The arctic tundra biome has been fluctuating in response to climate change during the last century. Wildlife, such as moose, snowshoe hares, and now beavers, have exploited the increase in their shrub habitat by extending their range from the boreal forest into the arctic tundra. Inundation from beaver ponds causes permafrost thaw, potentially altering streams and surrounding ecosystems more rapidly than climate change alone. To this end, satellite imagery from the last half-century will be used to detect the formation of beaver ponds and their subsequent impacts to the tundra environment. This project also uses satellite imagery to map the current habitat of beavers, moose, and snowshoe hares in the arctic tundra. This will be combined with models of future arctic climate and tundra vegetation to predict the future distribution of beavers and their impacts, as well as moose and snowshoe hares. Dr. Tape and a postdoctoral researcher will spend six months working on this project at Northern Arizona University with Dr. Scott Goetz and Dr. Logan Berner, who are experts in satellite image analysis. This is a valuable opportunity for Dr. Tape to work alongside these scientists and to develop useful spatial analysis tools to advance his career. Dr. Tape and his post-doctoral researcher will return to the University of Alaska Fairbanks with newfound expertise to bolster their careers and the research capacity in Alaska.
Technical Existing vegetation, permafrost, and freshwater model projections understandably do not include beavers, because they are not yet recognized as part of the arctic tundra environment. Given the profound impacts of beavers in other ecosystems, the arrival of beavers and their dramatic modifications to the tundra environment may signal a benchmark in the trajectory of arctic riparian and freshwater ecosystems that has gone unnoticed. This project uses a novel method involving remote sensing of beaver pond formation. The scientific goals of the proposed work are: (1) to use remote sensing to quantify beaver shrub habitat requirements at known beaver sites prior to their colonization using Landsat vegetation indices; (2) to identify potential beaver habitat across the uncolonized North Slope of Alaska by combining shrub habitat requirements for beavers and regional Landsat imagery; (3) to evaluate impacts of beaver colonization on vegetation and surface water using satellite imagery; and (4) to map future moose and snowshoe hare habitat on the North Slope of Alaska by combining known shrub habitat requirements and regional Landsat imagery. The project offers an exciting opportunity for a postdoctoral researcher and Dr. Tape to develop their tools for spatial analysis of time series satellite imagery with oversight from colleagues Dr. Scott Goetz and Dr. Logan Berner at Northern Arizona University. Dr. Tape and his postdoctoral researcher will return to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, increasing the visibility, perception, and research capacity in Alaska.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
