Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in Alaska is America’s largest national park. Massive glaciers and icefields cover about 35 percent of this wild, sprawling landscape.
This remote place holds the nation’s biggest glacier system, including the Malaspina Glacier, which spreads out for an astonishing 1,500 square miles along the coast. Glaciers and frozen peaks have shaped this ecosystem for thousands of years.
Climate change is quickly reshaping the park, threatening the glaciers and snowy mountains that give Wrangell-St. Elias its unique character. Warmer winters and longer melt seasons are already changing the park’s natural systems, and scientists are still trying to figure out the full picture.
The effects go way beyond melting ice. Wildlife habitats, plant communities, and even the cultural traditions of people living here for generations are all feeling the impacts.
Wrangell-St. Elias gives us a close-up view of how climate change hits Arctic and sub-Arctic environments. Park managers and scientists track these changes and work on strategies to protect the park’s special resources.
What happens here could hint at the future for other wild places across Alaska and the Arctic.
Overview of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve is America’s largest national park, stretching over 13 million acres in southeastern Alaska.
This enormous wilderness covers four mountain ranges, huge glacier systems, and a variety of ecosystems that even cross the border into Canada.
Geography and Key Features
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve covers more land than Switzerland. The park reaches across the Wrangell Mountains, St. Elias Mountains, Chugach Mountains, and parts of the Alaska Range.
Nine of the sixteen highest peaks in the U.S. rise within the park. Mount St. Elias towers at 18,008 feet, making it the country’s second-highest peak. Mount Wrangell, still an active volcano, stands at 14,163 feet and ranks among North America’s largest active volcanoes.
A huge portion of the landscape is still glaciated. About 35 percent of the park is covered in ice, totaling around 7,000 square miles. That’s the largest glacier system in the U.S.
The terrain jumps from coastal lowlands to high alpine zones. Rivers and valleys slice through the mountains, creating some pretty dramatic scenery.
The Copper River, with its many tributaries, drains much of the park.
Transboundary Significance With Canada
The park is part of a massive international wilderness. Wrangell-St. Elias connects right to Canada’s Kluane National Park and Reserve in the Yukon.
Together with Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park and Glacier Bay National Park, these protected areas form a World Heritage Site.
This transboundary region covers more than 24 million acres. It’s one of the biggest protected wilderness areas anywhere on Earth.
Wildlife move freely across the border. Dall sheep, caribou, and brown bears wander between Alaska and Canada with no barriers. That kind of connectivity helps keep the ecosystems healthy.
Both countries benefit from their shared approach to management. Scientists and park staff collaborate on research and coordinate efforts to protect wildlife and monitor environmental changes.
Unique Ecosystems and Biodiversity
The park supports a surprising range of life across different climate zones. Boreal forests of spruce and aspen fill the lower elevations. Alpine tundra takes over above the treeline.
Coastal areas have maritime climates and their own plant communities. Inland areas are drier, with more continental weather. This variety creates all sorts of unique ecological niches.
Large mammals are everywhere. Brown bears and black bears roam the forests. Dall sheep pick their way across steep mountains. Caribou herds migrate through valleys and over high passes.
Birds adapt to the park’s different habitats. Researchers worry about climate impacts on 32 bird species by 2050. Birds like Say’s Phoebe and Smith’s Longspur could face big challenges as conditions shift.
Marine ecosystems hug the coast and support different wildlife. Salmon runs tie the ocean to the rivers, providing food for bears, birds, and plenty of other animals.
Climate Change Trends in Alaska and the Park
Alaska has warmed by about 3°F in the past 60 years. Wrangell-St. Elias has seen some of the most dramatic changes.
Weather stations and snowpack measurements show clear trends: the park’s glaciers and weather patterns are both changing fast.
Regional Climate Patterns and Warming
Alaska’s climate is warming faster than almost anywhere else in North America. All seasons show rising temperatures, but winters are warming the most.
Wrangell-St. Elias sits where Pacific Ocean currents meet continental air. This creates unusual weather patterns, especially around the Chugach Mountains and coastal spots near Yakutat.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks tracks temperatures across the region. Their research shows that coastal areas warm differently than inland spots. Higher elevations in the park warm less than the lower valleys.
Some key warming patterns:
- Winter temperatures up 4-6°F in some places
- Freezing seasons are shorter
- Spring melts arrive earlier
- Summers at high elevations are warmer
Even a small temperature bump, like 2°F, can flip entire glacier systems from growing to shrinking.
