Regions: North Slave Region
Tags: climatology, biology, ecological indicators, caribou, wildlife management, dendrochronology, population dynamics
| Principal Investigator: | Zalatan, Rececca (1) |
| Licence Number: | 13586 |
| Organization: | University of British Columbia |
| Licensed Year(s): |
2004
2003
|
| Issued: | Apr 02, 2004 |
| Project Team: | G.H.R. Hen |
Objective(s): Caribou populations fluctuate over long time spans. However, long-term records of population cycles are scarce. The population dynamics of the Bathurst and Beverly caribou herd across the Northwest Territories will be reconstructed using two proxy indicators of climate: dendrochronology and hoof scars left on the surficial roots of spruce trees across caribou trails. Once the population dynamics of the herds is determined, correlating any changes in this index to climate fluctuations will be the next objective. Using dendrochronology, the researchers will determine the climate of the region from the annual growth rings of the spruce trees. It is likely that any climatic events, climate changes or coarse-scale climatic cycles are likely to affect caribou populations. The use of caribou hoof scars to reconstruct caribou populations makes this project unique and essential to northern research. The reconstructed abundance of caribou populations will be complimentary to the use of traditional knowledge on historic abundance and contribute to harvest management and predicting cumulative effects from industrial activity.
