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Glacier Bay, Alaska

Glacier Bay is a national park in the southeastern corner of Alaska. The natural

landscape is comprised of three million acres, most of which is virtually inaccessible to man.

The Fair Weather Mountain Range surrounds the park and its peaks soar to over 15,000 feet

above sea level and the park¶s valleys are filled with magnificent glaciers that, in places, flow to

the sea.

Over the past 200 years, the glacier has retreated from the bay almost 70 miles, creating

the perfect scenario for primary succession to be observed. There are five major terrestrial

ecosystems in the park, growing lusher the farther one travels from the glacier: wet tundra,

alpine tundra, glaciers and icefields, post-glacial meadows and thickets and temperate rainforest.

The marine ecosystems number three: Continental shelf, wave-beaten coasts and fjord estuaries.

The area closest to the retreating glacier is litteredwith glacial till. Lichens, algae and

moss are the only plant species hardy enough to survive here, but very slowly, they create soil.

Dryas and fireweed, mixed with horsetail and willow shrubs then colonize, slowly make way for

Alder trees and Cottonwood. Soon Spruce and Hemlock, mixed with Cedar, are evident with a

lush population of blueberry bushes, and heath. The climax community is a temperate rainforest,

filled with Sitka Spruce, Cedar and Western Hemlock. Moss drips from the trees and ferns,

evergreen herbs, blueberries and devil¶s club fill the spaces between. Nurse logs litter the forest

floor and make the terrain nearly impassable.

Closer to the sea, salt marshes and beach meadows are filled with sea grasses, sedges and

a multitude of wildflowers. Animals wander through this magnificent terrain, finding abundant

food sources. Bears fish the clear streams for salmon and feast on barnacles and clams in the

estuaries. Wolves, marmots, coyotes and mountain goats; marten, mink and weasels can all be

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seen at one time or another at the shore. The sea is what binds these ecosystems. Along the

Alsek River Delta, snowshoe hares, lynx and beavers roam, having traversed the mountains

through this valley, now devoid of ice. Seabirds and migrating water fowl inhabit the shorelines

and rocky outcroppings, while songbirds populate the old growth forests.

The marine ecosystems change drastically, depending on their distance from the ice as

well. Close to the glaciers, the environment is harsh and the species hardy. The water is filled

with sediment and not much sunlight penetrates the murky water. Mussels and barnacles filter

sustenance from the glacial silt filtering down, but other species are dependent upon the ever

changing state of the water and can be wiped out quickly.

Mid-bay, further from the hostile glacier, is filled with life. The water is clear and

sunlight penetrates to a depth of close to 100 feet. Phytoplankton, zooplankton and copepods

intermix to create a soupy smorgasbord making the water appear green. Sea cucumbers,

sponges, hermit crabs and sea stars survive readily here.

The lower bay is home to schools of fish, fed upon by migrating humpback whales, killer

whales, sea lions, and porpoises. There are strong tidal currents that diffuse nutrients, and what

is not consumed at the surface by sea birds, or in the currents by the large mammals, is devoured

in the depths by sea anemones and hermit crabs.

Glacier Bay National Park is so remote that most of it is impacted little by human

activities. The biggest threat in the past has been from commercial fishing, which has been all

but eliminated in the bay. The sea otter has been reintroduced and kelp forests have

reestablished themselves. The humpback whale and American peregrine falcon are both animals

that are found on the endangered species list and in the bay, but they find sanctuary here and are

protected.

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Park visitors pose a more viable threat presently, but their activities are largely seasonal

and closely monitored by park rangers. There are very few year-round residents with a close

proximity to the park, and they are either isolated native populations or located in Gustavas, the

closest ³European´ settlement. Climate change may also be a threat to this area, and its effects

are being closely monitored.

Glacier Bay is by and large a pristine wilderness that has been insulated from human

influence. Its ecosystems are constantly changing in response to the movement of the glaciers

for which it is named. Because it is now internationally recognized for its splendor by the United

Nations as a Biosphere Reserve, it will continue to be protected and available for the study of

plant succession and animal re-colonization from the desolation left after glacier retreat.

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References

2011 Fact sheet [Fact Sheet]. (n.d.).In nps.gov. Retrieved January 31, 2011, from

National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior website:

http://www.nps.gov/glba/planyourvisit/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&pageid=321963

Biosphere reserve information [Fact Sheet]. (2002, January 30). In UNESCO-MAB

biosphere reserves directory. Retrieved January 31, 2011, from United Nations Educational,

Scientific and Cultural Organization website:

http://www.unesco.org/mabdb/br/brdir/directory/biores.aps?mode=all&Code=USA+41

Glacier Bay ecodystem GIS [Guide]. (n.d.).In inforain.org. Retrieved January 31, 2011,

from Inforain website: http://www.inforain.org/glacierbay/catalog/htm/nathist.htm

Natural history of glacier bay [Fact Sheet]. (2009, August 4). In nps.gov. Retrieved

January 31, 2011, from National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior website:

http://www.nps.cov/glba/naturescience/natural-history-of-glacier-bay.org