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#           Changing Arctic Ecosystems      

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      By Alaska Science Center      January 3, 2024    

            -              Overview           
            -              Science           
            -              Data           
            -              Publications           

Arctic regions of Alaska are important for cultural and economic sustainability and host a wide variety of wildlife species, many of which are of conservation and management interest to the U.S. Department of the Interior. The USGS and collaborators provide information about Arctic ecosystems that are used by Arctic residents, management agencies, and industry.

**Return to Ecosystems**

The objectives of the USGS Changing Arctic Ecosystems Initiative are to:
                                - Quantify the responses of wildlife species and their habitats to ecosystem change in the Arctic through research and assessments,
                                - Provide projections of likely future wildlife and habitat responses, and
                                - Make information publicly available to inform land and species management decisions and Alaska Native subsistence and co-management council actions.   	 

**Arctic Ecosystem Assessments**

The USGS conducts natural hazard and resource assessments of the Earth’s ecosystems and the response of those ecosystems to environmental change, human activities, and land use. Information on recent assessments can be found in the fact sheet on USGS Arctic Ecosystems Assessments and in the publications below.

Additionally, a list of upcoming assessments is listed below:
                                - Behavioral responses of Central Arctic Herd to mitigation measures
                                - Effects of climate-induced variability on the behavior, distribution and demography of the Porcupine Caribou Herd
                                - Range expansion of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in Arctic Alaska relative to ecological change
                                - Population status of two rare taxa endemic to the central Bering Sea, Alaska: McKay’s Bunting and Pribilof Rock Sandpiper
                                - Assessing the effects of saxitoxin ingestion by Common Murres
                                - Demographic trend of the Pacific walrus, 2016-2024
                                - Quantifying body condition and relationships with reproductive success in Pacific walruses

**Decisions Informed by the USGS Changing Arctic Ecosystems Initiative**

Below are some examples of how this program is informing decision-making:
                                - Science for Oil and Gas Leasing-related Decisions                                    - Evaluating the efficacy of aerial infrared sensors to detect artificial polar bear
                                  - Effect of spring phenology on current and future space use patterns of the Porcupine Caribou Herd in northern Alaska and Canada
                                  - Summary of wildlife-related research on the Arctic Coastal Plain
                                  - Catalogue of polar bear maternal den locations in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas
                                  - Caribou use of habitat near energy development in Arctic Alaska
                                  - Seismic survey design and impacts to maternal polar bear dens
                                  - Determining priority habitats for molting waterfowl in the National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska 
                                - Science Informing Endangered Species Act Decisions and Recovery Planning                                    - Regional walrus abundance estimate in the United States Chukchi Sea in autumn
                                  - Analyses on Subpopulation Abundance and Annual Number of Maternal Dens for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Polar Bears (*Ursus maritimus*) in the Southern Beaufort Sea, Alaska
                                  - Polar bear distribution and habitat resource selection data
                                  - Ringed seal remain the main prey of southern Beaufort Sea polar bears 
                                - Science Informing the Status and Trends of Migratory Birds                                    - Response of forage plants to alteration of temperature and spring thaw date: implications for geese in a warming Arctic
                                  - Provided spatial and temporal maps of population change of waterbirds on Alaska’s North Slope
                                  - Tracking data for three loon species in the Arctic
                                  - Spatial distribution of band recoveries of black brant
                                  - Data and model-based estimates from Pacific brant fall age ratio surveys at Izembek Lagoon, Alaska 
                                - Science Informing the Status of Northern Ecosystems                                    - Survey of Arctic Alaskan wildlife for influenza A antibodies
                                  - Ice wedge degradation impacts water budgets and nutrient cycling in Arctic ponds
                                  - Surface water connectivity controls fish food web structure in Arctic Coastal Plain lakes
                                  - Response of Arctic forage plants to changes in temperature and spring thaw date
                                  - Willow drives changes in arthropod communities of northwestern Alaska and the ecological implications of shrub expansion 

