Carving out a Place for Ecology: Long-Term Ecological Studies in Glacier Bay, Alaska

Background/Question/Methods

Since John Muir’s first visit in 1879, Glacier Bay, Alaska, has had an unbroken history of scientific study: from 1879 forward its glaciers have been regularly mapped, and from 1916 its ecological patterns have been persistently studied. Given this long, continuous history of scientific study, Glacier Bay and the long-term ecological study begun there by William Skinner Cooper in 1916 serve as an ideal case for the historical study of the interaction between place and ecological research.  What initially drew ecologists to this region and what characteristics of the physical place and social space have continued to attract ecologists over the past century? Further, how have the physical place and social spaces of Glacier Bay shaped the scientific questions asked and scientific studies conducted there? 

Results/Conclusions

In a 1923 publication, Cooper enumerated the “unique advantages of this region for exact successional study: the rapidity with which fresh areas are being laid bare, the consequent rapidity of vegetational development, and especially the known history of glacial behavior extending back a century and a quarter.” Implicit within these scientific justifications was Cooper’s commitment to a particular type of ecological study – physiographic ecology – building on his education under Henry Cowles at the University of Chicago. While Glacier Bay certainly offered Cooper and succeeding generations of ecologists excellent conditions for studies of ecological succession, natural history alone does not account for the persistence of studies in this rather remote bay of Southeastern Alaska. The region’s aesthetic qualities and human history have also contributed greatly to the construction of this natural laboratory.  While ecologists have actively shaped the scientific reputation of Glacier Bay, this place – both in its natural and social history – has also shaped ecological practice and theory over the past century, forcing ecologists to rethink both how to design their studies and also the power of their results to explain more universal phenomena.