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AWRA Alaska Northern-Region Meetings
May 12 , 2011 Kimberly Wickland, An Overview of USGS hydrologic studies in the Yukon River basin , USGS, Boulder, CO | An Overview of USGS hydrologic studies in the Yukon River basin Kimberly Wickland, USGS, Boulder, CO Hydrology is changing across arctic and subarctic regions as a result of climate change and permafrost degradation. Biogeochemical cycling of carbon (C) and nutrients in terrestrial systems is also being affected. In an effort to better understand the effects of changing climate on hydrology and terrestrial-aquatic linkages of C and nutrients in interior Alaska, the U.S. Geological Survey launched a study of the Yukon River basin in 2001. The initial five-year study focused on quantifying discharge and characterizing water chemistry of the Yukon River and its major tributaries. Results from this study, combined with historical records, identified altered relationships between discharge and C transport, and increased contribution of groundwater to discharge. These findings have led to new research efforts aimed at understanding process-level connections among permafrost, hydrology, and the delivery of terrestrially-derived C and nutrients to aquatic systems across scales, from headwater catchments to the entire basin. An overview of the design and major results of the initial Yukon River study, and of current catchment-based studies will be presented.
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