How serious is it and who will be affected?
Climate change has already had serious consequences in Alaska. If present trends continue as predicted, these effects will become more pronounced. Some of them will be positive, some negative.
| Fisheries |
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Subsistence |
Photo by Kurt Byers |
- Salmon catches in Bristol Bay dropped precipitously in 1997, probably due to the climatic effects of El Niño.
- Fisheries in other areas may benefit from climate change as fish stocks change location.
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- Changing climate and snow conditions may reduce hunting success for caribou and moose.
- Less and thinner sea ice make walrus, seal, and whale hunting more difficult for Natives.
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Photo by Henry Huntington |
| Permafrost |
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Wildlife |
Photo by Tom Osterkamp |
- Thawing permafrost leads to the collapse of roads, buildings, and airfields.
- Maintenance costs increase for roads and other facilities including pipelines built on permafrost.
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- Changing climate and snow conditions lead to population changes of Alaska's wildlife.
- Habitats, reproduction, food availability, and migration routes may change drastically.
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Photo by Evelyn Trabant |
| Forestry |
Graph by Glenn Juday |
- Forest growth in the interior will further decrease due to climatic stresses and higher fire incidence.
- In coastal and mountain regions, growth will improve but forests will become more vulnerable to insect outbreaks.
Climate change since the late 1970's has resulted in the best growing conditions for spruce in southcentral Alaska in the 20th century, but spruce beetles thrive in the new conditions and have killed trees on millions of acres.
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