Using past weather data and future weather pattern predictions in Southwestern Alaska, the National Park Service foresees both a significant decrease in precipitation in the form of snow and a shorter snow season. Over the next fifty years, according to the study, low-lying regions in the Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve, and in the Lake Clark, Katmai, and Kenai Fjords National Parks are likely to transition from snow-dominant to rain-dominant. This shift will reduce overall snowpack and decrease instream flow during summer months unless glacial melt or rain boost runoff. The timing of runoff may negatively impact salmon runs in the summer months, while an increase in streamflow in the winter months, as snow transitions to rain, will threaten salmon eggs with scouring. Warmer air temperatures in the summer months are expected to raise temperatures in non-glacial streams, impeding salmon survival throughout all life stages. It is unlikely that salmon will adjust quickly enough to accommodate to these changes.
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