Characterizing the Extent and Impacts of Beaver Engineering in the ABoVE Domain
Michael Loranty, Colgate University, mloranty@colgate.edu (Presenter)
Kenneth Tape, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, kdtape@alaska.edu
Clayton Elder, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, clayton.d.elder@jpl.nasa.gov
Ryan Pavlick, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, rpavlick@jpl.nasa.gov
Vassily Sebastian Zavoico, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, vszavoico@alaska.edu
Simon Zwieback, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, szwieback@alaska.edu
North American beavers (Castor canadensis) alter ecosystems in ways that dramatically change vegetation structure, local geomorphology and hydrology, and biogeochemistry, which in turn alter trophic dynamics. Increased abundance and distribution of beavers in recent decades has made these changes important for understanding regional variation in earth system processes. In temperate regions beaver expansion is largely associated with population rebounds from intense trapping pressure prior to the twentieth century. Over the past several decades some combination of population rebounds from overtrapping and warming temperatures have allowed beavers to colonize tundra ecosystems beyond the bounds of their historical geographic range in Arctic and subarctic Alaska. This has resulted in thousands of new beaver ponds on the landscape. This expansion is especially noteworthy because it occurs in areas underlain by permafrost and in close proximity to remote subsistence-based communities.
Our project aims to quantify the extent and impacts of beaver colonization across the ABoVE study domain. Here we present an overview of the approach we use to achieve this aim, illustrated by key preliminary results. Using high-resolution spectral imagery we identify and delineate established beaver ponds, quantifying their abundance, distribution and implicit hydrological impacts across the study domain. Using interferometric synthetic aperture radar, we measure subsidence to determine the impact of beaver colonization on permafrost conditions. Using imaging spectroscopy we characterize shifts in riparian vegetation communities, increases in turbidity downstream, and increased methane emissions associated with beaver ponds, and compare these changes with non-beaver ponds. Taken together, these consequences of beaver colonization illustrate that beaver ponds initiate biogeochemical and ecological changes that have important implications for climate feedbacks, landscape change, and resource provisioning.
Poster: Poster_Loranty_1-26_46_35.pdf
Associated Project(s):
Poster Location ID: 1-26
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: Poster Session 1
Session Date: Tue (May 9) 5:00-7:00 PM
CCE Program: TE