Village water pump and ConocoPhillips's Alpine oil field courtesy of Dan White (left and center).Paul Shewfelt of Ft. Yukon courtesy of Phil Loring (right).
Water Resources
Related ACCAP Webinars
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON WATER AVAILABILITY IN ALASKA
Brendan J. O’Brien, Climate Change Analyst, The Wilderness Society
This webinar reports results of research using data from the Scenarios Network for Alaska Planning (SNAP) to downscale and map projected changes in surface water availability state-wide. Future estimates of potential evapotranspiration have been calculated from averaged monthly climate data from 5 global circulation models, previously evaluated as best-fit for Alaska. Future projections are compared with a historical baseline to determine the magnitude of change over time. With significantly more water leaving the landscape, growing season water availability is likely to drop below historic levels by mid-century, leading to more severe water deficits across the landscape. Such a dramatic decrease in water availability will likely have strong impacts on the wildlife, vegetation, and human communities that depend on water resources. Join us to learn more about projected changes in water availability state-wide. With this information, Alaskans will be better prepared to identify species, landscapes and communities that are vulnerable to change.
Listen to the webinar Podcast
For the full text of the report, click here.
Presentation/Slides: Climate Change Impacts on Water Availability in Alaska
Listen to the Alaska Public Radio Network's coverage
Listen to KUAC FM's coverage (Starting at 5:19)
CLIMATE INFLUENCE ON ICE BREAKUP IN ALASKA
Larry Rundquist, NOAA National Weather Service
The National Weather Service Alaska-Pacific River Forecast Center has monitored river ice breakup on major rivers in Alaska for decades. The breakup process for large rivers in Interior Alaska can range from dynamic to thermal. The timing and severity of breakup is controlled by both weather and climate. Climate variability influences each of the elements of breakup, but weather patterns control the process. Learn about trends in ice breakup conditions over the past decades and implications of variability in breakup conditions. Listen to the webinar Podcast
Presentation/Slides: Climate Influence on Ice Breakup in Alaska
Read the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner's article
UNCERTAINTY IN THE ARCTIC WATER CYCLE
Jessie Cherry , University of Alaska
There are large uncertainties regarding not only the future of the hydrologic cycle and water resources but also their spatial and temporal variability in the present. Many components of the water cycle are difficult to measure accurately, creating one source of uncertainty. Sparse observing networks in the Arctic create another type of uncertainty in that sampling may not be spatially representative. Water-related resource managers must take these uncertainties into account while facing other unknown factors such as the timing of supply and demand and the reliability of infrastructure. This talk discussed techniques for identifying and where possible quantifying various types of uncertainty.
Listen to the webinar Podcast
Presentation/Slides: Uncertainty in the Arctic Water Cycle
Read the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner's article: Data gaps bedevil research into Arctic water cycle
WATER AVAILABILITY IN ALASKA: USING AND UNDERSTANDING NOAA's DROUGHT MONITOR AND DROUGHT OUTLOOK
Doug LeComte, NOAA Climate Prediction Center
Water is important to communities, industry and ecosystems in Alaska. What are NOAA's Drought Monitor and Drought Outlook? How can we use them in planning and decision-making? This talk addressed these questions and explored ways that these tools can be more useful to Alaskans.
Listen to the webinar Podcast
Presentation/Slides: Water Availability in Alaska: Using and Understanding NOAA's Drought Monitor and Drough Outlook
THE IMPACTS OF CHANGES IN WATER RESOURCES ON NORTHERN SOCIETIES
Dan White, University of Alaska
Water is critical in Northern Alaska for drinking and residential use in villages, for the construction of ice roads and pads in oil and gas exploration and drilling, and as habitat for migratory birds and water fowl. Find out more about how climate change has and will continue to impact availability of water in Northern Alaska
Listen to the webinar Podcast
Presentation/Slides: The Impacts of Changes in Water Resources on Northern Societies
Webinar Summary:The Impacts of Changes in Water Resources on Northern Societies
Related References: Journal of American Water Resources Association on Water Use from Arctic Lakes: Identification, Impacts and Decision Support
Related ACCAP Research Projects
ACCAP Tundra Lakes Project
This research provides an assessment of the physical, biological and chemical implications of mid-winter pumping of tundra ponds. The oil industry and support services withdraw water from freshwater lakes and ponds to build ice roads and pads in the Arctic for increased access to remote sites. This technique allows oil field development or maintenance while avoiding the environmental disturbance associated with construction of gravel roads and pads. British Petroleum Exploration, Conoco-Phillips Alaska Inc., the Nature Conservancy, and the Northern Alaska Environmental Center have joined this investigation as committed and active partners and the projects is funded by the Department of Energy. Scientists from the State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources and Bureau of Land Management work with ACCAP to see the project through completion.
Cross-Regional Dialogue: Climate Change, Water Impacts and Indigenous People.
With global temperatures on the rise, the impact of drought on
water supplies and ecosystems can only be expected to increase in
the coming years. Being prepared by better understanding drought
planning innovations and the array of monitoring and forecasting
resources may help reduce vulnerabilities and avert disasters.
This project, supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), aims to use modern communication technologies
to open a dialogue among tribal and indigenous decisionmakers
and resource managers from Alaska, the US Southwest, and
the Pacific Islands as well as climate scientists from these regions.
Links and Resources
Arctic Climate Impact Assessment An international project of the Arctic Council and the International Arctic Science Committee to evaluate and synthesize knowledge on climate variability, climate change, and increased ultraviolet radiation and their consequences.
Climate Change Impacts on Water Availability in Alaska A joint Wilderness Society and Scenarios Network for Alaska Planning report released July 2009.
National Integrated Drought Information System U.S. Drought Portal The U.S. Drought Portal is part of an interactive system designed to provide early warning about droughts, provide information about risk and impact of droughts, provide information about past droughts for comparison and to understand current conditions, explain how to plan for and manage the impacts of droughts and provide a forum to discuss drought-related issues.
National Weather Service, Alaska- Pacific River Forecast Center Provides flood forecasts, general river forecasts, recreational forecasts, navigation forecasts, reservoir inflow forecasts, water supply outlooks, spring flood outlooks, and various types of flash flood guidance.
The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change in Alaska A Report of the Alaska Regional Assessment Group.
Stream Gauges in Alaska 2009 list from the National Weather Service, Alaska- Pacific River Forecast Center.
UAF's Institute of Northern Engineering Water & Environmental Research Center WERC’s mission is to perform basic and applied research related to water and environmental resources, to train students in this field, and to share research information with the public.
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