). Another adaptation for the Black spruce is that it is a pioneer species as it is able to establish quickly due to dispersal of seeds at an early age (Nesom 2004). Black Spruce limitations in Alaska is due to two reasons and that is that it is too cold above the treeline (Arctic Circle) for it to thrive and even though it is fast at dispersal it is slow growing making it difficult for it to compete in southern latitudes (Nesom 2004). But in southern latitudes the tree does dominate bogs and marsh environments (Nesom 2004). Image source: The largest black spruce in Alaska | Geophysical Institute |
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| Image source: 12_mar6164.jpg (1250×830) (expeditionsalaska.com) |
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The Grizzly has adapted to Alaska mainly through its thick fur and strong shoulders making it a apex predator just like the Polar Bear, but unlike the Polar Bear the Grizzly is not designed to be in cold climates for long periods (Nag 2020). So the Grizzly has adapted to hibernating during colder months in its northern ranges. The grizzly has no limitations in Alaska and can be found statewide, but in its southern ranges outside of Alaska the only limitation to its range is historic human activity which reduces their numbers in order to protect livestock. |
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| Image source: Alaskan Wood Frog Facts, Habitat, Diet, Adaptations, Pictures (coniferousforest.com) |
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| The wood frog of Alaska's main adaptation is that its body can freeze in subfreezing temperatures by reducing all bodily functions and metabolism and then safely thaw during the spring which is unique for a frog (Crampton 2021). This adaptation makes it the only frog that has been found north of the Arctic Circle (Crampton 2021). The frog's limitations in the state are regions where it stays at freezing or below year as the wood frog still needs a warm season to mate and feed. One other limitation is due to the frog preferring woodlands, and marshes over the tundra of northern Alaska Image source: The Secret Lives of Frozen Frogs | Answers in Genesis |
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| Image source: 2985.jpg (800×533) (mangelsen.com) |
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The Caribou are adapted to cold climates in Alaska by having concave hooves to support their movement in soft tundra soil and snow, they also migrate between sites/seasons and can swim in cold waters (ADF&G 2020). Their limitations are that they prefer tundra and marshes year around with only occasional visits to the boreal regions during the winter months in the search of food or shelter (ADF&G 2020). Image source: Caribou Range Map, Alaska Department of Fish and Game |
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| Image source: Polar Bear in front of the Brooks Range | Smithsonian Photo Contest | Smithsonian Magazine |
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| The Polar Bear is extremely adapted to cold climates with its thick fur and fat that surrounds its body and can swim in cold waters for miles (Nag 2020). But the polar bear is also extremely limited in its Alaskan range with only the sea ice and far northern coastal reaches of Alaska and this is because it is too warm south of the Arctic Circle and farther inland makes them further away from their main food source and that is seals. Image source:Polar Bear Range Map, Alaska Department of Fish and Game |
The most dominant natural disturbances I came across for my three locations are wildfires that are common during hotter and drier years and are starting to occur more frequently in recent years. Wildfires are more common in the wetlands and boreal forests of Alaska than the tundra, which has only recently started to see fires (Higuera 2017). Fires in these regions help and harm wildlife as some wildlife will die in the fires, especially the smaller ones that can not escape the flames as easily as a grizzly bear would or a caribou. Boreal forests are able to recover quickly from fires as it is a part of their natural succession, where fires help maintain various levels of ecological succession throughout the biome (arlis pdf).
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| Tundra after wildfire event image source: For Global Warming, Tundra Fires' Effects May Be Skin Deep | Science | AAAS (sciencemag.org) |
Fire effects in the Tundra are a mixed bag as some lichens take decades to grow, but some plants such as grasses and sedges can grow back quickly following the disturbance (arlis pdf). Caribou are also affected by tundra fires as they will migrate from recently disturbed areas to areas not disturbed, but they will come back once plants reestablish the following year (arlis pdf).
Wetlands that are affected by wildfires often see an increase in productivity as fires release nutrients into the soil and waterways influencing more plant growth, which helps waterfowl in protecting nests and nestlings (arlis pdf). Because of the increase of nutrients we also see an increase in presence of mosquito larvae, which help feed these waterfowl and other wetland insectivores such as the wood frog (arlis pdf).
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| Boreal forests after a wildfire Image source: Boreal forest starting to bounce back from Fort McMurray wildfire | CBC News |
References:
Alaska Department of Fish and Game. (2021). Caribou. ADF&G. Caribou Species Profile, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Crampton, L. (2021). Cryobiology: Frozen Wood Frogs and Adaptations for Survival. Owlcation. Cryobiology: Frozen Wood Frogs and Adaptations for Survival - Owlcation
Gainnette, J. (2011). Birds of Canada: Canada Goose. BIRDS of CANADA - CANADA GOOSE - behavior and adaptations, surviva) (saskschoolsinfo.com)
Higuera, P., Barnes, J., Chipman, L., Urban, M., Hu, S. (2017). The Burning Tundra: A Look Back at the Last 6,000 Years of Fire in the Noatak National Preserve, Northwestern Alaska. National Park Service. The Burning Tundra: A Look Back at the Last 6,000 Years of Fire in the Noatak National Preserve, Northwestern Alaska (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
The tundra of Alaska is most affected by climate change caused by human activities such as energy production and transportation (National Geographic 2020). This phenomenon is causing the tundra to rapidly melt and thaw as the climate warms ups which in return is going to displace all arctic life (National Geographic 2020). This will cause populations of Polar Bears to collapse as the ice that supports their movement and lifestyle will be gone leaving populations stranded on land and away from their food. This is already being seen with pictures of starving polar bears surfacing on the web and it will only become more severe as the climate crisis continues (Nag 2020).
