The Wilderness Society has used SNAP data and assistance to assess potential future impacts on water availability statewide.

Increases in temperature and changes in precipitation have had profound effects on regional hydrology, including shrinking wetlands, glacier and polar sea ice recession, permafrost melting, and an increase in fire frequency and intensity across the landscape as a result of increased drought and thunderstorms. Continuation of these trends will likely lead to further changes in the hydrologic cycle, with significant implications for the people, places, and
wildlife that depend on Alaska’s water resources. In an effort to better understand where and when changes in hydrology are likely to occur, The Wilderness Society and SNAP developed a tool for mapping future water availability across the state. Results show that the growing season in Alaska is projected to become warmer and drier. With significantly more water leaving the landscape through higher PET than incoming precipitation, most of Alaska is expected to become 10-30% drier by the end of the century. Such a dramatic decrease in water availability is likely to have profound impacts on the wildlife, vegetation, and human communities that depend on these water resources.