Christopher Arp

Research
Publications
Education
Experience
Professional Organizations

Research Interests

  • Landscape and watershed-scale functions of lakes and wetlands
  • Stream geomorphology, hydrology, and ecology
  • River and lake ice dynamics
  • Surface-water interactions with permafrost
  • Climate change responses and adaptive management

Current Research Projects

Past Research Projects

Select Peer-Reviewed Publications

Engram, M., Meyer, F. J., Brown, D. R. N., Clement, S., Bondurant, A. C., Spellman, K. V., . . . Arp, C. D. (2024). Detecting early winter open-water zones on Alaska rivers using dual-polarized C-band Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR). Remote Sensing of Environment, 305, 114096. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2024.114096

Brown, D. R. N., Arp, C. D., Brinkman, T. J., Cellarius, B. A., Engram, M., Miller, M. E., & Spellman, K. V. (2023). Long-term change and geospatial patterns of river ice cover and navigability in Southcentral Alaska detected with remote sensing. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 55(1), 2241279. doi:10.1080/15230430.2023.2241279

Arp, C.D., Drew, K.A. and Bondurant, A.C. 2023. Observation of a rapid lake-drainage event in the Arctic: Set-up and trigger mechanisms, outburst flood behavior, and broader fluvial impacts. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 1– 15. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5571

Saros, J. E., Arp, C. D., Bouchard, F. …Vincent, W. F. 2023. Sentinel responses of Arctic freshwater systems to climate: linkages, evidence, and a roadmap for future research. Arctic Science. //doi.org/10.1139/as-2022-0021

Arp, C. D., Engram, M., Bondurant, A. C., and Drew, K. A. 2022. Unusually thick freshwater ice and its impacts on aquatic resources in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A) during the winter of 2020–2021. Arctic Science. https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2022-0021

Arp, C. D., and Whitman, M. S., 2022. Lake basins drive variation in catchment-scale runoff response over a decade of increasing rainfall in Arctic Alaska. Hydrological Processes, 36(5), e14583. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14583

Zhang, S., Pavelsky, T. M., Arp, C. D., and Yang, X., 2021, Remote sensing of lake ice phenology in Alaska: Environmental Research Letters, v. 16, no. 6, p. 064007.

Arp, C. D., J. E. Cherry, D. R. N. Brown, A. C. Bondurant, and K. L. Endres. 2020. Observation-derived ice growth curves show patterns and trends in maximum ice thickness and safe travel duration of Alaskan lakes and rivers. The Cryosphere, 14: 3595–3609, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3595-2020

Johaneman, T. M., C. D. Arp, M. S. Whitman, A. C. Bondurant, H. B. Hamann, and M. W. Kerwin. 2020. Classifying Connectivity to Guide Aquatic Habitat Management in an Arctic Coastal Plain Watershed Experiencing Land-use and Climate Change. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 52: 476-490

Arp, C. D., M. S. Whitman, R. Kemnitz, R., and S. L. Stuefer. 2020. Evidence of hydrological intensification and regime change from northern Alaskan watershed runoff. Geophysical Research Letters, 47, e2020GL089186. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL089186

Arp, C. D., B. M. Jones, K. M. Hinkel, D. L. Kane, M. S. Whitman, R. Kemnitz. 2020. Recurring outburst floods from drained lakes: an emerging arctic hazard. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 18(7):384-390, doi:10.1002/fee.2175

Beaver, J. R., Arp, C. D., Tausz, C. E., Jones, B. M., Whitman, M. S., Renicker, T. R., Samples, E. E., Ordosch, D. M., and Scotese, K. C., 2019. Potential shifts in zooplankton community structure in response to changing ice regimes and hydrologic connectivity. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 51(1): 327-345.

Arp, C. D., M. S. Whitman, B. M. Jones, D. A. Nigro, V. A. Alexeev, A. Gädeke, S. Fritz, R. Daanen, A. K. Liljedahl, F. J. Adams, B. V. Gaglioti, G. Grosse, K. C. Heim, J. R. Beaver, L. Cai, M. Engram, and H. R. Uher-Koch. 2019. Ice roads through lake-rich arctic watersheds: integrating climate uncertainty and freshwater habitat responses into adaptive management. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 51(1): 9-23

Arp, C. D., Jones, B. M., Engram, M., Alexeev, V. A., Cai, L., Parsekian, A., Hinkel, K. M., Bondurant, A. C., and Creighton, A. 2018. Contrasting Lake Ice Responses to Winter Climate Indicate Future Variability and Trends on the Alaskan Arctic Coastal Plain. Environmental Research Letters 13(12): 125001