Weather Station and Snowpack Data
NOAA runs several weather stations around Wrangell-St. Elias. They collect data on temperature, precipitation, and snow depth all year.
Snowpack measurements reveal some worrying trends. The park usually gets heavy snow that feeds the glaciers, but recent decades show less snow in many areas.
Weather stations note that snow now melts earlier each year. Spring is arriving 1-2 weeks ahead of where it used to. This shorter snow season affects water supplies and glacier growth.
Snowpack changes:
- Some areas see 15-20% less snow
- Peak snowpack comes earlier
- Spring melt happens faster
- Less glacier feeding in summer
The Chugach Mountains used to hold snow year-round at high elevations. Now, snow-free zones creep higher than before.
Yakutat’s temperature records show warmer coastal conditions, which affect the park’s southern edge.
Extreme Weather Events and Their Impacts
Climate change means more extreme weather for Wrangell-St. Elias. The park gets stronger storms, odd temperature swings, and unpredictable precipitation.
Heat waves now reach places that rarely saw high temps. These events cause rapid glacier melting and can create dangerous situations for both visitors and wildlife.
Heavy rainstorms are more common. Rain falling on snow and ice causes flooding and changes river patterns across the park.
Some notable impacts:
- Record heat melts surface ice
- Sudden cold snaps damage plants
- Heavy rains trigger glacier lake outburst floods
- Odd storms disrupt wildlife migration
Wind patterns have changed as well. Stronger storms lead to more glacier calving and coastal erosion.
Weather station data shows extreme temperature days now happen twice as often as 30 years ago. These rapid swings stress both nature and park infrastructure.
Glaciers Under Threat: Melting and Transformation
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park has more than 3,100 glaciers, covering around 6,757 square miles. These huge ice masses face rapid changes as rising temperatures speed up melting and disrupt glacial processes across the region.
Malaspina Glacier Changes
The Malaspina Glacier is one of the world’s largest piedmont glaciers, spreading across the coastal plain like a frozen river delta. It covers about 1,500 square miles and can be over 2,000 feet thick in places.
Recent observations show the glacier losing mass faster than ever. It used to be shielded from the ocean by a slim coastal barrier, but saltwater now breaks through more often.
Big threats to Malaspina Glacier:
- Ocean water melts the glacier from below
- More iceberg calving along the coast
- Surface temperatures rise and melt the ice
- A new coastal bay could form as the glacier retreats
The glacier’s base sits below sea level, making it especially vulnerable to marine influences. If retreat continues, scientists think a large new bay could open up along Alaska’s southern coast. That would change the region’s geography and shake up local ecosystems.
Kennicott Glacier and Local Icefields
The Kennicott Glacier flows from the Bagley Icefield and is one of the park’s most accessible glaciers. It stretches about 27 miles and ends in a system of glacial lakes.
Rising temperatures have shortened the glacier by several hundred feet in the last few decades. The ice surface drops a bit more each year as melting beats out new snowfall. Meltwater channels on the glacier get deeper and longer every year.
Icefields feeding the Kennicott Glacier show the same retreat. The Bagley Icefield, the largest subpolar icefield in North America, gets less snow at lower elevations. More precipitation falls as rain instead of snow due to warmer temps.
Retreat indicators:
- Bedrock exposed where ice used to be
- Bigger glacial lakes at the glacier’s end
- Thinner ice measurements
- Spring melt comes earlier
Piedmont Glaciers and Sea Level Rise
Piedmont glaciers form when valley glaciers flow out onto flat plains and spread wide. They hold vast amounts of freshwater ice, which adds to sea level rise as it melts.
Wrangell-St. Elias has several major piedmont glaciers besides Malaspina. The Bering Glacier, the longest in North America, stretches over 120 miles and covers about 2,250 square miles. These glaciers store enough water to make a real impact on global sea levels.
Factors contributing to sea level rise:
- Meltwater runs straight into the ocean
- Icebergs calve off from the tidewater edge
- Ice volume drops as the surface melts
- Glaciers move faster toward the sea
Scientists estimate Alaska’s glaciers send about 50 billion tons of meltwater to the oceans every year. Piedmont glaciers make up a big chunk of that because of their size and location.
Glacial Processes and Local Hydrology
When glaciers melt, local water systems change. Glaciers usually act as natural reservoirs, storing winter snow and releasing it slowly during warmer months.
