Elias National Park Research Articles

Alaskan Wilderness 2022

The wilderness of Alaska is a seldom-visited, rarely-captured beauty of the world. These images hope to show just a shred of the surreal nature of Alaska. Bears, Foxes, and sweeping landscapes make up a small part of my summer trip, but they were also one of the most profound experiences. 
 Places captured: Afognak Island, Denali State Park, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Brooks Range/Galbraith Lake, Kenai Fjords National Park

Cover Image

EcosphereVolume 14, Issue 2 e4117 COVER IMAGEOpen Access Cover Image First published: 07 February 2023 https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4117AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Graphical Abstract COVER PHOTO: Riparian corridors support mosaics of highly productive vegetation and barren surfaces that are dynamically linked to disturbance and successional processes. Retrospective comparisons of high-resolution imagery by Frost et al. (Ecosphere, Volume 14, Issue 1, Article e4344; doi: 10.1002/ecs2.4344) reveal that the cover of riparian vegetation such as feltleaf willow (Salix alaxensis) and dwarf fireweed (Chamerion latifolium), pictured here along upper Trail Creek in Alaska's Wrangell/St. Elias National Park & Preserve, have increased since the early 1980s along 12 widely separated rivers in national parklands of Interior Alaska. Widespread “greening” of these floodplains has occurred against a backdrop of changing climate, seasonal discharge and flood regime, and permafrost thaw in subarctic watersheds, with implications for ecosystem function and services. Increases in tall shrub cover have been disproportionately high in the upper portions of streams above the elevational treeline, consistent with recent shrubification in Arctic tundra ecosystems. Photo credit: Gerald V. Frost. Volume14, Issue2February 2023e4117 RelatedInformation

Climate Indicators of Landslide Risks on Alaska National Park Road Corridors

Landslides along road corridors in Alaska national parks pose threats to public safety, visitor access, subsistence activities, and result in costly remediation of damaged infrastructure. Landslide risk in these areas, which contain near-surface permafrost, is associated with mean annual air temperatures (MAATs) above freezing and heavy precipitation events. Historical (1981–2020) values of MAAT and summer precipitation (JJA PCPT) from the fifth generation European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (Reading, UK) atmospheric reanalysis (ERA5) were compared to mid-century (2021–2060) and late-century (2061–2100) downscaled climate model projections across Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve (GAAR), Denali National Park and Preserve (DENA), and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve (WRST). ERA5 showed that all locations historically had MAAT values below freezing, but all three parks were warming significantly (0.3–0.6 °C per decade). Observed trends of MAAT from 18 stations showed warming trends with 11 of the 18 being significant at the 95% confidence level using the Mann–Kendall non-parametric test. Road corridor values are given for the: (1) proposed Ambler Road through GAAR, (2) Denali Park Road in DENA, and (3) McCarthy Road in WRST. Elevated risk from MAAT was projected in the mid-century period for the Denali Park Road and McCarthy Road and across all three park road corridors in the late-century period; elevated risk from JJA PCPT was projected in all periods for all road corridors.

Surface water area in a changing climate: Differential responses of Alaska’s subarctic lakes

Lake surface area in arctic and sub-arctic Alaska is changing in response to permafrost deterioration, changes in precipitation, and shifts in landscape hydrology. In interior Alaska, the National Park Service’s Central Alaska Network Shallow Lakes program studies lakes and ponds in a wide range of geomorphological settings ranging from alpine lakes to low lying lakes on fluvial plains. The purpose of this study was to determine if and how lake area was changing across this diverse environment. Using the USGS Dynamic Surface Water Extent product, we tested landscape-scale trends in surface water area from 2000–2019 in 32 distinct ecological areas, or ecological subsections, within the three parks. Surface water area declined in 9 subsections, largely in glaciated landscapes with coarse substrates and areas underlain by ice-rich permafrost. Surface water increase was seen in one subsection in the floodplain of the Copper River in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. No net change was observed in many subsections, but individual lake analysis showed that within several ecological subsections some lakes were increasing in area while others decreased in area, masking changes in lake surface area within the subsection. Over the course of the study period, surface water area in all parks experienced similar fluctuations, likely due to oscillations in regional climate. Periods of high surface water area coincided with relatively warm, wet periods. Climate change models project increases in both temperature and precipitation in Alaska; our results suggest periods of regional wetting may mask longer-term declines in surface water area in some geomorphological settings. Overall, lake surface area declined over the study period; declines were greatest in the Glaciated Lowlands in Denali National Park and Preserve.