Heim, K. C., C. D. Arp, M. S. Whitman, and M. S. Wipfli. 2018. The complimentary role of shallow lakes and streams as foraging habitat to Arctic Grayling. Ecology of Freshwater Fishes. DOI:10.1111/eff.12444

Tape, K. D., B. M. Jones, C. D. Arp, I. Nitze, G. Grosse, C. E. Zimmerman. 2018. Tundra be dammed: Beaver colonization of the Arctic. Global Change Biology. DOI:10.1111/gcb.14332

Engram, M., C. D. Arp, B. M. Jones, O. A. Ajadi, and F. J. Meyer. 2018. Analyzing floating and bedfast lake ice regimes across Arctic Alaska using 25 years of space-borne SAR imagery. Remote Sensing of Environment 209:660-676. doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2018.02.022

Elder, C. D., X. Xu, J. Walker, J. L. Schnell, K. M. Hinkel, A. Townsend-Small, C. D. Arp, J. W. Pohlman, B. V. Gaglioti, and C. I. Czimczik. 2018. Greenhouse gas emissions from diverse Arctic Alaskan lakes are dominated by young carbon. Nature Climate Change 8:166-171.

Stuefer, S. L., C. D. Arp, D. L. Kane, and A. K. Liljedahl. 2017. Recent extreme runoff observations from coastal Arctic watersheds in Alaska. Water Resources Research. 53, 9145–9163. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017WR020567

Nitze, I., Grosse, G., Jones, B. M., Arp, C. D., Ulrich, M., Fedorov, A. M., and Veremeeva, A. 2017. Landsat-based trend analysis of lake dynamics across northern permafrost regions. Remote Sensing 9 (640):1-28. DOI:10.3390/rs9070640

Baker, M. A., C. D. Arp, K. Goodman, A. Marcarelli, and W. Wurtbaugh. 2016. Effects of lakes on stream functioning. in Stanley, E. and J. Jones, editors. Streams in a Changing Environment. Elsevier.

Alexeev, V. A., C. D. Arp, B. M. Jones, L. Cai. 2016. Arctic sea ice decline contributes to thinning lake ice trend in northern Alaska. Environmental Research Letters. DOI:10.1088/1748-9326/11/7/074022

Arp, C. D., B. M. Jones, G. Grosse, A. C. Bondurant, V. E. Romanovsky, K. E. Hinkel, and A. Parsekian. 2016. Threshold sensitivity of shallow arctic lakes and sub-lake permafrost to changing winter climate. Geophysical Research Letters. DOI:1002/20016GL06506

Arp, C. D., B. M. Jones, A. K. Liljedahl, K. M. Hinkel, and J. A. Welker. 2015. Depth, ice thickness, and ice-out timing cause divergent hydrologic responses among Arctic lakes. Water Resources Research. DOI:1002/2015WR017362

Jones, B.M. and C. D. Arp. 2015. Observing a catastrophic thermokarst lake drainage in northern Alaska. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes. DOI: 10.1002/ppp.1842

Arp, C. D., M. S. Whitman, B. M. Jones, G. Grosse, B. V. Gaglioti, and K. C. Heim. 2015. Distribution and biophysical processes of beaded streams of Arctic permafrost landscapes. Biogeosciences 12: 1-19.

Jones, B. M., A. Gusmeroli, C. D. Arp, T. Strozzi, G. Grosse, B. V. Gaglioti, and M. S. Whitman. 2013. Classification of freshwater ice conditions on the Alaskan Arctic Coastal Plain using ground penetrating radar and TerraSAR-X satellite data. International Journal of Remote Sensing 34(23): 8253-8265.

Arp, C. D., B. M. Jones, and G. Grosse. 2013. Recent lake ice-out phenology within and among lake distictst of Alaska, U.S.A. Limnology and Oceanography 58(6): 2013-2028.

Grosse, G., B. Jones, and C. Arp. 2013. Thermokarst Lake, Drainage, and Drained Basins. Pages 1-29 in J. Shroder, R. Giardino, and J. Harbor, editors. Treatise on Geomorphology. Academic Press, San Diego, CA.

Arp, C.D., B.M. Jones, Z. Lu, and M.S. Whitman. 2012. Shifting balance of thermokarst lake ice regimes across the Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska. Geophysical Research Letters 39 (L16503):1-5.

Arp, C. D., M. S. Whitman, B. M. Jones, R. Kemnitz, G. Grosse, and F. E. Urban. 2012. Drainage network structure and hydrologic behavior of three lake-rich watersheds on the Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 44(4):385-398.

Arp, C. D. and T. Simmons. 2012. Analyzing the impacts of off-road vehicles (ORV) trails on watershed processes in Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Environmental Management 49: 751-766.

