Lake Water Withdrawals and Seasonal Hydrologic Extremes Significantly Impact Connectivity of Lakes and Streams on the North Slope of Alaska
A process-based, spatially distributed hydrological and thermal Water Balance Simulation Model (at 10 m spatial resolution) was applied to model the Crea Creek watershed. The impacts of documented seasonal climate extremes and Lake Water Withdrawals (LWW) were evaluated on seasonal runoff, including minimum 7-day mean flow (MQ7), the recovery time of MQ7 to pre-perturbation conditions, and the duration of streamflow conditions that prevents fish passage.
The Arctic Coastal Plain of the North Slope of Alaska experienced extreme climate events and increased LWWs for infrastructure construction, primarily ice roads and industrial operations. However, their potential combined effects on streamflow remained underexplored.
Under current average climatic conditions, LWWs are not offset by same-year snowmelt as currently assumed in land management regulations. Effective land management would benefit from considering the combined impact of climate change and industrial LWWs.