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SITE NAME
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NE Planning Area of National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska, USA
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| Contact details
(phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| 907-455-6777/907-455-6781(fax) // rjohnson@abrinc.com // ABR, PO Box 80410, Fairbanks, AK 99709, USA
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PROJECT DETAILS |
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Project name:
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Wildlife Studies in NPRA
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Start of survey:
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End
of survey: |
Team
size: |
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5.06
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25.08
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20
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WEATHER
CONDITIONS
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| Season phenology: |
average
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Weather conditions: |
The 2001 breeding season was similar to 2000, but both were unusual among previous years, because weather and flooding river conditions may have delayed the onset of nesting for birds on much of the Colville River Delta. Spring temperatures were colder and snow melt was later in 2001 and 2000 relative to previous years since 1992 (when many of these surveys were initiated on the delta), even more so than in 1997 and 1999, 2 years that were marked by cool temperatures and late snow melt.
During winter 2000-2001, cumulative snow deposition in Prudhoe Bay was one of the highest on record, with much of the snow falling in May (National Resources Conservation Service, unpubl. data). Snow was recorded in Colville Village on all but 7 days in May 2001 (NOAA: http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/ncdc.html). However, snowmelt was rapid in June with 30-40% snow cover remaining on the tundra on 9 June in the adjacent Kuparuk Oilfield, ~25 km to the east. Ice remained on small, shallow lakes until at least mid-June, and on larger, deep lakes through late June. Late snowmelt was coupled with late and rapid river breakup in early June, resulting in extensive flooding of low-lying and coastal areas, but not as extensive as in 2000.
Temperatures in May 2001 were below average on the Colville Delta with mean daily temperatures rising above freezing only on 31 May. In the adjacent Kuparuk Oilfield, May 2001 was the coldest recorded since long-term avian studies were started there in 1988. Mean temperatures in May 2000 were only slightly warmer than in 2001. However, temperatures in early June rose higher in 2001 than in 2000. Only 54 thaw-degree days (thaw-degree days are calculated by summing the number of degrees that the daily mean temperature was above freezing [0ø C] for each day during a particular period) accumulated between 15 May (approximate arrival date of birds) and 15 June 2001 (usual end of nest initiation for most geese and swans), with almost all of the accumulation in June. In comparison, 120 thaw-degree days accumulated during the same period in 1998.
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| Date of ice-break on
rivers: |
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| Date of final loss of
snow: |
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BIOTIC
CONDITIONS
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| Rodents abundance evaluation: |
average
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Breeding conditions:
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Cold temperatures and late snow melt affect nesting birds by delaying the onset of nesting and increasing energy expenditure, often exerting strong impacts on breeding success. Observations confirmed late nest initiation for some species in 2001. Young Tundra Swans were unusually small during the brood-rearing survey on 16-18 August. Observations by researchers in Prudhoe Bay in mid-September also indicated that young in some broods were still small and incapable of flying. These observations suggest that some swan young may not have survived to migrate from the breeding area in 2001.
We conducted aerial surveys for spectacled eiders, king eiders, tundra swans, yellow-billed loons, and brood-rearing geese. We conducted intensive nest searches for waterfowl, loons, gulls, ptarmigan, and jaegers in one 17.9-km2 area on the Colville River Delta and several areas totalling 6.2 km2 in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. We revisited all nests after hatch to determine success. We conducted nest searches for all birds (primarily shorebirds and passerines) on 24 10-ha plots using multiple rope-dragging and single-observer searches. We measured daily nest survival on these plots and conducted counts of nest predators. Results are summarized in two reports:
Burgess, R. M., C. B. Johnson, B. E. Lawhead, A. M. Wildman, P. E. Seiser, A. A. Stickney, and J. R. Rose. 2002a. Wildlife studies in the CD South study area, 2001. Second annual report prepared for ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc., Anchorage, by ABR, Inc., Fairbanks, AK. 98 pp.
Johnson, C. B., R. M. Burgess, B. E. Lawhead, J. R. Rose, A. A. Stickney, and A. M. Wildman. 2002. Wildlife studies in the CD North study area, 2001. Second annual report prepared for PHILLIPS Alaska, Inc., Anchorage, by ABR, Inc., Fairbanks, AK. 114 pp.
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Rodent dynamics:
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Rodent species recorded:
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
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