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As the Arctic and its rivers continue to warm, a better understanding of the possible future impacts on people would benefit from close partnership with Indigenous communities and scientists from diverse fields of study. We present efforts by the Arctic Rivers Project to conduct community‐engaged research to increase collective understanding of the historical and potential future impacts of climate change on rivers, fish, and Indigenous communities. Working in central to northern Alaska and the Yukon Territory in Canada, the project seeks to engage with Indigenous communities in ethical and equitable ways to produces science that is useful, useable, and used that may serve as an example for future research efforts. Toward this goal, we formed an Indigenous Advisory Council and together developed project‐specific knowledge co‐production protocols. This paper provides a novel model of design and implementation to co‐produce knowledge with communities across a large study domain. Plain Language Summary: The Arctic and rivers located in the Arctic and subarctic are warming due to climate change. To understand the impacts this warming will have on people, partnering with impacted Indigenous communities in the region is important. It is also important that these partnerships are ethical and equitable and produce science that is actionable. This paper discusses efforts undertaken by a specific project, the Arctic Rivers Project, to conduct ethical and equitable research with Indigenous communities and generate science that is useful to those communities. Through this research our goal is to better understand potential future impacts of climate change on rivers, fish, and Indigenous communities in central northern Alaska and the Yukon Territory in Canada. To achieve this goal, the project formed an Indigenous Advisory Council (IAC) and together developed guidelines for how we can work collaboratively with Indigenous communities. Our specific process of forming an IAC and guidelines is, to our knowledge, a new way to approach collaborative research when working across a large geographic area. We present our process here so that it may provide an example for other research efforts. Key Points: Arctic climate information can be made useful, useable, and used by equitably accounting for diverse community adaptation needs through knowledge co‐productionInstitutional and community capacity, including means and ability, is necessary for equitable knowledge co‐production to occurWe present an approach for co‐producing knowledge with Indigenous communities that can serve as an example for other scientific efforts [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a collaboration between a visual artist and geoscientists, who together viewed the same rugged, high mountain landscape through different, yet complementary, lenses. We pair scientific mapping and historic comparative photography with a series of site-specific sculptural installations to interpret the dramatic geological changes that occurred at Kaskawulsh Glacier, Yukon, in the spring of 2016. In the summer of that year, artist K.A. Colorado accompanied geoscientists D.H. Shugar, J.J. Clague, and J.L. Best to the terminus of Kaskawulsh Glacier, as well as Kluane Lake downstream of the glacier, to document the landscape changes that occurred earlier in the year. The Boundary images were created as on-site, three-dimensional, artistic interpretations of the markedly changed boundaries that occurred as a result of climate-induced glacier retreat and the sudden subcontinental-scale reorganization of drainage. Both the scientific study conducted by the geomorphologists and the art installations created by the artist were performed simultaneously. The Boundary installation art project, together with satellite imagery and historical photographs, conveys the death of Slims River as a result of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the paper entitled "Normalising Catastrophe: An Educational Response," by Bob Jickling which addresses the effects of climate change on the Yukon. It says that Jickling focuses on the globalised connections to the contradictions and thematic of policies and activisms. It mentions that Jickling argued that normalisation is as personalisation of education as remedial tools remain inevitably problematic.

Alpine headwaters in subarctic regions are particularly sensitive to climate change, yet there is little information on stream thermal regimes in these areas and how they might respond to global warming. In this paper, we characterize and compare the hydrological and thermal regimes of two subarctic headwater alpine streams within an empirical framework. The streams investigated are located within two adjacent catchments with similar geology, size, elevation and landscape, Granger Creek (GC) and Buckbrush Creek (BB), which are part of the Wolf Creek Research Basin in the Yukon Territory, Canada. Hydrometeorological and high‐resolution stream temperature data were collected throughout summer 2016. Both sites exhibited a flow regime typical of cold alpine headwater catchments influenced by frozen ground and permafrost. Comparatively, GC was characterized by a flashier response with more extreme flows, than BB. In both sites, stream temperature was highly variable and very responsive to short‐term changes in climatic conditions. On average, stream temperature in BB was slightly higher than in GC (respectively 5.8 and 5.7°C), but less variable (average difference between 75th and 25th quantiles of 1.6 and 2.0°C). Regression analysis between mean daily air and stream temperature suggested that a greater relative (to stream flow) groundwater contribution in BB could more