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Active Layer Network (ALN)
The 2009 Active Layer Network (ALN) project was accomplished as a cooperative between the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council (YRITWC) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The goal of this project was to initiate the first basin-wide ALN and determine the feasibility of sustaining an evolving network within the Yukon River Basin (YRB). Sixteen attempts led to 12 successfully installed 50mx50m grid sites equipped with on-site air temperature, soil moisture and soil temperature sensors that store data on a 30 minute continuous cycle. The Active Layer Network was developed in coordination with the Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring (CALM) Program protocols and focused on better understanding climatic shifts and their effect on social structures, thus facilitating better decision-making and scientific rigor in a region on the front lines of climate change.
Yukon Main Stem Synoptic Survey 2009
Through a culture of collaboration, a 600 mile synoptic survey of the Yukon River mainstem between Fort Yukon and Kaltag, Alaska was accomplished during the summer of 2010. The survey was completed during a two week field campaign between July 5-18, 2009. The collaboration involved partnerships between the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council (YRITWC), the State of Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC), the EPA National Rivers and Streams Assessment Program, the US Geological Survey (USGS), the Council of Athabaskan Tribal Governments (CATG) and The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Koyukok Refuge.
The purpose of the field study was to conduct a water quality and habitat assessment of the Yukon River mainstem. Given the scope of a synoptic survey the project was confined to a 600 mile section of river within the basin. ADEC's and the YRITWC's previous work on the Tanana River and Yukon Basin (respectively) identified the junction between these two rivers as an important study area. Under funding from the EPA National Rivers and Streams program, the YRITWC and ADEC conducted the synoptic survey using protocols consistent with the EPA national rivers and streams assessment protocol and the USGS TWRI book 9 standard.
Water Report: 2006-2008 - This report is currently in peer review and will be available as soon as possible.
The Yukon River Indigenous Observation Network (ION) is a Indigenous operated and lead observation network that is making observations around environmental change. Under the umbrella of the ION the data collected consists of three distinct types; fixed station water quality sampling, continuous river profiles (using automated sensors), and fixed station time-series (using automated sensors). The observed results (section 3) outlines each type of empirical data collected. In addition to quantitative data we utilize local observations of land users to further define data gaps and identify local events. In academic vernacular, we are implementing ‘place-based’ science as the intersection point to bring Indigenous knowledge and scientific knowledge into a win-win.
This report strives to walk a delicate balance between technical report writing, peer review journal publication, data reporting, and functional information at the community level. Such a balance is rarely found in scientific works so we do not pretend that we have done it well, but we have done the best we can with the resources available.
The goal of this report is to present;
- 3 years of fix station water quality data,
- 2 unique continuous river profiles, and
- one fixed station time-series data set