Now, faster melting disrupts that timing. Rivers run higher in spring during melt season but drop off in late summer as the glacier reserves shrink. This affects fish, plants, and water supplies downstream.
Hydrological changes:
- Peak runoff comes earlier
- Flood risk rises during rapid melts
- Less water available later in summer
- Sediment transport changes
- Groundwater recharge patterns shift
Glacial changes also affect local weather. When dark rock replaces bright ice, it absorbs more sun and speeds up warming—a feedback loop that’s hard to break. These changes ripple through wildlife habitat, vegetation, and water quality across the park.
Effects on Park Ecosystems and Wildlife
Climate change upends Wrangell-St. Elias National Park’s ecosystems. Rising temperatures and shifting precipitation force wildlife like caribou and Dall’s sheep to adapt, while vegetation zones and aquatic habitats change across the park’s 13.2 million acres.
Vegetation and Habitat Shifts
Warming temperatures push treelines higher up the mountains. Spruce and hemlock forests now expand into places that were once alpine tundra.
This shift squeezes habitat zones. Alpine plants that need cold conditions lose space as trees move upward.
Some vegetation changes:
- Shrubs spread into tundra areas
- Spring green-up comes 10-14 days earlier
- Growing seasons last longer, sometimes into fall
- Berry production shifts in timing
Wetlands feel extra stress. Thawing permafrost changes soil drainage, creating new ponds in some places and drying out others.
The park’s coastal areas face different challenges. Salt spray from rising seas changes plant communities along the shore.
These habitat shifts ripple through the food web. Insects emerge earlier, which can throw off birds that rely on them to feed their chicks.
Impacts on Caribou and Dall’s Sheep
Caribou face a bunch of climate-related hurdles along their old migration routes. Warmer summers mean more bugs, so caribou end up searching for relief in places where food isn’t as easy to find.
Ice on rivers and lakes just isn’t as reliable anymore. Caribou struggle to cross water during migration, which can split up herds from their calving grounds.
Climate impacts on caribou:
- Earlier spring migration timing
- More energy spent avoiding insects
- Lichen harder to find on winter ranges
- Ice crossings less predictable
Dall’s sheep have their own set of problems higher up. Some spots open up sooner as snow melts early, but others see more rockfalls when permafrost thaws.
Rain-on-snow events create icy crusts that block sheep from getting to plants. These weird weather swings happen more often as temperatures bounce around freezing.
Lambs don’t survive as well when extreme weather hits during birthing season. Late spring storms can really devastate the newborns.
Aquatic Systems and River Dynamics
Glaciers melt faster across the park’s huge ice fields. That extra melt raises water temperatures and changes how rivers and streams flow.
Fish populations try to adapt to these new water conditions. Salmon runs shift, with fish arriving earlier as water warms up sooner in the year.
Aquatic ecosystem changes:
- Streams get warmer, affecting fish habitat
- More sediment from melting glaciers
- Spring peak flows come earlier
- Glaciers retreat, new lakes appear
Glaciers feed most of the park’s major rivers. As glaciers shrink, short-term river flows go up, but long-term water supply drops.
Stream chemistry shifts as ice exposes new rock. This change affects aquatic insects and the fish that eat them.
Saltwater pushes into freshwater systems along the coast. That messes with spawning grounds for fish that move between salt and fresh water.
Cultural and Community Impacts
Climate change puts the cultural heritage and traditional ways of life in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park at risk. Indigenous communities find it harder to keep up their ancestral practices, while park managers scramble to protect vulnerable cultural resources from these shifts.
Vulnerability of Cultural Resources
Cultural sites in Wrangell-St. Elias take a direct hit from changing weather. Permafrost thaw wrecks archaeological sites that have sat frozen for thousands of years.
Historic buildings don’t fare much better, with more moisture and wild temperature swings. Old materials like wood and metal break down faster as the climate shifts.
Key threatened resources include:
- Archaeological sites with ancient artifacts
- Historic mining gear and buildings
- Traditional hunting and fishing spots
- Sacred sites important to Native cultures
Resource stewardship now leans into climate adaptation. Park managers figure out which sites are at greatest risk and come up with ways to protect them.
Sometimes, they have to move cultural resources to safer places. Other times, they use new preservation techniques that work better in these changing conditions.
Indigenous Communities and Heritage
Alaska Native communities feel a deep connection to the land in Wrangell-St. Elias. Their traditions rely on stable seasonal patterns, but climate change throws those patterns out of whack.
