Antecedent Conditions and Damage Caused by 2015 Spring Flooding on the Sagavanirktok River, Alaska

Toniolo, Horacio; Stutzke, Jeff; Lai, Alex L.; Youcha, E. K.; Tschetter, T. J.; Vas, D. A.; Keech, John; Irving, Ken

doi:10.1061/(asce)cr.1943-5495.0000127

Cited by 7 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Challenges related to Figure 9. Example of freshwater habitat response (stream-lake system) to scenarios of drought, water withdrawal, and their combined effects on streamflow relative to a control climate scenario (based on Gädeke et al 2016). permafrost degradation, flooding, and coastal erosion are currently impacting industry and native village infrastructure (Streever et al 2011;Raynolds et al 2014;Toniolo et al 2017). Maintaining populations of subsistence fish and wildlife (Martin et al 2009) and a strong subsistence culture in native communities will be ongoing struggles for Arctic Alaska (Brinkman et al 2016).…”

Section: Adaptive Management In Arctic Watershedsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ice roads through lake-rich Arctic watersheds: Integrating climate uncertainty and freshwater habitat responses into adaptive management

Arp

Whitman

Jones

et al. 2019

Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research

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Vast mosaics of lakes, wetlands, and rivers on the Arctic Coastal Plain give the impression of water surplus. Yet long winters lock freshwater resources in ice, limiting freshwater habitats and water supply for human uses. Increasingly the petroleum industry relies on lakes to build temporary ice roads for winter oil exploration. Permitting water withdrawal for ice roads in Arctic Alaska is dependent on lake depth, ice thickness, and the fish species present. Recent winter warming suggests that more winter water will be available for ice-road construction, yet high interannual variability in ice thickness and summer precipitation complicates habitat impact assessments. To address these concerns, multidisciplinary researchers are working to understand how Arctic freshwater habitats are responding to changes in both climate and water use in northern Alaska. The dynamics of habitat availability and connectivity are being linked to how food webs support fish and waterbirds across diverse freshwater habitats. Moving toward watershed-scale habitat classification coupled with scenario analysis of climate extremes and water withdrawal is increasingly relevant to future resource management decisions in this region. Such progressive refinement in understanding responses to change provides an example of adaptive management focused on ensuring responsible resource development in the Arctic. ARTICLE HISTORY

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Section: Adaptive Management In Arctic Watershedsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ice roads through lake-rich Arctic watersheds: Integrating climate uncertainty and freshwater habitat responses into adaptive management

Arp

Whitman

Jones

et al. 2019

Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research

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“…A multiyear hydro-sedimentological study of an area along an approximately 150 km reach on the Sagavanirktok River was performed in response to an unprecedented flood event that occurred during spring 2015, when the river overtopped and severely damaged the Dalton Highway near Deadhorse, an oil-support town located in northern Alaska [1]. The Dalton Highway, which provides the only terrestrial access to Deadhorse, parallels the Sagavanirktok River along the study area ( Figure 1).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Sagavanirktok River flows north, from the Brooks Range to the Beaufort Sea. The river is parallel to the Dalton Highway for approximately 160 km [1]. The Sagavanirktok River basin has three distinct areas, characterized by increasing slopes: the coastal plain, foothills, and mountain region [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Sagavanirktok River basin has three distinct areas, characterized by increasing slopes: the coastal plain, foothills, and mountain region [2]. The total watershed area is roughly 13,500 km 2 , with two sub-basins in the mountain region: the Upper Sagavanirktok, 6500 km 2 , and the Ivishak, 5200 km 2 [1]. Figure 1 shows the watershed boundaries as well as the Dalton Highway.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bed-Sediment Transport Conditions along the Sagavanirktok River in Northern Alaska, USA

Toniolo

2020

Water

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This manuscript presents a study in predicting bed-sediment transport rates along the Sagavanirktok River in Alaska. Extensive field activities took place to accomplish this goal: four hydro-meteorological stations were installed in a 150 km reach along the river in summer 2015. During the same year, pits were excavated near the stations, and in subsequent summers, the pits were surveyed multiple times in conjunction with taking discharge measurements. Water slope was measured and bed sediment was characterized. Site-specific relationships between water levels and cross-section water depths were developed. Volume change between consecutive surveys was calculated, and main flood events between surveys were identified. Finally, the first bed-sediment transport equations valid for the Sagavanirktok River were developed. Considering the intrinsic error in sediment transport predictions, the agreement between predicted and measured sediment transport values is good. These equations could be used by resource managers when predicting the expected time for an excavated material site in the Sagavanirktok River to refill.

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“…The only transportation access route to the oil fields-the Dalton Highway-was breached in several locations and severely damaged by the flooding [2]. Each spring since 2015, a University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) research team has performed discharge measurements during breakup.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using a Helicopter to Measure River Discharge under Extreme Environmental Conditions: A Methodological Approach on the Sagavanirktok River, Alaska

Keech

Terwilliger²,

Bailey

et al. 2018

Water

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River discharge is a critical variable in many aspects of hydrology, particularly river mechanics. Due to the importance of river discharge, the standards for performing measurements are already established. In the extreme environmental conditions of breakup in Arctic regions, field crews face significant challenges in carrying out measurements, including risks to personnel, equipment safety, and river access difficulties. The use of a helicopter in performing river discharge measurements with these challenges provides an alternative to using a boat. We present the details of measuring river discharge with the help of a helicopter along the braided Sagavanirktok River on the Alaska North Slope.

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Antecedent Conditions and Damage Caused by 2015 Spring Flooding on the Sagavanirktok River, Alaska

Cited by 7 publications

References 6 publications

Ice roads through lake-rich Arctic watersheds: Integrating climate uncertainty and freshwater habitat responses into adaptive management

Ice roads through lake-rich Arctic watersheds: Integrating climate uncertainty and freshwater habitat responses into adaptive management

Bed-Sediment Transport Conditions along the Sagavanirktok River in Northern Alaska, USA

Using a Helicopter to Measure River Discharge under Extreme Environmental Conditions: A Methodological Approach on the Sagavanirktok River, Alaska

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