effectively buffer atmospheric fluctuations. Heat fluxes were derived and utilized to assess their relative contribution to the energy balance. Overall, non‐advective fluxes followed a daily pattern highly correlated to short‐wave radiation. G1enerally, solar radiation and latent heat were respectively the most important heat source and sink, while air–water interface processes were major factors driving nighttime stream temperature fluctuations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores a particular experience of cultural bridging between the Heritage Department of the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in (TH) First Nation and academics and government funders taking part in the 2007 - 09 International Polar Year. The TH Heritage Department acted as lead researcher on the project entitled Documenting Traditional Knowledge in Relation to Climate Change. TH Heritage staff spearheaded and largely carried out the project work. Academic researchers, acting as contractors, collaborated in some project activities and produced academic papers summarizing the work. This collaboration provided a rare opportunity for the TH Heritage Department to share the research it has conducted for more than a decade in the broader, institutional context of university and government research. Its success highlights the fact that relationships between these partners are evolving and becoming more equitable: First Nations research is receiving more support, and the corpus of mainstream knowledge is changing, allowing different bodies of work to "count" as knowledge. This paper analyzes some of the differences between TH Heritage approaches to its mandate for gathering and sharing Traditional Knowledge (TK) and the understandings and uses of TK by other governments and by university-based academics. On the basis of project results and recent policy developments in northern governance and research, it makes practical recommendations for reconciling knowledge approaches and building mutually supportive research relationships between First Nations, academics, and government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. This paper documents an exceptional research partnership developed between the Vuntut Gwitchin Government (VGG) in Old Crow, Yukon, with a group of scientists to examine northern food security and health as part of a larger, multidisciplinary International Polar Year (IPY) research program. We focus on the elements that enabled a successful community-researcher relationship. Study design. The VGG led the development of the research and acted as Principal Investigator on the IPY grant. The multidisciplinary collaboration spanned the physical, biological and health sciences, including issues related to food security. Methods. The food security and health component of this research was carried out using a series of complementary methods, including focus groups, structured interviews, a household questionnaire, an interactive workshop, community meetings, transcript analysis and a caribou flesh exposure assessment. Results. Results from the food security component are informing local and regional adaptation planning. The legacy of the research collaboration includes a number of results-based outputs for a range of stakeholders, a community-based environmental monitoring program, long-term research relationships and improved community capacity. Conclusions. The type of collaboration described here provides a useful model for new types of participatory health research with northern communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent interest in sustainable forest management planning in the Yukon has coincided with growing public awareness of climate change, providing an opportunity to explore how forestry plans are incorporating climate change. In this paper, the Strategic Forest Management Plans for the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations Traditional Territory (CATT) and the Teslin Tlingit Traditional Territory (TTTT) are examined for evidence of adaptation to climate change. For each plan, management policies and practices that are also recognized as ways to adapt to climate change are identified to provide information on the incremental costs and benefits of additional adaptation efforts. A typology for classifying sustainable forest management plans according to how they address climate change is proposed and applied to the CATT and TTTT plans. This typology, which may be useful to any future retrospective assessments on how successful these or other sustainable forest management plans have been in addressing and managing the risks posed by climate change, consists of a matrix that categorizes plans into one of four types; (1) proactive-direct, (2) proactive-indirect, (3) reactive-direct, and (4) reactive-indirect. Neither of the plans available for the southern Yukon explicitly identifies climate change vulnerabilities and actions that will be taken to reduce those vulnerabilities and manage risks. However, both plans have incorporated some examples of 'best management practices' for sustainable forest management that are also consistent with appropriate climate adaptation responses. Even in a jurisdiction facing rapid ecological changes driven by climate change, where there is a relatively high level of awareness of climate change and its implications, forestry planning processes have yet to grapple directly with the risks that climate change may pose to the ability of forest managers to achieve the stated goals and objectives of sustainable forest management plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radar altimetry has been used to monitor sea level changes and ice sheet elevation changes for decades. Over mountain glaciers, radar