U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2010–3020

March 2010 Printed on recycled paper

Studies of Climate Change in the Yukon River Basin: Connecting 

Community and Science Through a Unique Partnership

Introduction

An exciting new partnership between the U.S. Geological 

Survey (USGS) and the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed 

Council (YRITWC) is yielding critical data for the assessment of climate change effects in the Yukon River Basin. The 

foundation of this partnership is a shared interest in the current 

and future water quality of the Yukon River and its relation to 

climate. The USGS began a landmark study of the Yukon River 

and its major tributaries in 2000. A key objective of this study is 

to establish a baseline dataset of water quality, which will serve 

as an important frame of reference to assess future changes in 

the basin that may result from a warmer climate. 

Communications between the USGS and the YRITWC 

were established in 2005 when the YRITWC began building a steward-based Yukon River water-quality program. The 

YRITWC is an international nonprofit that was forged by the 

world’s largest international treaty between Indigenous governments. Seventy Tribes of Alaska and First Nations of the Yukon 

Territory have become signatories to the YRITWC’s Inter-Tribal 

accord, which serves to reinforce their collective interest and 

stewardship of the Yukon River. YRITWC’s mission is to monitor, preserve, and protect the health of the Yukon River Basin. 

Through a collaborative effort with the USGS, the YRITWC 

has developed and implemented a basin-wide water-quality 

program modified from and expanding upon the USGS study. 

This unique partnership between the USGS and the YRITWC 

provides mutual benefits by fostering outreach efforts that have 

been essential toward community empowerment, and by providing scientific data covering large remote regions that would 

be challenging for USGS scientists alone to sample with this 

frequency and extensive spatial coverage.

The Yukon River Basin (YRB) covers subarctic and arctic 

terrain in Canada and Alaska, is the fourth largest drainage 

basin in North America, and is roughly twice the size of California (fig. 1). The sheer scale of the YRB presents a unique set 

of logistical challenges that have been met by the collaborative 

partnership between the USGS and the YRITWC.

Local Concerns About Climate Change

The communities living within the YRB have many concerns about a rapidly warming climate and how these changes 

will affect traditional ways of life and the availability of future 

resources. As the warming trends continue, the climate is 

becoming drier (Hinzman and others, 2005), forest fires have 

been increasing (Kane and others, 2006), and permafrost is 

thawing (Jorgenson and others, 2006). Permafrost thaw will 

likely lead to changes in the groundwater flows (Walvoord and 

Striegl, 2007) and the quantity and quality of the rivers, streams, 

and lakes (Striegl and others, 2005; 2007). These fundamental 

physical and chemical changes ultimately may affect the migratory routes of spawning salmon and animals, such as moose 

and waterfowl. Other concerns related to a warming climate are 

structural effects caused by the settling of building foundations 

anchored in permafrost and the shorter ground transportation 

season due to shorter periods of ice cover on the river.

Addressing Concerns Through the 

USGS/YRITWC Partnership

The overarching goal of the YRITWC/USGS partnership 

is to train community members to collect water-quality and 

environmental data across the Yukon River Basin throughout 

the year. The YRITWC/USGS partnership is a shared achievement in the collection and interpretation of unbiased scientific 

data to better understand the environment. The project was 

created across governments and communities to facilitate the 

development of a unique long-term database essential to studies 

focusing on climate change.

Approach

Under the direction of the USGS, the YRITWC developed 

a water-quality monitoring program that uses the USGS sampling and monitoring protocols (U.S. Geological Survey, variously dated). The YRITWC program provides spatial coverage 

of sampling sites in the YRB and augments hydrologic information collected at USGS streamflow-gaging stations (fig. 2). The 

YRITWC trains local volunteers to collect water-quality data 

and samples from the Yukon River and its major tributaries. 

Figure 1.  Location of the Yukon River Basin in Canada and Alaska.

160° 168° 176° 180° 176° 168° 160° 152° 144° 136° 128° 120° 112°

68°

64°

60°

56°
Water-quality samples include the in-place measurement of 

pH, specific conductance, temperature, and dissolved oxygen 

in addition to the collection and processing of a suite of water 

samples for laboratory analyses by the USGS.

In conjunction with the YRITWC field campaign, and critical to the success of the program, the USGS National Research 

Program laboratories in Boulder, Colorado, provide analytical 

support by measuring dissolved organic carbon, greenhouse 

gases, major ions, nutrients, trace metals, and water isotopes. In 

addition, USGS scientists train YRITWC personnel in field data 

and sample collection.

Resources

The scope of the YRITWC monitoring effort is determined, in part, by available funding. In March 2006, YRITWC 

began monitoring the Yukon River Basin between Dawson 

City, Yukon Territory, and Pilot Station, Alaska. Funding was 

provided by an Administration for Native Americans grant for 

regulatory enhancement on the United States side of the YRB, 

and discretionary resources were used to establish the Canadian 

side of the YRB.

