Climate Change Impacts on Water Availability in Alaska
Alaska is already showing evidence of climate change. Increases in temperature and changes in precipitation have had profound effects on regional hydrology, including shrinking wetlands, glacier and polar sea ice recession, permafrost melting, and an increase in fire frequency and intensity across the landscape as a result of increased drought and thunderstorms. Continuation of these trends will likely lead to further changes in the hydrologic cycle, with significant implications for the people, places, and wildlife that depend on Alaska’s water resources.
In an effort to better understand where and when changes in hydrology are likely to occur, The Wilderness Society developed a tool for mapping future water availability across the state. Our results indicate that the growing season in Alaska is projected to become warmer and drier. With significantly more water leaving the landscape due to evaporation and transpiration than incoming precipitation, June is expected to become 10-30% drier by the end of the century. Such a dramatic decrease in water availability is likely to have profound impacts on the wildlife, vegetation, and human communities that depend on these water resources.
Authors: Brendan O'Brien and Wendy Loya, Ph.D
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Wendy Loya, Ph.D.
Dr. Wendy Loya joined The Wilderness Society in 2006 as our Alaska Region Ecologist. Her work focuses primarily on climate change and northern ecosystems. An overarching objective of her work is understanding how the cumulative impacts of climate change and industrial development can be quantified to achieve a better understanding of future ecosystem health and potential mitigation solutions.
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