altimetry has limited applications due to contaminated waveforms caused by complex glacier surfaces and steep terrains. In this study, we develop a glacier‐threshold method (GTM) to determine glacier elevation changes in Alaska and Yukon. The GTM retracks waveforms, reduces terrain effect and detects invalid elevation observations from the TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P) and Jason‐2 (J2) altimeters, resulting in an average usable rate of 35% from original altimeter‐measured heights. The selected measurements are used to construct time series of glacier elevation changes over 1993–2002 (T/P) and 2008–2016 (J2) at 47 sites. A crossover analysis, validation by airborne laser altimetry observations, and comparisons with recent studies confirm the estimated glacier elevation changes. Our findings suggest that the thinning of glaciers in Alaska and Yukon has been ubiquitous in recent years. The site near Walsh Glacier has the highest thinning rate of −5.71 ± 0.09 m/yr, followed by Chitina Glacier at −4.51 ± 0.21 m/yr. Only 17% of sites show glacier thickening due to surges and mass accumulations. Using a sophisticated data processing algorithm like the GTM, we show that altimeter data from the repeat TOPEX‐Jason missions can be used to monitor long‐term glacier elevation changes at inaccessible spots, creating an additional value for altimeter missions originally purposed for monitoring long‐term sea level change. Plain Language Summary: Satellite radar altimetry is an important observation technology to determine changes in surface elevations. However, altimeter measurement accuracy is very sensitive to terrain complexity, especially over mountain glaciers. Here, we present a glacier‐threshold method (GTM) to investigate the glacier elevation changes in Alaska and Yukon, using TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P) and Jason‐2 (J2) altimeter measurements. Internal and external measurement assessments show that the GTM enables us to retrieve precise changes in glacier elevations and improve the usable rate of original radar elevation observations. During the recent study period, the vast majority of Alaska and Yukon glaciers' elevations are rapidly declining. But in fewer glacier accumulation areas and over glaciers with active surface processes, the glacier elevations are rising. Environmental factors analysis shows that Pacific decadal oscillation, temperature, precipitation, surges, altitudes and locations of glaciers are responsible for the asynchronously spatiotemporal glacier elevation changes. All these findings from the repeat‐track radar altimetry and the GTM help to improve our knowledge about Alaska and Yukon glacier processes. Key Points: Glacier‐threshold method retrieves Alaska and Yukon glacier elevation changes using approximately 35% of repeated altimeter measurementsAlaska and Yukon have recently experienced notable glacier thinning, with the highest rate of −5.71 ± 0.09 m/yr near Walsh GlacierPacific decadal oscillation, surges, altitudes, and glacier locations affect Alaska and Yukon glacier elevation change pattern [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The northern circumpolar permafrost region is experiencing considerable warming due to climate change, which is allowing agricultural production to expand into regions of discontinuous and continuous permafrost. The conversion of forests to arable land might further enhance permafrost thaw and affect soil organic carbon (SOC) that had previously been protected by frozen ground. The interactive effect of permafrost abundance and deforestation on SOC stocks has hardly been studied. In this study, soils were sampled on 18 farms across the Yukon on permafrost and non‐permafrost soils to quantify the impact of land‐use change from forest to cropland and grassland on SOC stocks. Furthermore, the soils were physically and chemically fractionated to assess the impact of land‐use change on different functional pools of SOC. On average, permafrost‐affected forest soils lost 15.6 ± 21.3% of SOC when converted to cropland and 23.0 ± 13.0% when converted to grassland. No permafrost was detected in the deforested soils, indicating that land‐use change strongly enhanced warming and subsequent thawing. In contrast, the change in SOC at sites without permafrost was not significant but had a slight tendency to be positive. SOC stocks were generally lower at sites without permafrost under forest. Furthermore, land‐use change increased mineral‐associated SOC, while the fate of particulate organic matter (POM) after land‐use change depended on permafrost occurrence. Permafrost soils showed significant POM losses after land‐use change, while grassland sites without permafrost gained POM in the topsoil. The results showed that the fate of SOC after land‐use change greatly depended on the abundance of permafrost in the pristine forest, which was driven by climatic conditions more than by soil properties. It can be concluded that in regions of discontinuous permafrost in particular, initial conditions in forest soils should be considered before deforestation to minimize its climate impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major achievement in research supported by the Kluane Lake Research Station was the recovery, in 2001 - 02, of a suite of cores from the icefields of the central St. Elias Mountains, Yukon, by teams of researchers from Canada, the United States, and Japan. This project led to the development of parallel, long (10³ - 104 year) ice-core r ecords of climate and atmospheric change over an altitudinal range of more than 2 km, from the Eclipse Icefield (3017 m) to the ice-covered plateau of Mt. Logan (5340 m). These efforts built on earlier work recovering single ice