### Study Area

### Contacts

#### John M. Pearce, Ph.D.

##### Associate Center Director for Ecosystems

Alaska Science Center

jpearce@usgs.gov

907-786-7094

### Explore Search

                      - Arctic
                      - Birds
                      - Wildlife Disease
                      - Alaska Bioregions and Arctic
                      - Fossil Fuels
                      - Marine Mammals
                      - Migratory Birds
                      - Wildlife Health
                      - Ecosystems
                      - Large-Scale Restoration Science
                      - Energy and Wildlife
                      - Wildlife and Terrestrial Species
                      - Changing Arctic Ecosystems
                      - Climate Change
                      - Biology
                      - Climate
                      - Ecosystems
                      - Arctic PES
                      - energy and wildlife
                      - fossil fuels
                      - Wildlife & Terrestrial Species
                      - migratory birds
                      - Marine Mammals

View All **

Below are other science projects associated with this project.

Below are data or web applications associated with this project.

April 2, 2024

####                 Water Temperature, Electrical Conductivity, and Salinity of Lagoons in the Beaufort Sea, Alaska, 2017-2019              

Alaska Science Center

September 8, 2023

####                 Diet Estimates of Southern Beaufort Sea Polar Bears, 2004-2016              

Alaska Science Center

September 5, 2023

####                 Mercury Concentrations, Diet, and Gut Microbiota Diversity of Southern Beaufort Sea Polar Bears, 2008-2019              

Alaska Science Center

July 6, 2023

####                 Southern Beaufort Sea Polar Bear Blood Based Analyte Data, 1983-2018              

Alaska Science Center

February 27, 2023

####                 Avian Point Transect Survey Data, Seward Peninsula, Alaska, 2012              

Alaska Science Center

February 27, 2023

####                 Avian Habitat Data; Seward Peninsula, Alaska, 2012              

Alaska Science Center

November 2, 2022

####                 Juvenile Shorebird Morphological Data Collected in Alaska and Canada              

Alaska Science Center

October 31, 2022

####                 Serological Survey Data for Francisella tularensis and Brucella spp. Exposure in Wildlife on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska              

Alaska Science Center

August 2, 2022

####                 Bivalve Shell Growth Indices, Chukchi Sea, Alaska, 1867-2015              

Alaska Science Center

July 22, 2022

####                 Metabolic Rates Measured in Three Captive Adult Female Walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) While Resting and Diving              

Alaska Science Center

July 11, 2022

####                 Tissue Concentrations and Congener Profiles of Harmful Algal Toxins in Seabirds, Forage Fish, and Other Organisms              

Alaska Science Center

July 8, 2022

####                 Tracking Data for Pacific Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens)              

Alaska Science Center

#### Pagination

-                Current page            1 
-                Page            2 
-                Page            3 
-                Page            4 
-  Next page›› 
-  Last pageLast » 

Below are publications associated with this project.

May 10, 2024

####                 Local environmental conditions structured discrete fish assemblages in Arctic lagoons              

Alaska Science Center

March 13, 2023

####                 Exploring effects of vessels on walrus behaviors using telemetry, automatic identification system data and matching              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Alaska Science Center

February 10, 2023

####                 High winds and melting sea ice trigger landward movement in a polar bear population of concern              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

February 8, 2023

####                 eDNA Metabarcoding Analyses of Diet in Yellow-Billed Loons of Northern Alaska              

Alaska Science Center

February 7, 2023

####                 Increasing Alaskan river discharge during the cold season is driven by recent warming              

Alaska Science Center

October 31, 2022

####                 Observed and forecasted changes in land use by polar bears in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, 1985–2040              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

October 27, 2022

####                 A serological survey of Francisella tularensis exposure in wildlife on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

August 2, 2022

####                 Sclerochronological records of environmental variability and bivalve growth in the Pacific Arctic              

Alaska Science Center

December 13, 2021

####                 Life-history attributes of Arctic-breeding birds drive uneven responses to environmental variability across different phases of the reproductive cycle              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

July 28, 2021

####                 Energetic and health effects of protein overconsumption constrain dietary adaptation in an apex predator              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center

July 20, 2021

####                 Response of forage plants to alteration of temperature and spring thaw date: Implications for geese in a warming Arctic              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Alaska Science Center

May 21, 2021

####                 Willow drives changes in arthropod communities of northwestern Alaska: Ecological implications of shrub expansion              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

#### Pagination

-                Current page            1 
-                Page            2 
-                Page            3 
-                Page            4 
-                Page            5 
-                Page            6 
-  Next page›› 
-  Last pageLast » 

Arctic regions of Alaska are important for cultural and economic sustainability and host a wide variety of wildlife species, many of which are of conservation and management interest to the U.S. Department of the Interior. The USGS and collaborators provide information about Arctic ecosystems that are used by Arctic residents, management agencies, and industry.

