“Impact of glacier change on communities and ecosystems in coastal Alaska” with Eran Hood

Monday, Nov. 28, 3 – 4 p.m.
Micron Center for Materials Research (MCMR), Room 106
1437 W. University Dr., Boise, ID

The Boise State Department of Geosciences presents an in-person seminar, “Impact of glacier change on communities and ecosystems in coastal Alaska” with Eran Hood from the University of Alaska Southeast at 3 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022 in the Micron Center for Materials Research, Room 106.

Hood writes, “This talk will explore how glacier recession in the Coast Mountains of Alaska is impacting downstream communities and ecosystems. The rapid loss of tributary glaciers can expose over-deepened basins and increase the incidence of glacier lake outburst floods. Glacier recession can also impact access to glaciers, thereby impacting tourism resources. From an ecosystem perspective, runoff from glaciers influences the chemistry and ecology of downstream rivers and estuaries. In particular, glacier meltwater affects riverine export of biogeochemically important elements such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus and exerts a strong control on stream temperature regimes. Glacier loss also presents both challenges and opportunities for Pacific salmon, which are an important cultural and economic resource in southeast Alaska.”