Seasonal influence of snow conditions on Dall's sheep productivity in Wrangell-St Elias National Park and Preserve.

Dall's sheep (Ovis dalli dalli) are endemic to alpine areas of sub-Arctic and Arctic northwest America and are an ungulate species of high economic and cultural importance. Populations have historically experienced large fluctuations in size, and studies have linked population declines to decreased productivity as a consequence of late-spring snow cover. However, it is not known how the seasonality of snow accumulation and characteristics such as depth and density may affect Dall's sheep productivity. We examined relationships between snow and climate conditions and summer lamb production in Wrangell-St Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska over a 37-year study period. To produce covariates pertaining to the quality of the snowpack, a spatially-explicit snow evolution model was forced with meteorological data from a gridded climate re-analysis from 1980 to 2017 and calibrated with ground-based snow surveys and validated by snow depth data from remote cameras. The best calibrated model produced an RMSE of 0.08 m (bias 0.06 m) for snow depth compared to the remote camera data. Observed lamb-to-ewe ratios from 19 summers of survey data were regressed against seasonally aggregated modelled snow and climate properties from the preceding snow season. We found that a multiple regression model of fall snow depth and fall air temperature explained 41% of the variance in lamb-to-ewe ratios (R2 = .41, F(2,38) = 14.89, p<0.001), with decreased lamb production following deep snow conditions and colder fall temperatures. Our results suggest the early establishment and persistence of challenging snow conditions is more important than snow conditions immediately prior to and during lambing. These findings may help wildlife managers to better anticipate Dall's sheep recruitment dynamics.

Diatoms from Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska, USA.

As a contribution to our knowledge of diatom biodiversity and biogeography in the United States, high resolution light microscope images are provided for 139 diatom taxa recorded from lake, stream, spring and glacier habitats in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska. The spring had the highest taxa richness of the four habitats that were sampled, likely owing to the relative stability of this habitat compared to the others. Most of the taxa were described from northern and alpine locations in Europe and North America and are typical of habitats in the northern Rocky Mountains, with two notable exceptions. Surirellaarctica had been reported previously only from locations in the High Arctic of North America, north of 68°N latitude. Gomphonemacaperatum has a disjunct distribution in montane regions of the eastern and far western contiguous United States. This may be the first record of this taxon from Alaska.

Critical snow density threshold for Dall’s sheep (Ovis dalli dalli)

Snow cover can significantly impact animal movement and energetics, yet few studies have investigated the link between physical properties of snow and energetic costs. Quantification of thresholds in snow properties that influence animal movement are needed to help address this knowledge gap. Recent population declines of Dall’s sheep (Ovis dalli dalli Nelson, 1884) could be due in part to changing snow conditions. We examined the effect of snow density, snow depth, and snow hardness on sinking depths of Dall’s sheep tracks encountered in Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Snow depth was a poor predictor of sinking depths of sheep tracks (R2 = 0.02, p = 0.38), as was mean weighted hardness (R2 = 0.09, p = 0.07). Across competing models, top layer snow density (0–10 cm) and sheep age class were the best predictors of track sink depths (R2 = 0.58). Track sink depth decreased with increasing snow density, and the snowpack supported the mass of a sheep above a density threshold of 329 ± 18 kg/m3 (mean ± SE). This threshold could aid interpretation of winter movement and energetic costs by animals, thus improving our ability to predict consequences of changing snowpack conditions on wildlife.

