Monitoring Terrestrial Landscape Patterns and Dynamics in the NPS Arctic Network of National Parklands
Miller C. Monitoring Terrestrial Landscape Patterns and Dynamics in the NPS Arctic Network of National Parklands. 2011. National Park Service
Landscape dynamics are the “big picture” of changes in the growing season, vegetation, and surface water. The length and warmth of the growing season control the amount of plant matter, which is the energy supply for all other biological processes and crucial for wildlife. Major changes in vegetation are likely to benefit some species and harm others. A long-term increase in shrubs in the arctic has already been observed. Formation and drainage of ponds and lakes, which are important habitat for many species, are natural processes that may be accelerated by climate change. Remote sensing provides valuable tools for monitoring landscape patterns and dynamics. Our long-term monitoring program includes 4 different projects that utilize remote sensing to follow landscape change: Analysis of trends in surface greenness as measured from satellites. Satellites have been measuring the amount of sunlight refl ected from the earth in different wavelengths (colors) for over 20 years. We can compute an index of the earth’s greenness from these measurements and determine the length of the growing season and its peak greenness. Analysis of trends in greenness and snow cover measured by remote automated cameras at weather stations. These photographs provide a close-up view of changes in the seasons that can be linked directly to weather data. Analyze changes in vegetation and other land surface features visible on high-resolution aerial photographs. We have a set of detailed aerial photographs taken on a 20-km grid across the Arctic Network. On these photographs we can measure things like shrub cover, tree cover, and area of small ponds caused by thawing permafrost. We plan to repeat these photographs every 10 years and compare the dates to get a networkwide view of changes over time. Analyze the change in area of lakes and ponds using satellite images. Water levels in lakes and ponds in permafrost regions can change rapidly and lakes often drain entirely. These changes can be tracked using inexpensive moderate-resolution satellite imagery.
- Type
- Project
- Authors
- Miller, Celia
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- ARCN , BELA , CAKR , GAAR , KOVA , NOAT
- Keywords
- Aerial, air photo, Alaska, Arctic, Arctic Network, Cover, Drainage, draining, Forest, greenness, growing season, Imagery, LAKE, National Park, NDVI, Permafrost, Photograph, Pond, remote camera, shrub, Snow, thawing, Tree, Water Level
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Wetland Communities , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Shrubland Communities , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Forest/Woodland Communities , Ecological Framework: Landscapes | Landscape Dynamics | Land Cover and Use , Ecological Framework: Landscapes | Energy Flow | Primary Production
Program
Products
- Three decades of landscape change in Alaska’s Arctic National Parks: Analysis of aerial photographs, c. 1980-2010
- Yearly time-lapse videos from monitoring cameras at climate monitoring stations in the National Parks of central and northern Alaska
- Smoothed time-lapse videos from remote cameras in seven National Park units in Alaska.
- ARCN Phenological Events from Remote Automated Cameras
- Deliverables Schedule: Terrestrial Landscape Patterns and Dynamics
- ARCN Terrestrial Landscape Monitoring Deliverables Report, 2023
- Time-lapse videos from monitoring cameras at climate monitoring stations in the National Parks of central and northern Alaska
- Vegetation and snow phenology monitoring in the Arctic Network through 2020: Results from satellites and land-based cameras
- ARCN Greenness phenology metrics 2000-2020
- Start of the Green Season and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index in Alaska’s Arctic National Parks
- Monitoring of water surface area in Alaska’s Arctic National Parks: Update with 2019 data
- Changing Areas of Lakes and Ponds: Terrestrial Landscape Patterns and Dynamics Vital Sign 2020
- Summary data from Arctic Network water surface area monitoring
- Thermokarst and precipitation drive changes in the area of lakes and ponds in the National Parks of northwestern Alaska, 1984–2018
- Trends in Greenness and Snow Cover in Alaska’s Arctic National Parks, 2000–2016
- Landscape patterns and dynamics monitoring protocol for the Arctic Network: Narrative
- Landscape patterns and dynamics monitoring protocol for the Arctic Network: Standard operating procedures
- Monitoring of greenness and snow phenology by remote automated cameras in the NPS Arctic Inventory and Monitoring Network, 2013-14
- Snow Cover Monitoring with MODIS Satellite Data in the Arctic Inventory and Monitoring Network, Alaska, 2000-2013
- Surface water area change in the Arctic Network of National Parks, Alaska, 1985-2011: analysis of Landsat data
- Satellite greenness data summary for the Arctic Inventory and Monitoring Network, 1990-2009
- An IKONOS satellite image library of ecosystems in the Arctic Network of national parks
- A surface reflectance calibrated Landsat mosaic (circa 2002) for the Arctic Network of National Parks
- Terrestrial Landscape Dynamics Resource Brief
- ARCN Terrestrial Landscape Patterns and Dynamics Protocol Development Summary
- The Arctic snow and growing seasons are getting shorter: Terrestrial Landscape Patterns and Dynamics Vital Sign 2021
- Area of Lakes and Ponds Continues to Decline in Alaska's Arctic National Parks
- Area of lakes and ponds continues to decline in Alaska’s Arctic national parks