Thermal Response of Western Alaska Lakes and Lagoons to Past, Present, and Future Changes in Climate

​Water temperature in lakes and lagoons plays a key role in hydrology, water quality, and habitat suitability for aquatic organisms. The purpose of this project is to provide land and resource managers with information related to the past, present, and future temperature trends in lake surface waters in western Alaska. Through a combination of remote sensing, in situ data collection, model development, we will analyze similarities and differences related to spatial and temporal patterns of lake surface temperatures in western Alaska from 1985 to 2100. ​

​Project ID: WA2011_03 ​

Lead Investigator: Ben Jones, USGS; Christopher Arp, University of Alaska Fairbanks; Simon Hook, NASA JPL​

Collaborators: John Lenters, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Jeff Shearer, NPS; Daniel Gillliken, Ron Britton, Bill Pyle, Pat Walsh & Tina Moran, USFWS; Mike Brubaker, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium; Daniel Schindler, University of Washington, Guido Grosse, University of Alaska Fairbanks; Craig Ely, USGS

Project Duration: 2011-2014

Related Resources: 

USGS Cold Regions Lake and Landscape Research​