Summer habitat selection by Dall’s sheep in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska

Sexual segregation occurs frequently in sexually dimorphic species, and it may be influenced by differential habitat requirements between sexes or by social or evolutionary mechanisms that maintain separation of sexes regardless of habitat selection. Understanding the degree of sex-specific habitat specialization is important for management of wildlife populations and the design of monitoring and research programs. Using mid-summer aerial survey data for Dall’s sheep ( Ovis dalli dalli ) in southern Alaska during 1983–2011, we assessed differences in summer habitat selection by sex and reproductive status at the landscape scale in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve (WRST). Males and females were highly segregated socially, as were females with and without young. Resource selection function (RSF) models containing rugged terrain, intermediate values of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and open landcover types best explained resource selection by each sex, female reproductive classes, and all sheep combined. For male and all female models, most coefficients were similar, suggesting little difference in summer habitat selection between sexes at the landscape scale. A combined RSF model therefore may be used to predict the relative probability of resource selection by Dall’s sheep in WRST regardless of sex or reproductive status.

Trematodon laetevirens(Bruchiaceae) New to the United States, and Other Interesting Bryophyte Records from Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska

Abstract. The second North American locality of the moss Trematodon laetevirens Hakelier & J.-P. Frahm was discovered during the installation of vegetation monitoring plots within Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. We discuss site characteristics for this collection and other relevant finds from our non-vascular community observations including Herbertus aduncus (Dicks.) A. Gray, Oreas martiana (Hoppe & Hornsch.) Brid., and Plagiomnium insigne (Mitt.) T. Kop.

To See a Glacier

My first exposure to the glacier was from a distance, the unsettling sight of the moraine—an enormous denuded topography of cracked mud, greasy silt, and all manner and size of stone in front of a vast amount of dirty ice. And then, there was the equally startling sight of the wall of ice, white and ethereal turquoise-blue, rising up behind it. To see a glacier, to touch a glacier, that was one of the reasons I went to Alaska. It's a measure of my desperation that I was willing to leave my farm in western Massachusetts for several weeks right in the middle of haying season, spend a few thousand dollars I could scarcely afford, and travel more than 10,000 miles round trip to land myself in the middle of Alaska's Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, the largest protected wild lands in the country, just for the chance to experience some elemental power I romantically believed was embodied in the ice, both metaphorically and literally. I went because I wanted to believe that we could protect not just wild places but also something as complex as the balance of humankind with the rest of nature. I was unprepared for what I found there.

Loess origin, transport, and deposition over the past 10,000years, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska

Abstract Contemporary glaciogenic dust has not received much attention, because most research has been on glaciogenic dust of the last glacial period or non-glaciogenic dust of the present interglacial period. Nevertheless, dust from modern glaciogenic sources may be important for Fe inputs to primary producers in the ocean. Adjacent to the subarctic Pacific Ocean, we studied a loess section near Chitina, Alaska along the Copper River in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, where dust has been accumulating over the past ∼10,000 years. Mass accumulation rates for the fine-grained (

Reducing effort while improving inference: Estimating Dall's sheep abundance and composition in small areas