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| Polar Bear stranded on melting sea ice Source: Parts of the Arctic that used to never thaw are now melting — Quartz (qz.com) |
In the boreal forest the biggest human disturbance is logging/deforestation which is when you clear cut or selective cut trees for human uses (Malone 2021). This is a major problem for Black Spruces which are the dominant tree in the final stages of succession in the boreal forest as they grow back really slowly compared to other tree species (Malone 2021). This is seen in forests that were logged decades ago where the forest still has not reached the final stage of succession or close to it (Malone 2021).
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| Deforestation in the Boreal Forest Source: Deal expected to protect Quebec forests | Boreal Songbird Initiative (borealbirds.org) |
The wetlands have a problem with habitat destruction as when it is drained for human uses such as urbanization and agriculture, it causes habitat fragmentation or wetland isolation. This is very problematic for amphibians due to their limited dispersal abilities and need for both aquatic and terrestrial environments (Washington State 2005). The wood frog is most at risk for this as when habitats are separated populations fare worse off as genetic diversity is lowered and many die from trying to migrate to other isolated pockets of wetlands (Washington state 2005).
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| Draining of a wetland area Source: Drainage of important wetlands, Mazatlan, Sinaloa (callipygia600.com) |
In a higher emissions scenario of climate change all locations in Alaska will experience drastic changes. Anchorage, Alaska currently has an average temperature of 34 degrees Fahrenheit but by 2099 in a high scenario climate the average temperature will be between 43-45 degrees F (Climate Explorer). Anchorage in modern times receives 85-94 inches of precipitation and by 2099 the area will receive 104-109 inches of precipitation (Climate Explorer). This change in precipitation and temperatures will cause more intense rain events that will increase the occurrence of flooding and landslides in mountainous areas (Shah 2015). Wildfire risk will also increase as temperatures increase but due to higher precipitation this risk will be much lower than other regions in Alaska. The wetlands in Anchorage will most likely benefit from higher temperatures and more precipitation, but threats due to invasive species will be high as climate biomes move northward (Shah 2015). Both of my species that were listed for this region will benefit from climate change and the Canada Goose will see expansion during winter months. But a species that frequently visits the wetlands of Alaska, the Caribou will be highly affected by warming temperatures (ADF&G 2020).
Fairbanks average temperature is 34 degrees Fahrenheit as well, but by 2099 its temperature will range from 44-47 degrees Fahrenheit (Climate Explorer). Fairbanks is in a drier region of Alaska so currently it receives just 21-27 inches of precipitation (Climate Explorer). In 2099 the annual precipitation will rise to 34 to 39 inches (Climate Explorer).Wildfires and melting permafrost will alter the interior of Alaska as temperatures rise. Black Spruce in the region will succumb to these fires and have trouble reestablishing as warmer temperatures will be unfavorable for the species (Nesom 2004)
Barrow, Alaska the most northernmost town in Alaska has an average temperature of 23-26 degrees Fahrenheit well below freezing (Climate Explorer). But by 2099 its average temperature will rise to 36 to 42 degrees Fahrenheit which is significantly above freezing. Precipitation in the region will also rise from 19 inches today to 26-35 inches by 2099 (Climate Explorer). The tundra will experience rapid thawing and melting of permafrost and glaciers, which will devastate Polar Bear populations that rely on the ice sheets for food and warmer temperatures would cause them to overheat in their cold adapted coats (Nag 2020).
Conservation methods that can be used to help maintain the wetlands around Anchorage that can be used are more protection of the areas and to limit human interaction in the wetlands. We can also grow back native crops and bring back native species to the area alongside zoning ordinances that will prohibit residential and commercial development (Wismer 2021). While the boreal forests around Fairbanks are already well managed and maintained we can further these efforts by doing controlled burns in forests that have overgrown crowns to limit the damage done to the growing threat of wildfires (Paragi et al 2002). While the Arctic region can be better managed by reducing economic activities such as drilling and mineral extraction which leaves evidence in the soft permafrost for decades (National Geographic 2020). But the best way to preserve all of Alaska’s ecosystems is to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are causing climate change. As climate change is the biggest threat to subarctic and arctic climates which dominate the Alaskan landscape (Shah 2015). The changes needed are more wildlife conservation areas to protect existing species, energy transition from nonrenewable sources to renewable sources, build environmentally friendly buildings and homes, and finally lifestyle changes for the general public like consuming less red meat especially from cattle (Shah 2015).
The polar region is the most vulnerable out of my three locations as climate change will completely alter the region with it experiencing the most rapid warming from it (Shah 2015). The region will continue to lose glaciers and permafrost which currently gives shelter and resources to the animals and some plants that have adapted to this environment. So this region has the most to lose to poor management and global warming. Boreal forests come in at second due to the vulnerability of the forest to higher temperatures that will be experienced with climate change as the forests are drying out and becoming more prone to insect infestations and wildfires. Finally the wetlands are the least vulnerable out of the three as the region still experiences threats such as draining for development and drying out due to drier and hotter conditions. But when it is compared to the colder climates of the interior and northern Alaskan it does not have it as bad as those regions will due to the changing climate.
References:
Shah, A. (2015). Climate change and global warming introduction. Global Issues. https://www.globalissues.org/article/233/climate-change-and-global-warming-introduction
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