New Salmon Habitats Emerge as Glaciers Recede | Science.

A team of scientists led by Sandy Milner sets off on the Capelin boat, navigating through the fog and passing a large cruise ship. Humpback whales can be seen exhaling from a distance and sea otters dot the water. The team reaches Wolf Point Creek, a relatively new feature on the landscape that formed after a glacier melted and retreated. Milner, a stream ecologist, has been studying the creek since the 1970s, documenting the arrival and succession of aquatic life, from tiny midge larvae to small fish. The creek supports a diverse ecosystem, including salmon, whose arrival and adaptation are being studied as glaciers continue to melt. Milner’s research program in Glacier Bay National Park is the longest-running study of stream community formation, documenting incremental changes for over four decades. As they make their way through the creek, the team moves through dense brush and shouts and sounds an air horn to warn wildlife. Over the years, the stream has transformed from a barren landscape to one with alder and cottonwood trees, and vegetation has established along the banks. The appearance of fish in the creek was a critical event, signaling further shifts and adaptations in the ecosystem.

 

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