In early 2007, YRITWC received a grant from Environment Canada (EC) to conduct a workshop with EC, USGS, 

Yukon Territory Government, and Water Survey of Canada. At 

the workshop, interested First Nations joined the YRITWC to 

assist in ongoing water-quality monitoring efforts.

In early 2008, YRITWC secured a grant through the Northern Strategy Trust of Canada and began a partnership with the 

Government of Yukon. This partnership expanded the monitoring program to include the Yukon Territory covering the entire 

YRB from the headwaters near Whitehorse to the outlet at Pilot 

Station.

Spreading the Word

Attendance and presentation at both cultural and scientific 

meetings is essential to the continuing growth of the USGS/

YRITWC partnership. The USGS plays an active role in the 

YRITWC-sponsored biennial Summit meetings held throughout 

the Yukon River Basin. These Summits are attended by representatives of national and international Federal, State, local, 

and Tribal governments and serve multiple purposes, including 

the strengthening of relations with Tribal Councils and First 

Nations throughout the Yukon River Basin.

Attendance at scientific meetings also is recognized as 

critical to the growth of the USGS/YRITWC partnership. Since 

2007, papers have been presented at several scientific forums 

(American Water Resources Association, Water and Restoration 

Conference, Fairbanks, Alaska, 2007; 6th National Water Quality Monitoring Council Conference, Atlantic City, New Jersey, 

2008; and AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, 2008).

Real Results

Through this unique collaboration, the USGS 5-year baseline dataset covering 2001–2005 has been extended to a 9-year 

dataset. The 2001–2005 USGS data and citations are available 

online at:

	 http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2003/ofr03427/

	 http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1199/

	 http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1397/

	 http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2006/1258/

	 http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1037/

	 http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2006/1228/

	 http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1197/

The 2006–2008 USGS/YRITWC data are available online at: 

http://yritwc.dsys.ca/

Figure 3 shows dissolved organic carbon (DOC) plotted with discharge (Q) for 9 years on the Yukon River at Pilot, 

Alaska. The green triangles represent USGS data collected 

Figure 2.  USGS streamflow-gaging stations and collocated

YRITWC sampling sites across the Yukon River Basin.

Water-quality sampling demonstration at the 2005 Summit, Moosehide, 

Yukon Territory.

0 100 200 300 MILES

0 100 200 300 KILOMETERS

Yukon River

EXPLANATION

U.S. Geological Survey 

 streamflow-gaging 

 station

Yukon River 

 Inter-Tribal 

 Watershed 

 Council

 sampling 

 site

N

Volunteers Deborah Friday-Aguchak and 

Inez Pinayah collecting samples on the 

Ninglivvak River, a tributary of the Yukon.
from 2000–2005 and the blue squares represent YRITWC data 

collected from 2006–2008 by Tribal and community members 

under the direction of the YRITWC. The consistency of the 

annual mean averages of both datasets demonstrates proper 

execution of sampling and processing protocols. Moreover, the 

variation in concentrations over the 9-year record demonstrates 

the importance for long-term data collection to assess the effects 

of climate change and extension of record from 5 to 9 years.

An important and critical component of this research is the 

availability of continuous records of streamflow and discharge 

at USGS streamgages, such as Pilot Station in the YRB. Without these data, the calculation of constituent loads would not be 

possible.

A Unique Partnership

The continuing collection of water-quality data from the 

Yukon River and selected major tributaries at a basin-wide scale 

would not be possible without the YRITWC/USGS partnership 

and community involvement. This partnership requires a coordinated effort from field sites through the laboratory and finally 

to published results in the form of peer-reviewed scientific 

products. In the field, qualified volunteer water technicians and 

YRITWC staff rise to the challenge of weather and the elements 

while confronting the logistical difficulties often associated with 

field work.

Table 1.  Number of sample sites and samplings.

Year Number of sample sites Number of samplings

2006 20 91

2007 28 136

2008 35 183

2009 31 180

Summary

Since its beginnings in 2005, the YRITWC/USGS partnership continues to strengthen and grow. Over the years, the 

water-quality monitoring program has expanded in spatial and 

temporal cover throughout the Yukon River Basin in Alaska and 

Canada.

Table 1 lists the number of sampling locations and frequency of sampling for the last 4 years throughout the entire 

YRB.

The scientific data and publications are available to 

governments, Native and Tribal organizations, and the general 

public to make informed decisions about the effects of predicted 

climate change and the future management of natural resources.

Figure 3.  Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) plotted with discharge

for 9 years on the Yukon River at Pilot Station, Alaska.

Victor Tonuchuk, Jr., 

a YRITWC volunteer, 

filtering a water 

sample on the 

shoreline of the 

Yukon River during 

peak spring flows, 

May 2008, 

Kotlik, Alaska.