Recent work has demonstrated that aerial distance sampling surveys are more efficient and effective than unadjusted minimum count surveys for estimating Dall's sheep (Ovis dalli) abundance, although large sample size requirements (e.g., 150-200 detections) may discourage implementation of these methods in small (<2,500 km 2 ) or low density areas. However, a Bayesian analytical approach using informed priors and borrowing detection information across surveys can increase precision and decrease required sample sizes. Using these methods, we conducted distance sampling surveys across a majority of the Dall's sheep habitat within National Park Service units in Alaska during 2010-2011. We compared 4 analytical scenarios using increasing amounts of detection information to demonstrate the increases in efficiency that can be gained over time through the use of this approach. Based on our analysis using all available survey information in the estimation of the detection function, we estimated that 2,252 (1,871- 2,765), 2,809 (2,361-3,379), 1,669 (1,339-2,120), and 12,428 (10,780-14,470) sheep occurred in Denali National Park and Preserve (DENA), the Western Arctic National Parklands (WEAR), the Itkillik preserve subarea of Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve (WRST), respectively. These estimates were achieved with relatively small numbers of group detections in DENA (n ¼ 57), the Itkillik preserve area (n ¼ 48), and WEAR (n ¼ 100), suggesting that sample size requirements for Dall's sheep distance sampling surveys can be reduced by an additional 50-75% over previously recommended levels when adequate prior information is available. In addition, we describe a formal approach for estimating the size of individual composition classes (i.e., lambs, ewe-like sheep, <full- curl rams, � full-curl rams) and sex and age ratios, corrected for incomplete detection. We implemented the composition analysis within the distance sampling analytical framework as part of the abundance estimation process.This approach to theestimation ofpopulation composition could replace commonly usedindices and provides more detailed and rigorous estimates that are directly comparable among survey areas and years. We found that ratios offull curl rams:100 ewe-like sheep in WEAR and Itkillik preserve subarea populations were less than in the DENA population, whereas lamb:ewe-like ratios were similar across all 4 survey areas, suggesting relatively consistent productivity. We recommend that aerial distance sampling survey methods using prior information, combined with direct estimation of population composition, be used to increase the effectiveness of Dall's sheep population monitoring and management throughout their range. 2013 The Wildlife Society.

Black bear baiting in Alaska and in Alaska's National Park Service lands, 1992–2010

We assessed American black bear (Ursus americanus) harvest trends, generally, and black bear harvest over bait, specifically, in Alaska from 1992 to 2010 at 3 spatial scales: statewide, on drainages adjacent to and including National Park Service (NPS) units, and on NPS lands. Statewide, black bear reported harvest increased by an average of 93 bears/year, and harvest over bait increased by an average of 21 bears/year over this period. Harvest over bait increased by 4.3% (SE = 4.3) annually, and harvest by other methods increased by 3.9%/year (SE = 3.1). The proportion of females harvested over bait was 30.9% compared to 26.4% by other methods. Harvest increased around Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, while other units and adjacent lands had stable or decreasing harvest rates. Few bears were harvested using bait on NPS units (≤37 bears; <2 bears/year) with ≤34 (91.9%) of these bears harvested in Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Only 3 bears were harvested over bait by rural Alaska residents from NPS lands from 1992 to 2010. Thus, little to no population-level effects arose from the practice of bear baiting on NPS lands. Rather, the complexity surrounding the practice of bear baiting is centered on the management goals of minimizing food-conditioning of bears, fostering public safety, preventing defense of life and property killing of individual bears, and maintaining natural processes and behaviors. We recommend application of the formal field of conservation ethics and argument analysis as one path forward in assessing policy on bear baiting on Alaskan NPS units and recommend that the issue of harvesting bears over bait on NPS lands not be falsely characterized as a conservation or population management issue.

Ice Patch Archaeology in Alaska: 2000 – 10

In the past decade, ice patch archaeological research has been initiated in several areas of Alaska, including Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, the Amphitheater Mountains, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Denali National Park and Preserve, Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Chugach National Forest, and Katmai National Park. Although still in its formative stages, this research demonstrates that high-altitude ice patches have been an important part of the annual subsistence cycles of Alaskan people for at least 4000 years. Researchers have found cultural materials at 13 Alaskan ice patches. Most artifacts recovered are related to caribou hunting; however, a growing body of evidence demonstrates that ice patches were the foci for a wide range of subsistence activities, such as hunting birds, harvesting berries, and snaring small mammals. Site interpretations are based on ethnographically documented cultural practices, animal behavior, alpine ecology and geology, and archaeological analyses.

