Documenting over a century of natural resource change with repeat photography in Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Alaska
Karpilo RD and Venator SC. 2015. Documenting over a century of natural resource change with repeat photography in Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Alaska. Natural Resource Report. NPS/KLGO/NRR—2015/1017. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
In 2013-2014, a National Park Service (NPS) inventory and monitoring project was conducted with the objective of using repeat photography techniques to document changes in the physical and biological landscape at Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park (KLGO) in the 114 years since the gold rush. Understanding how the natural resources of KLGO have changed during the past century and how the ecosystems and landscape of the park and surrounding area are responding to climate change is critical for effective park management and public safety. Repeat photography was selected as the method of investigation for this project because it is a valuable and efficient tool for documenting landscape changes and recording and communicating the complex effects of climate change to diverse audiences including park visitors, resource managers, and scientists. Historic photographs were selected from sources including the KLGO’s archives and historic photo library and photo collections from several other institutions. The photographs were selected based on the following criteria: quality of original photograph, depiction of natural resources, seasonality of original photograph (with a preference of snow-free summer images), and photo location access and repeatability. The photos were prioritized based on the selection criteria and geographic distribution with consideration of thorough coverage of the Chilkoot Trail, Skagway, and White Pass Units of KLGO. The photographs were repeated using a Nikon D800 36.3 megapixel DSLR camera and the location of the photo stations were recorded using a GPS. Reference photos of each photo station were taken to aid in precisely relocating the sites in the future. A database was created to record detailed metadata for the historic and repeat photos and location information for each photo station.The project produced 52 repeat photo pairs in the Chilkoot, Skagway, and White Pass Units of KLGO that document changes in park resources including: retreating glaciers, vegetative succession, changes in ecosystem composition and connectivity, vertical advance of tree line, increase in vegetation density, changes in fluvial morphology, and anthropogenic changes. The majority of the glaciers photographed in the KLGO area have significantly retreated and thinned during the past century. In many areas of the park, tree line has advanced upslope, vegetation density has increased, and glacial moraines have become vegetated. In Skagway, anthropogenic factors have been a primary driver of change. The photo pairs produced by this project will be useful for identifying specific features or processes that may require more intensive monitoring and research and will be a useful tool for education, outreach, and resource management.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Karpilo, Ronald; Venator, Sarah
- Date of Issue
- 2015-09
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- KLGO , NRSS , SEAN
- Keywords
- Chilkoot Trail, Cultural Landscape, Dyea, faunal succession, Glacier, historic photo, KLGO, Klondike Gold Rush, Landscape change, National Historical Park, Nourse River, photomonitoring, Repeat photography, Skagway, Taiya River, Vegetation, White Pass
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Geomorphology | Glacial Features and Processes , Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Geomorphology | Hillslope Features and Processes , Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Geomorphology | Coastal/Oceanographic Features and Processes , Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Geomorphology | Stream/River Channel Characteristics , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Shrubland Communities , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Forest/Woodland Communities , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Vegetation Complex , Ecological Framework: Human Use | Cultural Landscapes | Cultural Landscapes , Ecological Framework: Landscapes | Landscape Dynamics | Land Cover and Use