**Return to Ecosystems**

The objectives of the USGS Changing Arctic Ecosystems Initiative are to:
                                - Quantify the responses of wildlife species and their habitats to ecosystem change in the Arctic through research and assessments,
                                - Provide projections of likely future wildlife and habitat responses, and
                                - Make information publicly available to inform land and species management decisions and Alaska Native subsistence and co-management council actions.   	 

**Arctic Ecosystem Assessments**

The USGS conducts natural hazard and resource assessments of the Earth’s ecosystems and the response of those ecosystems to environmental change, human activities, and land use. Information on recent assessments can be found in the fact sheet on USGS Arctic Ecosystems Assessments and in the publications below.

Additionally, a list of upcoming assessments is listed below:
                                - Behavioral responses of Central Arctic Herd to mitigation measures
                                - Effects of climate-induced variability on the behavior, distribution and demography of the Porcupine Caribou Herd
                                - Range expansion of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in Arctic Alaska relative to ecological change
                                - Population status of two rare taxa endemic to the central Bering Sea, Alaska: McKay’s Bunting and Pribilof Rock Sandpiper
                                - Assessing the effects of saxitoxin ingestion by Common Murres
                                - Demographic trend of the Pacific walrus, 2016-2024
                                - Quantifying body condition and relationships with reproductive success in Pacific walruses

**Decisions Informed by the USGS Changing Arctic Ecosystems Initiative**

Below are some examples of how this program is informing decision-making:
                                - Science for Oil and Gas Leasing-related Decisions                                    - Evaluating the efficacy of aerial infrared sensors to detect artificial polar bear
                                  - Effect of spring phenology on current and future space use patterns of the Porcupine Caribou Herd in northern Alaska and Canada
                                  - Summary of wildlife-related research on the Arctic Coastal Plain
                                  - Catalogue of polar bear maternal den locations in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas
                                  - Caribou use of habitat near energy development in Arctic Alaska
                                  - Seismic survey design and impacts to maternal polar bear dens
                                  - Determining priority habitats for molting waterfowl in the National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska 
                                - Science Informing Endangered Species Act Decisions and Recovery Planning                                    - Regional walrus abundance estimate in the United States Chukchi Sea in autumn
                                  - Analyses on Subpopulation Abundance and Annual Number of Maternal Dens for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Polar Bears (*Ursus maritimus*) in the Southern Beaufort Sea, Alaska
                                  - Polar bear distribution and habitat resource selection data
                                  - Ringed seal remain the main prey of southern Beaufort Sea polar bears 
                                - Science Informing the Status and Trends of Migratory Birds                                    - Response of forage plants to alteration of temperature and spring thaw date: implications for geese in a warming Arctic
                                  - Provided spatial and temporal maps of population change of waterbirds on Alaska’s North Slope
                                  - Tracking data for three loon species in the Arctic
                                  - Spatial distribution of band recoveries of black brant
                                  - Data and model-based estimates from Pacific brant fall age ratio surveys at Izembek Lagoon, Alaska 
                                - Science Informing the Status of Northern Ecosystems                                    - Survey of Arctic Alaskan wildlife for influenza A antibodies
                                  - Ice wedge degradation impacts water budgets and nutrient cycling in Arctic ponds
                                  - Surface water connectivity controls fish food web structure in Arctic Coastal Plain lakes
                                  - Response of Arctic forage plants to changes in temperature and spring thaw date
                                  - Willow drives changes in arthropod communities of northwestern Alaska and the ecological implications of shrub expansion 

### Study Area

### Contacts

#### John M. Pearce, Ph.D.

##### Associate Center Director for Ecosystems

Alaska Science Center

jpearce@usgs.gov

907-786-7094

### Explore Search

                      - Arctic
                      - Birds
                      - Wildlife Disease
                      - Alaska Bioregions and Arctic
                      - Fossil Fuels
                      - Marine Mammals
                      - Migratory Birds
                      - Wildlife Health
                      - Ecosystems
                      - Large-Scale Restoration Science
                      - Energy and Wildlife
                      - Wildlife and Terrestrial Species
                      - Changing Arctic Ecosystems
                      - Climate Change
                      - Biology
                      - Climate
                      - Ecosystems
                      - Arctic PES
                      - energy and wildlife
                      - fossil fuels
                      - Wildlife & Terrestrial Species
                      - migratory birds
                      - Marine Mammals

View All **

Below are other science projects associated with this project.

