scholarly journals Aerial survey and telemetry data analysis of a peripheral caribou calving area in northwestern Alaska

Rangifer ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-58
Author(s):  
Alexander K. Prichard ◽  
Ryan L. Klimstra ◽  
Brian T. Person ◽  
Lincoln S. Parrett
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Development ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Aerial Survey ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Telemetry Data ◽  
Western Arctic ◽  
Data Source

With industrial development expanding in the Arctic, there is increasing interest in quantifying the impacts of development projects on barren ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus granti). The primary data source to assess caribou distribution and predict impacts in remote areas of Alaska has shifted in recent decades from aerial survey data to telemetry data, but these techniques have different strengths and weaknesses. The ranges of two caribou herds, the Western Arctic Herd and the Teshekpuk Herd, overlap in northwest Alaska between Wainwright and Atqasuk, Alaska. Based on long-term telemetry data sets, this region was thought to be outside of the core calving ranges of both herds. Calving has long been reported to occur in this general area, but early reports assumed caribou were from the Western Arctic Herd and only one systematic aerial survey of caribou density and distribution during calving has been conducted in this area in recent decades. Following interest in industrial development in this area, we conducted aerial strip-transect surveys during early to mid-June 2013–2015 to directly assess the density and distribution of caribou in the area and we used existing telemetry data to compare our results to the seasonal distribution of both herds. Total caribou densities varied between 0.36 and 1.06 caribou/km² among years, and calf densities varied 0.04 and 0.25 calves/km² among years. Contrary to assumptions by early researchers in the area, telemetry data indicated that caribou in this area during early to mid-June were from the Teshekpuk Herd. The use of telemetry data alone underestimated the importance of this area for calving, but the combination of aerial surveys and telemetry data provided complementary information on caribou use of this area showing the importance of collecting the appropriate types of data for assessing potential impacts of development on caribou.

scholarly journals Revising the retrieval technique of a long-term stratospheric HNO<sub>3</sub> data set: from a constrained matrix inversion to the optimal estimation algorithm

2011 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 1317-1330 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Fiorucci ◽  
G. Muscari ◽  
R. L. de Zafra
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Estimation ◽  
Matrix Inversion ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Inversion Method ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Vertical Profiles ◽  
Mixing Ratio ◽  
Data Set ◽  
The Antarctic

Abstract. The Ground-Based Millimeter-wave Spectrometer (GBMS) was designed and built at the State University of New York at Stony Brook in the early 1990s and since then has carried out many measurement campaigns of stratospheric O3, HNO3, CO and N2O at polar and mid-latitudes. Its HNO3 data set shed light on HNO3 annual cycles over the Antarctic continent and contributed to the validation of both generations of the satellite-based JPL Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS). Following the increasing need for long-term data sets of stratospheric constituents, we resolved to establish a long-term GMBS observation site at the Arctic station of Thule (76.5° N, 68.8° W), Greenland, beginning in January 2009, in order to track the long- and short-term interactions between the changing climate and the seasonal processes tied to the ozone depletion phenomenon. Furthermore, we updated the retrieval algorithm adapting the Optimal Estimation (OE) method to GBMS spectral data in order to conform to the standard of the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC) microwave group, and to provide our retrievals with a set of averaging kernels that allow more straightforward comparisons with other data sets. The new OE algorithm was applied to GBMS HNO3 data sets from 1993 South Pole observations to date, in order to produce HNO3 version 2 (v2) profiles. A sample of results obtained at Antarctic latitudes in fall and winter and at mid-latitudes is shown here. In most conditions, v2 inversions show a sensitivity (i.e., sum of column elements of the averaging kernel matrix) of 100 ± 20 % from 20 to 45 km altitude, with somewhat worse (better) sensitivity in the Antarctic winter lower (upper) stratosphere. The 1σ uncertainty on HNO3 v2 mixing ratio vertical profiles depends on altitude and is estimated at ~15 % or 0.3 ppbv, whichever is larger. Comparisons of v2 with former (v1) GBMS HNO3 vertical profiles, obtained employing the constrained matrix inversion method, show that v1 and v2 profiles are overall consistent. The main difference is at the HNO3 mixing ratio maximum in the 20–25 km altitude range, which is smaller in v2 than v1 profiles by up to 2 ppbv at mid-latitudes and during the Antarctic fall. This difference suggests a better agreement of GBMS HNO3 v2 profiles with both UARS/ and EOS Aura/MLS HNO3 data than previous v1 profiles.

