Unprecedented warmth sweeping through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan has triggered an unexpected disruption in the annual Wolf and Moose Winter Study on Isle Royale, marking the first interruption in 65 years.
The rising temperatures have caused a rapid melting of snowpack and ice across harbors and bays, prompting Michigan Technological University researchers to halt their fieldwork on the remote island.
In a departure from tradition, the research team’s survey plane and pilot departed from the island archipelago on Tuesday, with helicopters utilized to transport team members back to the mainland on Wednesday.
The decision was made in response to the prolonged period of above-freezing temperatures throughout January, which are anticipated to persist into February, as stated in a social media announcement by the research team today.
Annually, during the winter months, the team embarks on fieldwork within Isle Royale, a remote island nestled in Lake Superior and designated as a national park.
Conducting aerial and ground surveys, they estimate the populations of moose and wolves, contributing to the world’s longest-running predator-prey study.
Amidst concerns over the warming trend, efforts were made earlier in the week to relocate the survey plane from the melting ice of the harbor to a nearby dock.
However, as weather conditions remained uncertain, the pilot made the decision to return to the mainland on Tuesday morning.
Simultaneously, the National Park Service announced a suspension of all fieldwork activities due to safety apprehensions, anticipating challenges for ski planes to land and retrieve researchers in the coming weeks.
With the assistance of Wisk Air Helicopters from Thunder Bay, Ontario, the research team safely departed from the island on Wednesday afternoon, circumventing the need for ice landings.
Although the Winter Study faces a delay, there remains optimism that it could resume if temperatures drop and the ice re-forms by the end of February, aligning with current long-term forecasts.
Source: mlive.com
