The potential is high for many of the shallow ponds, streams, and wetlands in the state upon which human communities and wildlife depend to drain and disappear as the ice-rich ground below them melts. At the same time this melting may increase wetlands in unexpected locations and significantly impact rivers, lakes, deltas, and coastal marine environments as sediments deposit in them. In both cases, the stability of ecological systems people depend on to support their livelihoods and infrastructures is at risk. Second, dynamics of water availability and use in Alaska, in particular, the seasonal effects on its residents are not fully understood. During the winter months, much of the near-surface freshwater exists in the solid phase and is not available for use while in the spring the region is vulnerable to flooding. Such unpredictability makes residents less able to use this valuable resource for wilderness fires, resource extraction projects, and drinking water. Furthermore, the urban-rural dynamic of the state poses obstacles to water security, dependable potable water, for all of its citizens. This theme is an effort to engage a broad range of people related to the water issues of Alaska and the Arctic.
Contact the theme leaders to get involved: Amy Tidwell, IPY Postdoctoral Fellow with the Water and Environmental Research Center (UAF) Dan White, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director of the Institute of Northern Engineering (UAF)
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