The pineal gland signals autumn to reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) exposed to the continuous daylight of the Arctic summer

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (5) ◽  
pp. 904-909 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl-Arne Stokkan ◽  
Nicholas J. C. Tyler ◽  
Russel J. Reiter
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Concentration ◽  
Pineal Gland ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Continuous Light ◽  
Day Length ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Dark Phase ◽  
Short Period

Plasma melatonin concentrations were measured in blood samples taken hourly for 24–30 h once each month for 1 year in four male semidomesticated reindeer. The animals, which included two long-term castrates, were exposed to natural light and temperature conditions at 69°46′N throughout the study. Melatonin levels were individually variable but did not differ systematically between the castrated and the intact animals. In months characterized by a marked diel light–dark cycle, the plasma concentration of melatonin varied throughout the day; levels were high during the dark phase and low during the light phase. In summer (May, June, and July), when daylight was continuous, and in December, when there was only a short period of twilight in the middle of the day, the pooled hourly mean levels of melatonin did not change significantly across 24 h. However, though the light was continuous, the intensity varied markedly between day and night in summer and all animals showed a slight increase in the plasma concentration of melatonin around midnight in July. In addition, daily secretion of melatonin increased from an annual minimum of 66–84 pg/24 h in June and July to an annual maximum of 525 pg/24 h in August when day length began to decrease from 24 h. We suggest that exposure to continuous light throughout the polar summer reduces the sensitivity of the reindeer pineal gland to light and that, consequently, the drop in light intensity around midnight stimulates secretion of melatonin, which in turn provides photoperiodic information even during periods of continuous daylight. It appears, likewise, that the melatonin profile is enhanced in August, signalling a longer night than that actually experienced. In these two ways, reindeer may receive sufficient photoperiodic information to trigger short-day responses, such as development of the gonads, while still exposed to long days and thus compensate for the late onset of short days in autumn, which is characteristic of high latitudes.

scholarly journals Renewable energy and green construction in the Arctic

2020 ◽  
Vol 207 ◽  
pp. 02008
Author(s):  
Violetta Gassiy ◽  
Vasiliy Stoikov
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Industrial Development ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Solar Panels ◽  
Green Technologies ◽  
Green Construction ◽  
Northern Regions ◽  
Northern Territories ◽  
Definition Of

In the paper the issues on the renewable energy and green construction in the Arctic are considered. The authors analyze the premises of the green construction in the Northern territories. They propose that the Arctic could be seen as the innovative platform to test the newest technologies for construction and energy generation. The factors impacted on the industrial development are also researched. The authors assess the modern trends of the Arctic construction sphere using the data on housing development, energy consumption etc. They justify that to increase the production of thermal energy in the northern regions of Russia, the green technologies development is the most profitable and long-term. Moreover, the definition of “green technologies” includes not only wooden construction and solar panels, but also many other quite affordable technologies. In the Conclusions the results of the research are performed, including the recommendations on the green construction development considering the specificity of the Arctic territories.

scholarly journals Preliminary seismic hazard assessment of the Arctic Gakkel ridge and surrounding

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-45
Author(s):  
Bela Assinovskaya ◽  
Natal’ia Panas ◽  
Galina Antonovskaya
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Hazard ◽  
Hazard Assessment ◽  
Industrial Development ◽  
Seismic Hazard Assessment ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Seismogenic Zone ◽  
Earthquake Catalog ◽  
Gakkel Ridge ◽  
Study Region

This study describes primary data, methods of estimation and final results of the preliminary seismic hazard assessment in the region of the Gakkel Ridge that is a northernmost seismogenic zone of the Earth. According to geological data, the region is considered potentially oil and gas, but its industrial development has not yet begun. These authors for the Baltic Sea did the similar work earlier. At the first stage of this study, the earthquake catalog unified in magnitude Mw was compiled for the period from 1912 to 2014. Information on seismic events from historical sources and the ISC catalog was used, as well as the results of observations of the Arkhangelsk seismic network in the Arctic for 2014–2018. The representative part of earthquake data was revealed and the seismic regime has been studied. By seismicity origin, the region is divided into the highly active rift zone of the Gakkel Ridge and the continental slopes of the Barents, Kara and eastern Laptev seas with weaker activity, separated and framed by aseismic areas like the Nansen, Amundsen basins and the Lomonosov Ridge. The seismic zoning of the study region was carried out based on structural analysis of geological and geophysical data. The mapping of probabilistic seismic hazard in terms of maximum accelerations of PGA soil movements for a return period of 500 and 100 years (10% probability of exceedance in the next 50 and 10 years) was conducted using the CRISIS program. As expected, the most dangerous was the Gakkel zone about 200 km wide.

Advances in the HadCRUT5 record of global near-surface temperatures since 1850

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin Morice ◽  
John Kennedy ◽  
Nick Rayner ◽  
Jonathan Winn ◽  
Emma Hogan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Measurement Errors ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Observation Data ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Temperature Records

&lt;p&gt;The new HadCRUT5 data set combines meteorological station air temperature records with sea-surface temperature measurements in a data set of near-surface temperature anomalies from the year 1850 to present. Major developments in HadCRUT5 include: updates to underpinning observation data holdings; use of an updated assessment of the impacts of changing marine measurement methods; and adoption of a statistical gridding method to extend estimates into sparsely observed regions of the globe, such as the Arctic. The data are presented as a 200-member ensemble that spans the assessed uncertainty associated with adjustments for long-term observational biases, observing platform measurement errors and the interaction of observational sampling with gridding methods. The impacts of methodological changes in HadCRUT5 on diagnostics of the global climate will be discussed and compared to results derived from other state-of-the-art global data sets.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Diets of Overwintering Caribou, Rangifer tarandus, Track Decadal Changes in Arctic Tundra Vegetation

2007 ◽  
Vol 121 (4) ◽  
pp. 379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle Joly ◽  
M. Jeanie Cole ◽  
Randi R. Jandt
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Arctic Ecosystems ◽  
Fecal Analysis ◽  
Tundra Vegetation ◽  
Western Arctic ◽  
Winter Diets ◽  
Long Term Studies

We compared winter diets of Western Arctic Herd Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) from 1995/1996 and 2005 using microhistological fecal analysis on samples collected at paired permanent vegetation transects. Changes in the diets of Caribou followed the same trends as vegetative changes documented in long-term studies in northwestern Alaska. Lichens were significantly less prevalent on the landscape and in the winter diets of Caribou between 1995/1996 and 2005, while graminoids (grasses and sedges) were significantly more prevalent. Dramatic changes are forecasted for Arctic ecosystems under global warming scenarios which may continue the trend of declining lichens in northwestern Alaska and in the diet of Western Arctic Herd Caribou. The question of whether or not the altered diet will affect the population dynamics of this herd remains unresolved.

scholarly journals Selection of calving sites by Porcupine herd caribou

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (7) ◽  
pp. 1736-1743 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. G. Fancy ◽  
K. R. Whitten
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Plain ◽  
Industrial Development ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Yukon Territory ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
National Wildlife Refuge ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Potential Development ◽  
Calf Mortality ◽  
Selection Of

Characteristics of 305 calving sites used by 131 different radio-collared caribou (Rangifer tarandus) cows from the Porcupine herd in northeastern Alaska and the northern Yukon Territory were investigated between 1983 and 1990 to determine the factors influencing calving site selection. Cows selected areas north of the foothills primarily to reduce exposure of calves to predators. Sites dominated by Eriophorum tussocks were selected secondarily for access to newly emerging vegetation. Highest calf mortality occurred in years when snowmelt was relatively late and calving occurred closer to the foothills and in Canada. Industrial development of the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge could increase calf mortality if calving were displaced south and east of potential development areas.

scholarly journals Status, population fluctuations and ecological relationships of Peary caribou on the Queen Elizabeth Islands: Implications for their survival

Rangifer ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank L. Miller ◽  
Anne Gunn
Keyword(s):  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Canadian Arctic ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Aerial Survey ◽  
Partial Recovery ◽  
Population Fluctuations ◽  
Ovibos Moschatus ◽  
Ecological Relationships ◽  
The Status

