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This dataset contains water quality measurements at Alaskan beaver ponds collected during the summer as part of the Arctic Beaver Observation Network and NSF ANS #1850578. The Arctic Beaver Observation Network is a 5-year project (2021-2026) funded by the National Science Foundation. The natural science part of the project uses remote sensing to observe the progress and impacts of beaver engineering in the Arctic, starting in Alaska and extending into Canada and Eurasia. The project also establishes field sites at tundra beaver ponds to study the implications of beaver engineering on hydrology and permafrost, as well as pond evolution documented using Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). Remote sensing work will map beaver ponds over time. Field measurements at tundra beaver ponds are made in August and late March. Data generated by field measurements include water level and temperature from pressure-transducers, subsurface imaging from ground-penetrating radar, sonar measurements for beaver pond bathymetry, tabular data associated with water quality measurements, and ice thickness and water depth (in winter). Data is also posted from UAS surveys: annual visible and multi-spectral surveys, as well as snow depth.
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Wintertime water quality measurements at beaver ponds and associated locations in Arctic Alaska, 2022-2026.
This dataset contains water quality measurements and snow and ice data from Alaskan beaver ponds collected during the winter as part of the Arctic Beaver Observation Network and NSF ANS #1850578. The Arctic Beaver Observation Network is a 5-year project (2021-2026) funded by the National Science Foundation. The natural science part of the project uses remote sensing to observe the progress and impacts of beaver engineering in the Arctic, starting in Alaska and extending into Canada and Eurasia. The project also establishes field sites at tundra beaver ponds to study the implications of beaver engineering on hydrology and permafrost, as well as pond evolution documented using Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). Remote sensing work will map beaver ponds over time. Field measurements at tundra beaver ponds are made in August and late March. Data generated by field measurements include water level and temperature from pressure-transducers, subsurface imaging from ground-penetrating radar, sonar measurements for beaver pond bathymetry, tabular data associated with water quality measurements, and ice thickness and water depth (in winter). Data is also posted from UAS surveys: annual visible and multi-spectral surveys, as well as snow depth.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1850578
- PAR ID:
- 10475232
- Publisher / Repository:
- NSF Arctic Data Center
- Date Published:
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- arctic beavers alaska tundra pond stream water quality
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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The Arctic Beaver Observation Network is a 5-year project (2021-2026) funded by the National Science Foundation. The natural science part of the project uses remote sensing to observe the progress and impacts of beaver engineering in the Arctic, starting in Alaska and extending into Canada and Eurasia. The project also establishes field sites at tundra beaver ponds to study the implications of beaver engineering on hydrology and permafrost, as well as pond evolution documented using Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). Remote sensing work will map beaver ponds over time. Field measurements at tundra beaver ponds are made in August and late March. Data generated by field measurements include water level and temperature from pressure-transducers, subsurface imaging from ground-penetrating radar, sonar measurements for beaver pond bathymetry, tabular data associated with water quality measurements, and ice thickness and water depth (in winter). Data is also posted from UAS surveys: annual visible and multi-spectral surveys, as well as snow depth.more » « less
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This dataset contains water level, water temperature, and barometric pressure at Alaskan beaver ponds collected as part of the Arctic Beaver Observation Network and NSF ANS #1850578. The Arctic Beaver Observation Network is a 5-year project (2021-2026) funded by the National Science Foundation. The natural science part of the project uses remote sensing to observe the progress and impacts of beaver engineering in the Arctic, starting in Alaska and extending into Canada and Eurasia. The project also establishes field sites at tundra beaver ponds to study the implications of beaver engineering on hydrology and permafrost, as well as pond evolution documented using Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). Remote sensing work will map beaver ponds over time. Field measurements at tundra beaver ponds are made in August and late March. Data generated by field measurements include water level and temperature from pressure-transducers, subsurface imaging from ground-penetrating radar, sonar measurements for beaver pond bathymetry, tabular data associated with water quality measurements, and ice thickness and water depth (in winter). Data is also posted from UAS surveys: annual visible and multi-spectral surveys, as well as snow depth.more » « less
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This dataset contains permafrost thaw depth measurements at Alaskan beaver ponds collected as part of the Arctic Beaver Observation Network and NSF ANS #1850578. The Arctic Beaver Observation Network is a 5-year project (2021-2026) funded by the National Science Foundation. The natural science part of the project uses remote sensing to observe the progress and impacts of beaver engineering in the Arctic, starting in Alaska and extending into Canada and Eurasia. The project also establishes field sites at tundra beaver ponds to study the implications of beaver engineering on hydrology and permafrost, as well as pond evolution documented using Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). Remote sensing work will map beaver ponds over time. Field measurements at tundra beaver ponds are made in August and late March. Data generated by field measurements include water level and temperature from pressure-transducers, subsurface imaging from ground-penetrating radar, sonar measurements for beaver pond bathymetry, tabular data associated with water quality measurements, and ice thickness and water depth (in winter). Data is also posted from UAS surveys: annual visible and multi-spectral surveys, as well as snow depth. This dataset comprises thaw depth measurements along transects near beaver ponds, to document permafrost impacts over time.more » « less
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Abstract Beavers (Castor canadensis) are rapidly colonizing the North American Arctic, transforming aquatic and riparian tundra ecosystems. Arctic tundra may respond differently than temperate regions to beaver engineering due to the presence of permafrost and the paucity of unfrozen water during winter. Here, we provide a detailed investigation of 11 beaver pond complexes across a climatic gradient in Arctic Alaska, addressing questions about the permafrost setting surrounding ponds, the influence of groundwater inputs on beaver colonization and resulting ponds, and the change in surface water and aquatic overwintering habitat. Using field measurements, in situ dataloggers, and remote sensing, we evaluate permafrost, water quality, pond ice phenology, and physical characteristics of impoundments, and place our findings in the context of pond age, local climate, permafrost setting, and the presence of perennial groundwater inputs. We show beavers are accelerating the effects of climate change by thawing permafrost adjacent to ponds and increasing liquid water during winter. Beavers often exploited perennial springs in discontinuous permafrost, and summertime water temperatures at spring‐fed (SF) beaver ponds were roughly 5°C lower than sites lacking springs (NS). Late winter liquid water was generally present at pond complexes, although liquid water below seasonal ice cover was shallow (5–82 cm at SF and 5–15 cm at NS ponds) and ice was thick (median: 85 cm). Water was less acidic at SF than NS sites and had higher specific conductance and more dissolved oxygen. We estimated 2.4 dams/km of stream at sites on the recently colonized (last ~10 years) Baldwin Peninsula and 7.4 dams/km on the Seward Peninsula, where beavers have been present longer (~20+ years) and groundwater‐surface water connectivity is more common. Our study highlights the importance of climatic and physiographic context, especially permafrost presence and groundwater inputs, in determining the characteristics of the Arctic beaver pond environment. As beavers continue their expansion into tundra regions, these characteristics will increasingly represent the future of aquatic and riparian Arctic ecosystems.more » « less