cores in this region. Comparison of these records has allowed for variations in climate and atmospheric composition to be linked with changes in the vertical structure and dynamics of the North Pacific atmosphere, providing a unique perspective on these changes over the Holocene. Owing to their privileged location, cores from the St. Elias Icefields also contain a remarkably detailed record of aerosols from various sources around or across the North Pacific. In this paper we review major scientific findings from the study of St. Elias Mountain ice cores, focusing on five main themes: (1) The record of stable water isotopes (δ18O, δD), which has unique characteristics that differ from those of Greenland, other Arctic ice cores, and even among sites in the St. Elias; (2) the snow accumulation history; (3) the record of pollen, biomass burning aerosol, and desert dust deposition; (4) the record of long-range air pollutant deposition (sulphate and lead); and (5) the record of paleo-volcanism. Our discussion draws on studies published since 2000, but based on older ice cores from the St. Elias Mountains obtained in 1980 and 1996. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Concern has been expressed regarding the impacts of climate change on freshwater aquatic ecosystems in arctic regions. Populated with lakes controlled by flooding from spring break-up ice jams, arctic deltas such as the Mackenzie Delta in northern Canada are particularly sensitive to changing ice break-up conditions and the hydroclimatic controls on break-up and ice-jam flooding. An understanding of these controls is necessary for assessing future climate change effects. This paper presents an assessment of hydroclimatic conditions controlling break-up over the period 1974–2006, with a focus on extreme flood events. Both the upstream driving force, capturing elements of the spring discharge hydrograph, and the downstream resistance force, describing the competence of the downstream ice cover, were quantified with reference to the Mackenzie River at Arctic Red River hydrometric station such that the contribution of each to the severity and timing of break-up could be explored. Results show that the severity of peak break-up stage is most influenced by upstream discharge and the balance between upstream and downstream melt, while timing is related to delta ice conditions and the rise of the spring hydrograph. The highest peak stage events require a rapid rise in discharge and high peak discharge. Minimal downstream melting degree-days and greater ice thickness are also important, although no relationship of these appears to control the level of backwater produced from broken ice and ice jamming effects. The pattern of rapid (protracted) upstream melt and lower (higher) intensity melt in the delta characterizes the highest (lowest) break-up events. For the most severe events, upstream forces are important in controlling discharge-driven events, while an altered hydrologic response occurring for ice-driven events was noted, meriting future examination. Finally, trends toward a longer prebreak-up melt interval, lower peak discharge, rate of rise in discharge, and ice thickness, and higher freeze-up stage were observed, with greater variability of these controls and break-up severity in the most recent decade. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Forestry Chronicle is the property of Canadian Institute of Forestry and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Central Alaska and Yukon represent the longest continuously inhabited region in the Americas, with a rich record of research on technology, subsistence, and decision-making spanning over 14,000 years. Still, archaeologists debate whether the changes observed in the material and paleodemographic record can be interpreted as the result of environmental influences. This paper presents a multivariate analysis of regional occupation chronology, paleodemography, site placement, and climate data to investigate how past populations were affected by climate change. This research shows that populations were larger than expected at some of the earliest periods and that significant climatic and environmental events do not correspond with significant population decreases as researchers have previously argued. Changes in land use were gradual and unidirectional, with decreases in average site slope, increases in average site size, and consistent average site elevation through time. Trends in land use and paleodemography correspond to cultural phases assigned by regional experts, though environmental shifts undoubtedly played a role in shaping land use and culture throughout the past. This research has possible implications for our understanding of important cultural moments in the region's history, such as initial and subsequent migrations throughout the Americas. • Modeling climate impacts on land use and paleodemography in central Alaska and Yukon using settlement patterning data. • Long-term trends in human population from the late Pleistocene to the late Holocene (14,000–100 calibrated years BP). • Comparison of continuous and categorical data shows gradual changes in land use, population size, and climate. • Cultural intervals align with changes in land use and settlement patterning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participatory approaches, such as community photography, can engage the public in questions of societal and scientific interest while helping advance understanding of ecological patterns and processes. We combined data extracted from community‐sourced, spatially explicit photographs with research findings from 2018 fieldwork in the Yukon, Canada, to evaluate winter coat molt patterns and phenology in mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus), a cold‐adapted, alpine mammal. Leveraging the community science portals iNaturalist and CitSci, in less than a year we amassed a database of almost seven hundred unique photographs spanning some 4,500 km between latitudes 37.6°N and 61.1°N from 0 to 4,333 m elevation. Using statistical methods accounting for incomplete data, a common issue in community science datasets, we identified the effects of intrinsic (sex and presence of offspring) and broad environmental (latitude and elevation) factors on molt onset and rate and compared our findings with published data. Shedding occurred over a 3‐month period between 29 May and 6 September. Effects of sex and offspring on the timing of molt were consistent between the community‐sourced and our Yukon data and with findings on wild mountain goats at a long‐term research site in west‐central Alberta, Canada. Males molted first, followed by females without offspring (4.4 days later in the coarse‐grained, geographically wide community science sample; 29.2 days later in our fine‐grained Yukon sample) and lastly females with new kids (6.2; 21.2 days later, respectively). Shedding was later at higher elevations and faster at northern latitudes. Our findings establish a basis for employing community photography to examine broad‐scale questions about the timing of ecological events, as well as sex differences in response to possible climate drivers. In addition, community photography can help inspire public participation in environmental and outdoor activities specifically with reference to iconic wildlife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrological processes are widely understood to be sensitive to changes in climate, but the effects of concomitant changes in vegetation and soils have seldom been considered in snow-dominated mountain basins. The response of mountain hydrology to vegetation/soil changes in the present and a future climate was modeled in three snowmelt-dominated mountain basins in the North American Cordillera. The models developed for each basin using the Cold Regions Hydrological Modeling platform employed current and expected changes to vegetation and soil parameters and were driven with recent and perturbed high-altitude meteorological observations. Monthly perturbations were calculated using the differences in outputs between the present- and a future-climate scenario from 11 regional climate models. In the three basins, future climate change alone decreased the modeled peak snow water equivalent (SWE) by 11 %–47 % and increased the modeled evapotranspiration by 14 %–20 %. However, including future changes in vegetation and soil for each basin changed or reversed these climate change outcomes. In Wolf Creek in the Yukon Territory, Canada, a statistically insignificant increase in SWE due to vegetation increase in the alpine zone was found to offset the statistically significant decrease in SWE due to climate change. In Marmot Creek in the Canadian Rockies, the increase in annual runoff due to the combined effect of soil and climate change was statistically significant, whereas their individual effects were not. In the relatively warmer Reynolds Mountain in Idaho, USA, vegetation change alone decreased the annual runoff volume by 8 %, but changes in soil, climate, or both did not affect runoff. At high elevations in Wolf and Marmot creeks, the model results indicated that vegetation/soil changes moderated the impact of climate change on peak SWE, the timing of peak SWE, evapotranspiration, and the annual runoff volume. However, at medium elevations, these changes intensified the impact of climate change, further decreasing peak SWE and sublimation. The hydrological impacts of changes in climate, vegetation, and soil in mountain environments were similar in magnitude but not consistent in direction for all biomes; in some combinations, this resulted in enhanced impacts at lower elevations and latitudes and moderated impacts at higher elevations and latitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-latitude environments store approximately half of the global organic carbon pool in peatlands, organic soils and permafrost, while large Arctic rivers convey an estimated 18–50 Tg C a -1 to the Arctic Ocean. Warming trends associated with climate change affect dissolved organic carbon (DOC) export from terrestrial to riverine environments. However, there is limited consensus as to whether exports will increase or decrease due to complex interactions between climate, soils, vegetation, and associated production, mobilization and transport processes. A large body of research has focused on large river system DOC and dissolved organic matter (DOM) lability and observed trends conserved across years, whereas investigation at smaller watershed scales show that thermokarst and fire have a transient impact on hydrologically mediated solute transport. This study, located in the Wolf Creek Research Basin situated ∼20 km south of Whitehorse, YT, Canada, utilizes a nested design to assess seasonal and annual patterns of DOC and DOM composition across diverse landscape types (headwater, wetland and lake) and watershed scales. Peak DOC concentration and export occurred during freshet, as is the case in most northern watersheds; however, peaks were lower than a decade ago at the headwater site Granger Creek. DOM composition was most variable during freshet with high A254 and SUVA 254 and low FI and BIX. DOM composition was relatively insensitive to flow variation during summer and fall. The influence of increasing watershed scale and downstream mixing of landscape contributions was an overall dampening of DOC concentrations and optical indices with increasing groundwater contribution. Forecasted vegetation