Traditional hunting seasons shift as animals migrate differently. Caribou and other wildlife show up in new places or at different times.
Fish numbers drop in some rivers because of warmer water. That hits both food supplies and cultural traditions tied to fishing.
Traditional knowledge keepers notice changes in:
- Plant gathering seasons
- Ice forming on rivers and lakes
- Old-school weather prediction methods
The park teams up with tribal representatives to track these changes. This collaboration helps keep indigenous knowledge alive and lets people adapt as things shift.
Local Adaptation Challenges
Communities near the park deal with economic pressures from climate impacts. As glaciers retreat and travel routes get sketchy, tourism patterns change too.
Infrastructure problems hit locals and visitors alike. Flooding and thawing permafrost damage roads and bridges.
Resource stewardship needs to balance conservation with what the community actually needs. Locals rely on natural resources for both income and cultural life.
Adaptation planning looks at:
- Alternative economic opportunities for residents
- Updated emergency response plans
- New or rerouted access to important sites
- Fresh ways to harvest traditional resources
Park managers work with local folks to find solutions. These partnerships help climate adaptation protect both heritage and people’s day-to-day lives.
Management Strategies and Future Adaptation
Park managers lean on scenario planning and research partnerships to shape climate adaptation strategies that protect natural and cultural resources. They focus on long-term stewardship, monitoring, and trying to keep things sustainable.
Climate Change Adaptation and Scenario Planning
Scenario-based planning sits at the core of climate adaptation at Wrangell-St. Elias. Park staff team up with the NPS Climate Change Response Program to figure out how different climate futures could affect key resources.
The planning process creates climate-resource scenarios so managers can make smarter decisions. These scenarios look at how warming might hit glaciers, wildlife populations, and resources locals depend on.
During workshops, park staff and experts hash out specific stewardship strategies for each possible climate outcome. This helps them get ready for uncertainty instead of betting on one prediction.
The Resource Stewardship Strategy uses these scenarios to guide day-to-day work. Managers adjust their approach depending on what the climate data suggests is most likely.
Key planning elements include:
- Temperature and precipitation forecasts
- Glacier retreat timelines
- Wildlife habitat changes
- Infrastructure vulnerability checks
Collaboration With Research Institutions
Wrangell-St. Elias partners with a bunch of organizations to strengthen its climate response. The University of Alaska Fairbanks brings research chops on Arctic and subarctic systems.
NOAA shares weather data and climate projections that shape park decisions. This way, managers stay up to date with the latest science.
Research collaborations dig into how climate change hits specific park resources. Scientists study glacier behavior, wildlife changes, and ecosystem shifts.
The park also works closely with the National Park Service Climate Change Response Program. This partnership gives them training and technical support for adaptation.
Collaborative research priorities:
- Glacier monitoring and modeling
- Wildlife population studies
- Ecosystem response tracking
- Cultural resource preservation
Green Park Initiatives and Resource Stewardship
The park rolls out sustainable practices to shrink its environmental footprint while adapting to climate change. Resource stewardship means protecting both natural and cultural resources for the long haul.
Green initiatives bring in energy-efficient buildings and renewable power where possible. The park encourages visitors and staff to use sustainable transportation.
Water conservation programs help guard this critical resource as rainfall patterns change. Managers keep a close eye on water quality and supply across the park’s varied landscapes.
The park works to protect traditional subsistence resources used by Alaska Native communities. Climate plans specifically tackle how warming affects hunting, fishing, and gathering.
Staff regularly check how vulnerable infrastructure is to extreme weather. That way, they can prioritize fixes and upgrades that boost climate resilience.
Monitoring and Reporting Efforts
Comprehensive monitoring programs keep tabs on climate impacts across the park’s 13.2 million acres. Scientists measure temperature, precipitation, and snow coverage at several locations.
They use satellite imagery and ground-based tools for glacier monitoring, documenting ice loss as it happens. This kind of data lets them predict future changes and plan for impacts on park resources.
Wildlife monitoring checks how species react to shifting conditions. Researchers look at migration patterns, breeding success, and changes in how animals use their habitats.
The park puts out regular reports that show climate trends and progress on adaptation. These Natural Resource Reports share findings with other parks and research groups.
Monitoring focuses on:
- Temperature and weather patterns
- Glacier extent and thickness
- Wildlife population dynamics
- Vegetation community changes
- Infrastructure performance
Staff collect data to guide both immediate management and long-term planning. As conditions shift, this info helps the park tweak its strategies.