Contents 01 /
From the President & CEO
03 /
Updates and insights
06 /
10 /
A “fireside chat” with Woodwell’s fire and climate experts Fire suppression deployed in Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge to protect carbon
14 /
Old growth standing guard
16 /
Projects marking 20 years of field research
18 /
23 /
26 /
CLIMATE science for CHANGE
Indigenous-led climate research station rebuilds after October wildfire Climate change is opening the drain on Arctic lakes Colorado River water crisis a symptom of greater climate crisis
29 /
Networking the rivers
32 /
Final images from the field | Science on the Fly
Climate Science for Change is published by Woodwell Climate Research Center in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Woodwell Climate Research Center conducts science for solutions at the nexus of climate, people and nature. We partner with leaders and communities for just, meaningful impact to address the climate crisis. PRESIDENT AND CEO
Dr. R. Max Holmes CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER
Dr. Heather M. H. Goldstone SCIENCE WRITER
Sarah Ruiz GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Julianne Waite COPY EDITOR
Elizabeth Bagley IMAGES
Monica Caparas, Allie Cunningham, Linda Deegan, Mason Dominico, Illuminati Filmes, Greg Fiske, Bibiana Garrido, Nigel Golden, Miles Grant, Torre Jorgenson, Eric Lee, Anna Liljedhal, Marco Montemayor, Brendan Rogers, Christina Shintani, Susan Tessier, Joëlle Voglimacci-Stephanopoli, Daniel White, Dale Woitas, Sebastian Zavoico, Scott Zolkos WOODWELL CLIMATE RESEARCH CENTER
149 Woods Hole Road Falmouth, MA 02540 Email: info@woodwellclimate.org Website: woodwellclimate.org COPYRIGHT
Fires (orange) and smoke (grey/lavender) in Siberia during the 2020 fire season, shown on a
satellite image from the Sentinel-2 multispectral Instrument (https://sentinel.esa.int). Siberia’s fire season was more extreme than usual due to abnormally high spring temperatures— more than 8° C higher than averages of the previous 15 years. Overall, 25.5 million hectares burned including 15,000 individual fires in Siberia in 2020. / NASA image sourced by Stefano Potter, colorization by Christina Shintani
Aerial view of wildfire burning through the boreal and permafrost landscape as it approached the Scotty Creek Research Station, September 2022. / photo by Mason Dominico
All material appearing in Climate Science for Change is copyrighted unless otherwise stated or it may rest with the provider of the supplied material. Climate Science for Change takes care to ensure information is correct at time of printing. Woodwell Climate Research Center is located on the traditional and sacred land of the Wampanoag people who still occupy this land, and whose history, language, traditional ways of life, and culture continue to influence this vibrant community.
