Postglacial vegetation history of the Kachemak Bay area, Cook Inlet, south-central Alaska: A section in Geologic studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1998
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Abstract
Pollen records from two sites on the north shore of Kachemak Bay, south-central Alaska, provide the first radiocarbon-dated histories of postglacial vegetation development for southern Cook Inlet. During the late Wisconsin glacial interval, glaciers covered most of Cook Inlet. Deglaciation of Kachemak Bay began prior to 13,000 yr B.P. Pollen evidence indicates that a pioneering herbaceous tundra began to develop by 12,800 yr B.P., but was soon replaced by a shrub tundra of dwarf birch (Betula), Ericales (Ericaceae and Empetrum) and willows (Salix).
By 9,500 yr B.P., a shrub-dominated vegetation of alders (Alnus) and willows, with some deciduous trees (Populus spp.) quickly developed and persisted until late Holocene time. By about 4,000–3,800 yr B.P., spruce trees (Picea glauca and (or) P. mariana) from the interior boreal forests reached the northern Kachemak Bay area from upper Cook Inlet and began to displace the alder-dominated vegetation. A coastal forest of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) began to colonize Kachemak Bay more recently, about 1,650 yr B.P. (minimum age), apparently from sources in Prince William Sound to the east. Where Sitka spruce came into proximity with boreal white spruce (Picea glauca), hybridization occurred, ultimately influencing the spruce forests over a large area of the Kenai Lowland. Some key findings of this study are: (1) the Kachemak Bay-area pollen records do not display persuasive evidence for a “Younger Dryas” cold, dry interval ca. 11,000–10,000 yr B.P. that has been reported from pollen records on Kodiak Island (Gulf of Alaska) and Pleasant Island (southeastern Alaska); (2) at least one species of alder may have survived in refugia in south-central Alaska during the last glacial interval; (3) coastal forests appear to be still migrating west along the coast of south-central Alaska, but their spread northward is being limited by drier, colder winter climates; (4) the mountainous topography of south-central Alaska, coupled with varying degrees of maritime climate influence, create complex patterns of climates and vegetation in the region, in both the past and present.
Study Area
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Title | Postglacial vegetation history of the Kachemak Bay area, Cook Inlet, south-central Alaska: A section in Geologic studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1998 |
| Series title | Professional Paper |
| Series number | 1615 |
| DOI | 10.3133/70180664 |
| Year Published | 2000 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | U.S. Geological Survey |
| Publisher location | Denver, CO |
| Contributing office(s) | Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center |
| Description | 20 p. |
| Larger Work Type | Report |
| Larger Work Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Larger Work Title | Geologic studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1998 (Professional Paper 1615) |
| First page | 147 |
| Last page | 166 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Other Geospatial | Cook Inlet, Kachemak Bay |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |