Satellite images show that beavers are taking over the Alaskan tundra. And transforming natural flowing waterways into ponds.
The beaver invasion is a result of climate change, but as they build their dams it is accelerating the warming process.
The rapidly warming Arctic has created a better habitat for beavers. Because the snow is melting earlier, and the permafrost is thawing there are now more shrubby plants like alder and willow that beavers consume.
As the Alaska tundra warms, these woody plants are growing along its rivers and streams, creating perfect habitats for beavers.
Aerial photography taken of the region in the 1950s showed no beaver ponds in Arctic Alaska.
In a recent study, by an ecologist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Ken Tape, reviewed scanned satellite images of virtually every river, lake, and stream, in the Alaskan tundra. And he was able to count 11,377 beaver ponds.
The presence of beavers first appeared in 1980 photographs. And more and more in satellite imagery from the 2000s. And by the 2010s, the number of beaver ponds constructed doubled again.
