Beaver Pond Locations in Arctic Alaska, 1949 to 2020.

Beavers were not previously recognized as an Arctic species, and their engineering in the tundra is considered negligible. Recent findings suggest that beavers have moved into arctic tundra regions and are controlling surface water dynamics, which strongly influence permafrost and landscape stability. These data show beaver pond locations in the Alaska Arctic identified in aerial photography and satellite imagery. Black and white aerial photography is from 1949-55, color infrared aerial photography (AHAP) is from 1976-84, and high-resolution satellite imagery is from 2000-2020. The number of beaver ponds doubled in most areas of ~2003 and ~2017 images. Earlier stages of beaver engineering are evident in ~1980 imagery, and there is no evidence of beaver engineering in ~1952 imagery, consistent with observations from Indigenous communities describing the influx of beavers over the period.

此前河狸并未被认定为北极物种，其在苔原地带的生态工程活动也长期被认为可忽略不计。近期研究表明，河狸已成功迁入北极苔原区域，并通过调控地表水动态，对永久冻土与景观稳定性产生极强影响。本数据集收录了通过航空摄影与卫星影像解译得到的阿拉斯加北极地区河狸塘点位。其中，黑白航空摄影数据的采集时段为1949年至1955年，彩色红外航空摄影（AHAP）数据为1976年至1984年，高分辨率卫星影像数据则为2000年至2020年。在2003年左右与2017年左右的影像中，多数区域的河狸塘数量均实现翻倍。1980年左右的影像中已显现河狸工程活动的早期痕迹，而1952年左右的影像中则未发现任何相关证据，这与原住民社区记录的同期河狸迁入情况完全吻合。