shifts, enhanced permafrost and seasonal thaw, earlier snowmelt, increased rainfall and other projected climate-driven changes will alter DOM sources and transport pathways. The results from this study support a projected shift from predominantly organic soils (high aromaticity and less fresh) to decomposing vegetation (more fresh and lower aromaticity). These changes may also facilitate flow and transport via deeper flow pathways and enhance groundwater contributions to runoff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ice-wedge activity can be used to reconstruct past environmental conditions. We investigated the moisture source and timing of ice-wedge formation on the Blackstone Plateau. A section of permafrost exposed ice wedges that developed at two distinct depths: the first set formed syngenetically and penetrated alluvial silts from the top of permafrost; the second set, truncated by an erosional or thaw contact, was found solely in icy muddy gravels (>3.1 m depth). The δ18O and D-excess records of the ice wedges suggest that they formed from freezing of snow meltwater whose isotopic composition evolved during meltout. The 14CDOC results suggest that climate was favorable to ice-wedge growth between 32,000–30,000 and 14,000–12,500 cal yr BP, but there was likely a hiatus during the last glacial maximum due to climate being too dry. During the early to mid-Holocene, ice wedges were inactive as a result of warmer and wetter climate. Ice wedge re-initiated around 6360 cal yr BP, with a peak in activity between 3980 and 920 cal yr BP, a period characterized by cool and moist climate. Overall, timing of ice-wedge activity was broadly consistent with the climate and vegetation evolution in the western Arctic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A warming climate influences boreal forest productivity, dynamics, and disturbance regimes. We used ecosystem models and 250 m satellite Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data averaged over the growing season (GSN) to model current, and estimate future, ecosystem performance. We modeled Expected Ecosystem Performance (EEP), or anticipated productivity, in undisturbed stands over the 2000-2008 period from a variety of abiotic data sources, using a rule-based piecewise regression tree. The EEP model was applied to a future climate ensemble A1B projection to quantify expected changes to mature boreal forest performance. Ecosystem Performance Anomalies (EPA), were identified as the residuals of the EEP and GSN relationship and represent performance departures from expected performance conditions. These performance data were used to monitor successional events following fire. Results suggested that maximum EPA occurs 30-40 years following fire, and deciduous stands generally have higher EPA than coniferous stands. Mean undisturbed EEP is projected to increase 5.6% by 2040 and 8.7% by 2070, suggesting an increased deciduous component in boreal forests. Our results contribute to the understanding of boreal forest successional dynamics and its response to climate change. This information enables informed decisions to prepare for, and adapt to, climate change in the Yukon River Basin forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many northern lake-rich regions are undergoing pronounced hydrological change, yet inadequate knowledge of the drivers of these landscape-scale responses hampers our ability to predict future conditions. We address this challenge in the thermokarst landscape of Old Crow Flats ( OCF) using a combination of remote sensing imagery and monitoring of stable isotope compositions of lake waters over three thaw seasons (2007-2009). Quantitative analysis confirmed that the hydrological behavior of lakes is strongly influenced by catchment vegetation and physiography. Catchments of snowmelt-dominated lakes, typically located in southern peripheral areas of OCF, encompass high proportions of woodland/forest and tall shrub vegetation (mean percent land cover = ca. 60%). These land cover types effectively capture snow and generate abundant snowmelt runoff that offsets lake water evaporation. Rainfall-dominated lakes that are not strongly influenced by evaporation are typically located in eastern and northern OCF where their catchments have higher proportions of dwarf shrub/herbaceous and sparse vegetation (ca. 45%), as well as surface water (ca. 20%). Evaporation-dominated lakes, are located in the OCF interior where their catchments are distinguished by substantially higher lake area to catchment area ratios ( LA/ CA = ca. 29%) compared to low evaporation-influenced rainfall-dominated (ca. 10%) and snowmelt-dominated (ca. 4%) lakes. Lakes whose catchments contain >75% combined dwarf shrub/herbaceous vegetation and surface water are most susceptible to evaporative lake-level drawdown, especially following periods of low precipitation. Findings indicate that multiple hydrological trajectories are probable in response to climate-driven changes in precipitation amount and seasonality, vegetation composition, and thermokarst processes. These will likely include a shift to greater snowmelt influence in catchments experiencing expansion of tall shrubs, greater influence from evaporation in catchments having higher proportions of surface water, and an increase in the rate of thermokarst lake expansion and probability of drainage. Local observations suggest that some of these changes are already underway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Large-scale fires are anticipated to increase in frequency in the boreal forest under global climate warming scenarios. To understand concomitant responses by wildlife to fire-induced habitat changes, fecal pellet counts were used to