Ken D. Tape

Ken D. Tape is a Professor of Ecology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, affiliated with the Geophysical Institute. His research focuses on climate change impacts on Arctic ecosystems, emphasizing interconnections between snow, vegetation, permafrost, hydrology, wildlife, and human communities.

• Founded Arctic Beaver Observation Network (A-BON) (2020), coordinating circumarctic beaver research
• Developed repeat photography projects documenting landscape change in Alaska
• Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-PI for 10+ grants from NASA, NSF, USGS, DOE, and IASC

His work synthesizes satellite remote sensing, field measurements, and historical data to analyze:

• Beaver colonization in tundra regions (2018–present)
• Shrub expansion and carbon dynamics (2008–2020)
• Hydrological changes in permafrost landscapes (2014–2022)
• Wildlife-vegetation interactions (2000–2017)

Recent publications analyze beaver-engineered Arctic wetlands, shrub-root trait relationships, and permafrost destabilization, with methodological innovations in ground-penetrating radar and pressure transducer monitoring.