Arp, C.D., B.M. Jones, F.E. Urban, and G. Grosse. 2011, Hydrogeomorphic processes of thermokarst lakes with grounded-ice and floating-ice regimes on the Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska. Hydrological Processes.Hydrological Processes 25(15):2422-2438.

Arp, C.D., Jones, B.M., Schmutz, J.A., Urban, F.E., Jorgenson, M.T. in press. Two mechanisms of aquatic and terrestrial habitat change along an Alaska Arctic coastline. Polar Biology, doi:10.1007/s00300-1010-0800-5

Arp, C.D., Jones, B.M., Whitman, M., Larsen, A., Urban, F.E. 2010. Lake temperature and ice cover regimes in the Alaskan Subarctic and Arctic: Integrated monitoring, remote sensing, and modeling. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 46(4): 777-791.

Hall, R.O., Baker, M.A., Arp, C.D., and Koch, B.J. 2009. Hydrologic control of nitrogen removal, storage, and export in a mountain stream. Limnology and Oceanography, 54(6):2128-2142

Jones, B.M., Kolden, C.A., Jandt, R., Abatzoglou, J.T., Urban, F.E., and Arp, C.D. 2009. Fire behavior, weather, and burn severity of the 2007 Anaktuvuk River tundra fire, North Slope, Alaska. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 41 (3):309-316

Jones, B.M., Arp, C.D., Jorgenson, M.T., Hinkel, K.M., Schmutz, J.A., and Flint, P.L. 2009. Increase in the rate and uniformity of coastline erosion in Arctic Alaska. Geophysical Research Letters 36: 1-5.

Briggs, M.A., Gooseff, M.N., Arp, C.D., and Baker, M.A. 2009. A method for estimating surface transient storage parameters for streams with concurrent hyporheic storage. Water Resources Research, 45( W00D27):1-13.

Arp, C.D. and M.A. Baker. 2007. Discontinuities in stream nutrient uptake below lakes in mountain drainage networks. Limnology and Oceanography, 52: 1978-1990.

Arp, C.D., J.C. Schmidt., M.A. Baker, and A. Myers. 2007. Stream geomorphology in a mountain lake district: hydraulic geometry, sediment sources and sinks, and downstream effects. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 32(4): 525-543.

Arp, C.D., M.N. Gooseff, M.A. Baker, and W. Wurtsbaugh. 2006. Surface-water hydrodynamics and regimes of a small mountain stream-lake ecosystem. Journal of Hydrology, 329: 500-513.

Arp, C.D. and D.J. Cooper. 2004. Analysis of sediment retention in western riverine wetlands: the Yampa River Watershed, Colorado. Environmental Management, 33(3):318-330.

Cooper, D.J., R.A. Andrus, and C.D. Arp. 2002. Sphagnum balticum in a Southern Rocky Mountain iron fen. Madrono, 49(3):186-188.

Arp, C.D., D.J. Cooper, and J.D. Stednick. 1999. The effects of heavy metals from acid rock drainage on Carex aquatilis leaf litter decomposition in Rocky Mountain fens. Wetlands, 19(3):665 – 674.

 

  • 2006 Ph.D. Ecology (Utah State University)
  • 1998 M.S. Watershed Science (Colorado State University)
  • 1994 B.S. Fisheries and Wildlife Biology / Environmental Studies (Iowa State University)

Professional Experience

  • 2024 – present Research Professor of Hydrology    
  • 2016 – 2024 Research Associate Professor
  • 2010 – 2016 Assistant Research Professor, Water and Environmental Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK
  • 2006 – 2010 Research Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Anchroage, AK
  • 2002 – 2006 Research Assistant, Utah State University, Logan, UT
  • 2001 – 2002 Ecological Consultant, D.J. Cooper, Boulder, CO
  • 1999 – 2001 Development Worker, U.S. Peace Corps, Loja, Ecuador, SA
  • 1996 – 1999 Research Assistant, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
  • 1994 – 1996 Fisheries Biologist, Saltwater, Inc., Anchorage, AK

Teaching Experience

  • 2023 Instructor, Watershed Hydrology (CE 665), UAF
  • 2015-2024 Guest Lecturer, Arctic Engineering (CE 603), Watershed Management (NRM 370), Our Changing Climate (ACNS 125), Geomorphology (GEOS 304), and Physical Processes in Freshwater Ecosystems (FISH 694) - UAF 
  • 2005 Teaching Assistant, Small Watershed Hydrology (AWER 4490/5490), USU
  • 2000 Technical Trainer, U.S. Peace Corps, Quito, Ecuador
  • 1999 Professor, Hydrology and Water Quality in Aquaculture, Universidad Nacional de Loja
  • 1998 Teaching Assistant, Land-use and Water Quality (ER 418), CSU
  • Alaska Chapter of American Water Resources Association
  • Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography
  • American Geophysical Union