assess Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus) use of four age-classes of boreal forest after fire in central Yukon, Canada. Use of stands across a chronosequence of 8-177 years was bimodal. Post-fire Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides) stands ≤20 years old had greater densities of Snowshoe Hare pellets (median 156 pellets/dam²) than Trembling Aspen stands 21-70 years old, mixedwood stands 71-120 years old (<17 pellets/dam²), or Western White Spruce (Picea albertiana) -dominated stands 121-170 years old (71 pellets/dam²). Forty stand-level compositional and structural variables were assessed as possible predictors of Snowshoe Hare pellet densities. Multidimensional scaling was used to identify variables (n - 10) that were most strongly related to pellet densities and was followed by multiple regression. Canopy cover of Trembling Aspen <50 cm tall and Western White Spruce si m tall, and deadfall depth, in combination, were the best estimators of Snowshoe Hare pellet densities among stands in the chronosequence (P <0.001. 64.5% variance explained). Although Trembling Aspen <50 cm tall explained the most variance, its canopy cover did not exceed 10%. More Trembling Aspen cover <50 cm tall and greater deadfall depths within the chronosequence were associated with stands ≤20 years old. Peak Snowshoe Hare use occurred in early (≤20 years old) rather than mid-successional (21-120 years old) stands, contrary to use patterns reported elsewhere. The lack of tall understory shrubs likely limited the use of mid-successional stands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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1 Boundaries between forest and tundra ecosystems, tree lines, are expected to advance in altitude and latitude in response to climate warming. However, varied responses to 20th century warming suggest that in addition to temperature, tree line dynamics are mediated by species-specific traits and environmental conditions at landscape and local scales. 2 We examined recent tree line dynamics at six topographically different, but climatically similar, sites in south-west Yukon, Canada. Dendroecological techniques were used to reconstruct changes in density of the dominant tree species, white spruce ( Picea glauca), and to construct static age distributions of willow ( Salix spp.), one of two dominant shrub genera. Data were analysed to identify periods and rates of establishment and mortality and to relate these to past climate. 3 Tree line elevation and stand density increased significantly during the early to mid 20th century. However, this change was not uniform across sites. Spruce advanced rapidly on south-facing slopes and tree line rose 65–85 m in elevation. Tree line did not advance on north-facing slopes, but stand density increased 40–65%. Differences observed between aspects were due primarily to the differential presence of permafrost. Additional variability among sites was related to slope and vegetation type. Results were less conclusive for willow, but evidence for an advance was found at two sites. 4 Increases in stand density were strongly correlated with summer temperatures. The period of rapid change coincided with a 30-year period of above average temperatures, beginning in 1920. The highest correlations were obtained using a forward average of 30–50 years, supporting the hypothesis that tree line dynamics are controlled more by conditions influencing recruitment than by establishment alone. 5 The changes observed at several sites are suggestive of a threshold response and challenge the notion that tree lines respond gradually to climate warming. Overall, the results provide further evidence to support the idea that the pattern and timing of change is contingent on local, landscape, and regional-scale factors, as well as species’ biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mapping and monitoring of Arctic vegetation biochemical and biophysical properties is gaining importance as global climate change is disproportionately affecting this region. Previous studies using remote sensing to model Arctic vegetation biochemical and biophysical properties have generally involved empirical modelling with nadir looking broadband sensors and have typically been conducted at the field scale in one study area. Satellite hyperspectral remote sensing has not been previously investigated for retrieving leaf and canopy biochemical and biophysical properties of Arctic vegetation across multiple sites using either empirical or physically-based modelling approaches. Furthermore, multi-angle hyperspectral sensors (CHRIS/PROBA), which can provide insight into vegetation reflectance anisotropy and potentially improve vegetation parameter estimation, have also not been investigated for this purpose. In this study, three modelling approaches previously investigated with field spectroscopy data (Kennedy et al., 2020) were used with CHRIS Mode-1 imagery to predict leaf chlorophyll content, plant area index and canopy chlorophyll content across a bioclimatic gradient in the Western Canadian Arctic. Modelling approaches included: parametric linear regression based on vegetation indices (VI), non-parametric machine learning Gaussian processes regression (GPR) and inversion of the PROSAIL radiative transfer model using a look-up table approach (LUT). CHRIS imagery was acquired with −55°, −36°, 0°, +36°, +55° view zenith angles (VZA) between 2011 and 2014 over three field sites extending from the Richardson Mountains in central Yukon, Canada to the north end of Banks Island, Northwest Territories, Canada. Field measurements were acquired within several weeks of satellite acquisitions. GPR had the best model fit (mean cross-validated (cv) coefficient of determination, r2cv = 0.61 across all vegetation variables, sites and VZAs vs. 0.59 for the simple ratio, SR) and predictive performance (normalized root mean square error, NRMSEcv = 0.13 vs. 0.14 for SR). The revised optimized soil adjusted VI (ROSAVI) performance was slightly poorer (r2cv = 0.51; NRMSEcv = 0.15). The physically-based PROSAIL model performed poorer than all empirical models (r2 = 0.50; NRMSE = 0.18). This ranking of model performance is similar to that found in the previous field spectroscopy study, where empirical model fits and predictive performance were only slightly worse. With respect to view angle performance, NRMSE varied only slightly, indicating no distinct advantage for any one VZA. Overall, strong potential has been demonstrated for empirical modelling of Arctic vegetation chlorophyll and plant area index using hyperspectral data combined with band selection/optimization procedures in the Arctic. Recently launched and future hyperspectral satellites, including next generation airborne sensors, will likely provide improvements to the model performance reported here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to isolate and quantify the role of shrinking glaciers in recent hydrological changes in eight watersheds in the southwestern Yukon (Canada) by using an original dual approach that consists of (i) watershed hydrological regime identification, followed by a trend analysis of discharge time series, and (ii) a model‐based peak water (PW) analysis using glacier cover change measurements. A distinction between hydrological regimes is a necessary add‐up to commonly used trend attribution methods as the lake runoff regime shares common characteristics with the glacier regime. Results show a link between shrinking glaciers and hydrological changes in the region, but the link is complex, and glacier retreat does not explain all the observed changes. Model outputs show that the two watersheds with a glacierized area exceeding 30% and one watershed with 2.9% glacierized area have not reached PW, whereas a 9.2% glacierized watershed and another watershed with 2.1% glacierized area have already passed it. These results suggest that glacierized area alone cannot explain short‐term changes related to watershed current position in terms of PW, and the rate of glacier retreat must be considered. By contrast, the actual rate of glacier retreat does not influence long‐term changes, such as the magnitude of PW and of the consequent drop in discharge. Once glaciers will have retreated to a point close to extinction, declines in summer discharge from 10% to 70% and proportional to the actual glacier cover are anticipated at watersheds that are currently more than 9% glacierized. Plain Language Summary: In this study, we aim to understand how shrinking glacier cover affects river discharges. In conditions of continuous retreat, glaciers produce an initial increase in runoff as they lose mass. The discharge then reaches a turning point, a plateau called peak water, and subsequently declines as the volume of glacial ice continues to decrease. When analyzing eight watersheds with different glacier covers in the southwestern Yukon, we found that two watersheds that are 30% covered by glaciers have not yet reached this plateau, and therefore, the discharge will continue to increase. Several watersheds with smaller glacierized portions have passed peak water, which means that the discharge will now continue to decrease. We were also able to estimate the magnitudes of these changes in discharge. We show that two watersheds with 30% glacierized area can still experience a 1.5‐ to 2‐fold increase in discharge and that watersheds currently more than 9% glacierized are predicted to show noticeable changes after peak water, with the possibility of discharge decreasing by a factor of 3 to 5 by the time glaciers have retreated to a point when their hydrological influence at the watershed scale becomes insignificant. Key Points: Noticeable acceleration of glacier retreat occurred in southwestern Yukon since 1999 with measured consequences for the regional hydrologyVarious hydrological changes have been detected at the study watersheds. Glacier retreat explains many but not all of those changesLong‐term hydrological changes are glacier cover dependent while decadal‐scale changes are driven by glacier retreat rate [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drastic ecological restructuring, species redistribution and extinctions mark the Pleistocene–Holocene transition, but an insufficiency of numbers of well-dated large mammal fossils from this transition have impeded progress in understanding the various causative links. Here I add many new radiocarbon dates to those already published on late Pleistocene fossils from Alaska and the Yukon Territory (AK–YT) and show previously unrecognized patterns. Species that survived the Pleistocene, for example, bison (Bison priscus, which evolved into Bison bison), wapiti (Cervus canadensis) and, to a smaller degree, moose (Alces alces), began to increase in numbers and continued to do so before and during human colonization and before the regional extinction of horse (Equus ferus) and mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius). These patterns allow us to reject, at least in AK–YT, some hypotheses of late Pleistocene extinction: ‘Blitzkrieg’ version of simultaneous human overkill, ‘keystone’ removal, and ‘palaeo-disease’. Hypotheses of a subtler human impact and/or ecological replacement or displacement are more consistent with the data. The new patterns of dates indicate a radical ecological sorting during a uniquely forage-rich transitional period, affecting all large mammals, including humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]