Kenai Watershed Forum Wetlands Project Manager, Michael Gracz, has been working with a team of researchers to investigate Southcentral Alaskan peatlands and salmon streams in the face of climate change.
The group’s research, Analyzing peatland discharge to streams in an Alaskan watershed: An integration of end-member mixing analysis and a water balance approach, was recently published in the Journal of Hydrology.
Salmon spawning streams are potentially perturbed by climate change in Southcentral Alaska and therefore peatland contributions using specific approaches should be analyzed. Their research indicated that peatland discharge accounts for 50% of streamflow during dry times and could provide an important buffer for fluvial ecosystems impacted by climate change.
Read the research in its entirety here!