10/1/200010/1/200110/1/200210/1/20039/30/20049/30/20059/30/20079/29/2008

0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

0

3

6

9

12

15

18

DISCHARGE, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND 

DISSOLVED ORGANIC CARBON, IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER 

Dissolved-organic carbon data collected from:

EXPLANATION

U.S. Geological Survey, 2000–2005

Discharge

Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council, 2006–2008

From left to right, Suzette Kimball, acting USGS Director, Clarence 

Alexander, Alaska Board Chairman (Yukon Flats), and Carl Sidney, 

Yukon Board Chairman, Dahka Tlingit Nation, signing a Memorandum 

of Understanding between the USGS and the YRITWC during closing 

ceremonies of the 7th Biennial Summit, Whitehorse, Yukon Territories, 

August 2009.

Mark Dornblaser, USGS (right), training Bryan Maracle, YRITWC, on the 

collection and proper technique for sampling greenhouse gases from 

water samples, USGS, National Research Program, Boulder, Colorado, 

research laboratory, October 2007.
References Cited

Hinzman and others, 2005, Evidence and implications of recent 

climate change in northern Alaska and other Arctic regions: 

Climatic Change, v. 72, no. 3, p. 251–298.

Jorgenson, M.T., Shur, Y.L., Pullman, E.R., 2006, Abrupt 

increase in permafrost degradation in Arctic Alaska: Geophysical Research Letters, v. 33, no. 2, 4 p.

Kane, E.S., Harden, J.W., Kasischke, E.S, Turetsky, M.R., and 

Manies, K.L., 2006, Soil drainage and topographic influences 

on wildfire consumption of soil organic carbon in boreal 

forests—Implications for carbon stability: Eos Transactions, 

American Geophysical Union, v. 87, no. 52, Fall Meeting 

Supplement, Abstract B21A-1011.

Striegl, R.G., Aiken, G.R., Dornblaser, M.M., Raymond, P.A., 

Wickland, K.P., 2005, A decrease in discharge-normalized 

DOC export by the Yukon River during summer through 

autumn: Geophysical Research Letters, v. 32, L21413.

Striegl, R.G., Dornblaser, M.M., Aiken, G.R., Wickland, 

K.P., and Raymond, P.A., 2007, Carbon export and cycling 

by the Yukon, Tanana, and Porcupine Rivers, Alaska, 

200 –2005: Water Resources Research, v. 43, W02411, 

doi:10.1029/2006WR005201, 9 p.

U.S. Geological Survey, variously dated, National field manual 

for the collection of water-quality data: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations, book 9, 

chaps. A1–A9, available online at http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/

twri9A.

Walvoord, M.A., and Striegl, R.G., 2007, Increased groundwater to stream discharge from permafrost thawing in the 

Yukon River basin—Potential impacts on lateral export of 

carbon and nitrogen: Geophysical Research Letters, v. 34, 

L12402.

Acknowledgments

It is an honor to acknowledge all the participating Tribes, 

First Nations, and members of local communities. Their dedication and investment to this partnership is a testament to the 

importance of environmental issues to Arctic communities.

Indigenous communities involved:

For additional information contact:

Paul F. Schuster 

U.S. Geological Survey 

3215 Marine Street, 

Suite E127 

Boulder, Colorado 80303 

Phone: (303) 541-3052 

Fax: (303 541-3084 

Email: pschuste@usgs.gov

Karonhiakta’tie Bryan Maracle 

Yukon River Inter-Tribal 

Watershed Council 

815 2nd Avenue

Fairbanks, Alaska 99701 

Phone: (907) 451-2546 

Fax: (907) 451-2534 

Email: bmaracle@yritwc.org

•	 Arctic Village Council

•	 Carcross Tagish First Nation

•	 Council of Athabascan 

Tribal Governments

•	 Eagle Traditional Council

•	 Gwichyaa Gwich’in Tribal 

Government

•	 Iqurmiut Tribal Council

•	 Kotlik Traditional Council

•	 Koyukuk Tribal Council

•	 Kwanlin Dun First Nation

•	 Little Salmon/Carmacks 

First Nation

•	 Louden Tribal Council

•	 Nacho Nyak Dun First 

Nation

•	 Ohogamiut Traditional 

Council

•	 Pilot Station Traditional 

Council

•	 Ruby Tribal Council

•	 Stebbins IRA Council

•	 Ta’an First Nation

•	 Taku River Tlingit First 

Nation

•	 Teslin Tlingit Council First 

Nation

•	 Tr’ondek Hwech’in First 

Nation

•	 Venetie Tribal Government

•	 Venetie Village Council

•	 Yupiit of Andreafski

Participants of the March 2008 training workshop for 

volunteer water technicians after completing an 

under-ice sampling in conjunction with a 

discharge measurement made by the 

USGS Fairbanks field office staff, 

Tanana River at Nenana, Alaska.