Below are data or web applications associated with this project.

April 2, 2024

####                 Water Temperature, Electrical Conductivity, and Salinity of Lagoons in the Beaufort Sea, Alaska, 2017-2019              

Alaska Science Center

September 8, 2023

####                 Diet Estimates of Southern Beaufort Sea Polar Bears, 2004-2016              

Alaska Science Center

September 5, 2023

####                 Mercury Concentrations, Diet, and Gut Microbiota Diversity of Southern Beaufort Sea Polar Bears, 2008-2019              

Alaska Science Center

July 6, 2023

####                 Southern Beaufort Sea Polar Bear Blood Based Analyte Data, 1983-2018              

Alaska Science Center

February 27, 2023

####                 Avian Point Transect Survey Data, Seward Peninsula, Alaska, 2012              

Alaska Science Center

February 27, 2023

####                 Avian Habitat Data; Seward Peninsula, Alaska, 2012              

Alaska Science Center

November 2, 2022

####                 Juvenile Shorebird Morphological Data Collected in Alaska and Canada              

Alaska Science Center

October 31, 2022

####                 Serological Survey Data for Francisella tularensis and Brucella spp. Exposure in Wildlife on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska              

Alaska Science Center

August 2, 2022

####                 Bivalve Shell Growth Indices, Chukchi Sea, Alaska, 1867-2015              

Alaska Science Center

July 22, 2022

####                 Metabolic Rates Measured in Three Captive Adult Female Walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) While Resting and Diving              

Alaska Science Center

July 11, 2022

####                 Tissue Concentrations and Congener Profiles of Harmful Algal Toxins in Seabirds, Forage Fish, and Other Organisms              

Alaska Science Center

July 8, 2022

####                 Tracking Data for Pacific Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens)              

Alaska Science Center

#### Pagination

-                Current page            1 
-                Page            2 
-                Page            3 
-                Page            4 
-  Next page›› 
-  Last pageLast » 

Below are publications associated with this project.

May 10, 2024

####                 Local environmental conditions structured discrete fish assemblages in Arctic lagoons              

Alaska Science Center

March 13, 2023

####                 Exploring effects of vessels on walrus behaviors using telemetry, automatic identification system data and matching              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Alaska Science Center

February 10, 2023

####                 High winds and melting sea ice trigger landward movement in a polar bear population of concern              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

February 8, 2023

####                 eDNA Metabarcoding Analyses of Diet in Yellow-Billed Loons of Northern Alaska              

Alaska Science Center

February 7, 2023

####                 Increasing Alaskan river discharge during the cold season is driven by recent warming              

Alaska Science Center

October 31, 2022

####                 Observed and forecasted changes in land use by polar bears in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, 1985–2040              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

October 27, 2022

####                 A serological survey of Francisella tularensis exposure in wildlife on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

August 2, 2022

####                 Sclerochronological records of environmental variability and bivalve growth in the Pacific Arctic              

Alaska Science Center

December 13, 2021

####                 Life-history attributes of Arctic-breeding birds drive uneven responses to environmental variability across different phases of the reproductive cycle              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

July 28, 2021

####                 Energetic and health effects of protein overconsumption constrain dietary adaptation in an apex predator              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center

July 20, 2021

####                 Response of forage plants to alteration of temperature and spring thaw date: Implications for geese in a warming Arctic              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Alaska Science Center

May 21, 2021

####                 Willow drives changes in arthropod communities of northwestern Alaska: Ecological implications of shrub expansion              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

#### Pagination

-                Current page            1 
-                Page            2 
-                Page            3 
-                Page            4 
-                Page            5 
-                Page            6 
-  Next page›› 
-  Last pageLast »