New sedimentological, palaeobotanical, and dinosaur ichnological data on the palaeoecology of an unnamed Late Cretaceous rock unit in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska, USA

An unnamed nonmarine sedimentary package of rocks in southeastern Alaska in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve has provided the first evidence of dinosaurs for this vast region. The rock unit is contained within the Wrangellia Terrane and exposures are of limited geographic extent. The rock unit is considered to be latest Cretaceous age. Sections are overwhelmingly dominated by extraformational conglomerates. Fine- to medium-grained light coloured sandstones are common and medium grey shales occur as minor components of the sections. Megafloral specimens indicate an abundance of horsetails, ferns and gymnosperm wood. Rather than two-dimensional impressions, most ferns are preserved in three dimensions, suggesting rapid burial. The abundance of charcoal in these rocks suggests that this area during deposition was also prone to ecological disturbance. Field parties found evidence of a small theropod and ornithopods. A single theropod pes impression is approximately 9 cm long and 7 cm wide. Attribution to the Theropoda was based on the sinusoidal shape of the impression of the middle digit. An ornithopod impression, identified by clearly blunt and rounded digit impressions, is approximately 22 cm long and 26 cm wide. All impressions are under tracks.

Use of remote sensing to identify areas of groundwater upwelling on active glacial floodplains: Their frequency, extent and significance on a landscape scale

On active glacial floodplains, streams sourced from upwelling groundwater are characterised by significantly higher biodiversity than surface-fed streams. However the ecological significance of these habitats at a landscape scale has not yet been determined. A remote-sensing model was developed to identify the frequency and distribution of groundwater upwellings in remote Arctic and alpine areas, using freely available satellite imagery. Field research has established that groundwater upwellings provide stable environments (reduced variability in flow and temperature regimes, and reduced channel slope and bed movement), with high water tables, supporting vegetation growth on otherwise barren glacial floodplains. Upwellings are therefore associated with characteristic isolated patches of dense vegetation. The model uses this characteristic profiling of groundwater upwellings in a four-step process; 1) removing temporal variance from the images; 2) identifying and isolating glacial floodplains from the satellite data, 3) removing snow and ice 4) identifying vegetation density (associated with sites of groundwater upwelling) within the floodplains. The model was calibrated in Denali National Park, and validated in Wrangell St. Elias National Park; the extent of groundwater-fed areas was calculated and compared between sites for the first time. Model accuracy during calibration was 94%, and was marginally lower during validation (88%). The high accuracy of the model supports the wider applicability of site-specific relationships determined thus far. In each region, groundwater upwellings contributed to ~40% of the total riverine habitat within glacial floodplains; in combination with their high biodiversity this suggests they are ecologically significant. This model facilitates study site location, and represents a significant development in macroscale studies of groundwater upwellings in glacierised catchments.

Analyzing the Impacts of Off-Road Vehicle (ORV) Trails on Watershed Processes in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska

Trails created by off-road vehicles (ORV) in boreal lowlands are known to cause local impacts, such as denuded vegetation, soil erosion, and permafrost thaw, but impacts on stream and watershed processes are less certain. In Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve (WRST), Alaska, ORV trails have caused local resource damage in intermountain lowlands with permafrost soils and abundant wetlands and there is a need to know whether these impacts are more extensive. Comparison of aerial photography from 1957, 1981, and 2004 coupled with ground surveys in 2009 reveal an increase in trail length and number and show an upslope expansion of a trail system around points of stream channel initiation. We hypothesized that these impacts could also cause premature initiation and headward expansion of channels because of lowered soil resistance and greater runoff accumulation as trails migrate upslope. Soil monitoring showed earlier and deeper thaw of the active layer in and adjacent to trails compared to reference sites. Several rainfall-runoff events during the summer of 2009 showed increased and sustained flow accumulation below trail crossings and channel shear forces sufficient to cause headward erosion of silt and peat soils. These observations of trail evolution relative to stream and wetland crossings together with process studies suggest that ORV trails are altering watershed processes. These changes in watershed processes appear to result in increasing drainage density and may also alter downstream flow regimes, water quality, and aquatic habitat. Addressing local land-use disturbances in boreal and arctic parklands with permafrost soils, such as WRST, where responses to climate change may be causing concurrent shifts in watershed processes, represents an important challenge facing resource managers.