The Peary caribou (Rangifer tarandus pearyi) was recognized as 'Threatened' by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada in 1979 and 'Endangered' in 1991. It is the only member of the deer family (Cervidae) found on the Queen Elizabeth Islands (QEI) of the Canadian High Arctic. The Peary caribou is a significant part of the region's biodiversity and a socially important and economically valuable part of Arctic Canada's natural heritage. Recent microsatellite DNA findings indicate that Peary caribou on the QEI are distinct from caribou on the other Arctic Islands beyond the QEI, including Banks Island. This fact must be kept in mind if any translocation of caribou to the QEI is proposed. The subspecies is too gross a level at which to recognize the considerable diversity that exists between Peary caribou on the QEI and divergent caribou on other Canadian Arctic Islands. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada should take this considerable diversity among these caribou at below the subspecies classification to mind when assigning conservation divisions (units) to caribou on the Canadian Arctic Islands. In summer 1961, the first and only nearly range-wide aerial survey of Peary caribou yielded a population estimate on the QEI of 25 845, including about 20% calves. There was a strong preference for range on the western QEI (WEQI), where 94% (24 363) of the estimated caribou occurred on only 24% (ca. 97 000 km2) of the collective island-landmass. By summer 1973, the overall number of Peary caribou on the QEI had decreased markedly and was estimated at about 7000 animals. The following winter and spring (1973-74), the Peary caribou population declined 49% on the WQEI. The estimated number dropping to &lt;3000, with no calves seen by us in summer 1974. Based on estimates from several aerial surveys conducted on the WQEI from 1985 to 1987, the number of Peary caribou on the QEI as a whole was judged to be 3300-3600 or only about 13-14% of the 1961 estimate. After a partial recovery in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Peary caribou on the WQEI declined drastically between 1994 and 1997 and were estimated at an all-time known low of about 1100 animals by summer 1997. The number of Peary caribou on the QEI in summer 1997 was likely no more than 2000-2400 or only 8-9% of the 1961 estimate. The four known major die-offs of Peary caribou on the WQEI between 1973 and 1997 occurred during winter and spring periods (1 Sep-21 Jun) with significantly greater (P&lt;0.005) total snowfall, when compared to the long-term mean obtained from 55 caribou-years (1 Jul-30 Jun), 1947/48-2001/02, of weather records from Resolute Airport on Cornwallis Island. Of ecological significance is that the die-offs occurred when the caribou were at low mean overall densities and involved similar high annual rates of loss among muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus). All of the available evidence indicates that Peary caribou (and muskoxen) on the QEI experienced die-offs from prolonged, under-nutrition (starvation) caused by relative unavailability of forage-the forage was there but it was inaccessible to the caribou due to snow and/or ice cover. We cannot control the severe weather that greatly restricts the forage supply but we should try to reduce the losses of Peary caribou from other sources-humans, predators and competitors.

A molecular–morphological approach solves taxonomic controversy in arctic Draba (Brassicaceae)

2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Cathrine Scheen ◽  
Reidar Elven ◽  
Christian Brochmann
Keyword(s):  
Large Population ◽  
Genotypic Diversity ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Conclusive Evidence ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Morphological Approach ◽  
Isozyme Loci ◽  
Autogamous Species

We used a combined molecular and morphological approach to solve a long-term controversy in the taxonomically complex genus Draba L. (Brassicaceae): the delimitation of Draba lactea Adams versus Draba fladnizensis Wulfen. We also tested hypotheses on the origin of D. lactea, which has been reported as hexaploid and possibly derived from the diploids D. fladnizensis, Draba nivalis Liljeblad, and (or) Draba subcapitata Simmons. In an initial analysis of large population samples of three of these autogamous species, intrapopulational isozyme variation was low or absent (mean genotypic diversity, D, was 0.10), the diploids were almost invariably homozygous, and D. lactea was highly fixed-heterozygous. In the main analysis, we examined 35–47 populations of the four tentative species from the arctic archipelago of Svalbard for variation in isozymes, random amplified polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), and 36 morphological characters. Multivariate analyses of the RAPD data revealed four very distinct groups of multilocus phenotypes. These groups also differed in several morphological characters and corresponded to the four tentative species. The species were less differentiated at isozyme loci, in particular the diploids D. fladnizensis and D. subcapitata, but D. lactea was clearly distinguished from D. fladnizensis based on all three data sets. Contrary to most earlier suggestions, the hexaploid D. lactea was genetically more similar to D. subcapitata than to D. nivalis, but our analyses of the material from Svalbard did not give conclusive evidence on the origin of this widespread arctic hexaploid.Key words: arctic, Draba, isozymes, morphology, polyploidy, RAPDs.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document