Monitoring Coastal Lagoon Communities and Ecosystems in the Arctic Network of National Parks

Docken, Lisa

The total shoreline in the ARCN, including bay and barrier island ecosystems, is approximately 450 km (250 miles). This is the third largest block of coastline that the NPS manages. Cape Krusenstern National Monument, located along this coastline, contains five coastal lagoons, Akulaaq, Imik, Kotlik, Krusenstern, and Sisualik. These lagoons are likely to be essential fish nurseries, over-wintering habitats, and major feeding locations along coastal bird migration routes (ARRT 2001). The lagoons provide critical habitat for subsistence resources, mainly whitefish (Uhl and Uhl 1977, Georgette and Shiedt 2005). Residents from nearby Kivalina, Noatak, and Kotzebue utilize the Monument for subsistence activities, one of which is harvesting whitefish from the lagoons (Reynolds et al. 2005). One of the overarching objectives of the ARCN is to better understand the interaction between subsistence activities and ecosystem dynamics. To capture this interaction, we will incorporate the simultaneous collection of both social science and natural science data. These data will allow for a comparative and more comprehensive understanding of CAKR lagoon ecosystems. Little data exist on the five coastal lagoons in CAKR which makes management of these lagoons difficult, at best. Key reasons for monitoring the coastal lagoons in CAKR include: (1) provide habitat for subsistence resources, (2) minimal baseline data exist for the lagoons, (3) identified in the Alaska Coastal Management Program, (4) identified in the General Management Plan for CAKR as a management objective, (5) increase understanding of shallow, arctic, coastal lagoons and provide information about these under-studied systems, and (6) provide insight into climate change in the Arctic.

Monitoring Coastal Lagoon Communities and Ecosystems in the Arctic Network of National Parks

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