Mercury in mosses Hylocomium splendens (Hedw.) B.S.G. and Pleurozium schreberi (Brid.) Mitt. from Poland and Alaska: Understanding the origin of pollution sources

This report shows baseline concentrations of mercury in the moss species Hylocomium splendens and Pleurozium schreberi from the Kielce area and the remaining Holy Cross Mountains (HCM) region (south-central Poland), and Wrangell–Saint Elias National Park and Preserve (Alaska) and Denali National Park and Preserve (Alaska). Like mosses from many European countries, Polish mosses were distinctly elevated in Hg, bearing a signature of cross-border atmospheric transport combined with local point sources. In contrast, Alaskan mosses showed lower Hg levels, reflecting mostly the underlying geology. Compared to HCM, Alaskan and Kielce mosses exhibited more uneven spatial distribution patterns of Hg. This variation is linked to topography and location of local point sources (Kielce) and underlying geology (Alaska). Both H. splendens and P. schreberi showed similar bioaccumulative capabilities of Hg in all four study areas.

Dead Men Walking: Search and Rescue in US National Parks

To identify search and rescue (SAR) trends in US National Park Service (NPS) units. A retrospective review of the US National Park Service Annual Search and Rescue Reports from 1992 to 2007 and the SAR statistics for all NPS units in 2005. From 1992 to 2007 there were 78,488 individuals involved in 65,439 SAR incidents. These incidents ended with 2659 fatalities, 24,288 ill or injured individuals, and 13,212 saves. On average there were 11.2 SAR incidents each day at an average cost of $895 per operation. Total SAR costs from 1992 to 2007 were $58,572 164. In 2005, 50% of the 2430 SAR operations occurred in just 5 NPS units. Grand Canyon National Park (307) and Gateway National Recreation Area (293) reported the most SAR operations. Yosemite National Park accounted for 25% of the total NPS SAR costs ($1.2 million); Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve ($29,310) and Denali National Park and Preserve ($18,345) had the highest average SAR costs. Hiking (48%) and boating (21%) were the most common activities requiring SAR assistance. Hiking (22.8%), suicides (12.1%), swimming (10.1%), and boating (10.1%) activities were the most common activities resulting in fatalities. Without the presence of NPS personnel responding to SAR incidents, 1 in 5 (20%) of those requesting SAR assistance would be a fatality. Future research and the development of any prevention efforts should focus on the 5 NPS units where 50% of all SAR incidents are occurring.

Interspecies and interregional comparisons of the chemistry of PAHs and trace elements in mosses Hylocomium splendens (Hedw.) B.S.G. and Pleurozium schreberi (Brid.) Mitt. from Poland and Alaska

Comparative biogeochemical studies performed on the same plant species in remote areas enable pinpointing interspecies and interregional differences of chemical composition. This report presents baseline concentrations of PAHs and trace elements in moss species Hylocomium splendens and Pleurozium schreberi from the Holy Cross Mountains (south-central Poland) (HCM) and Wrangell–Saint Elias National Park and Preserve (Alaska) and Denali National Park and Preserve (Alaska). Total PAH concentrations in the mosses of HCM were in the range of 473–2970 μg kg −1 (dry weight basis; DW), whereas those in the same species of Alaska were 80–3390 μg kg −1 DW. Nearly all the moss samples displayed the similar ring sequence: 3 > 4 > 5 > 6 for the PAHs. The 3 + 4 ring/total PAH ratios show statistically significant differences between HCM (0.73) and Alaska (0.91). The elevated concentrations of PAHs observed in some sampling locations of the Alaskan parks were linked to local combustion of wood, with a component of vehicle particle- and vapor-phase emissions. In HCM, the principal source of PAH emissions has been linked to residential and industrial combustion of coal and vehicle traffic. In contrast to HCM, the Alaskan mosses were distinctly elevated in most of the trace elements, bearing a signature of the underlying geology. H. splendens and P. schreberi showed diverse bioaccumulative capabilities of PAHs in all three study areas.