Climate Change in Mountain Ecosystems (CCME)
Climate change is widely acknowledged to have a profound effect on the biosphere and cryosphere with many and diverse impacts on global resources. Mountain ecosystems in the western U.S., and the U.S. Northern Rocky Mountains in particular, are highly sensitive to climate change. Warming in western Montana is nearly 2 times greater than the rise in global temperatures over the last 100+ years (Pederson et al, 2010). In these mountainous areas, snowmelt provides almost 70% of the water that humans living in the western U.S. depend on (Li et. Al 2017). Additionally, they provide a host of other ecosystem services such as snow-based recreation, timber, habitat for unique flora and fauna, as well as habitat for species of conservation concern like bull trout and grizzly bear. USGS scientists with the Climate Change in Mountain Ecosystems (CCME) group, in conjunction with collaborators across the globe, study the connection between climate and snow on the landscape. Since 1991, studies of climate variability on glaciers, avalanche cycles, and patterns of snow distribution have provided land managers with data to make management decisions for future generations.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Avalanche ecology and large magnitude avalanche events: Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
Potential economic benefits of adapting agricultural production systems to future climate change
A century of climate and ecosystem change in Western Montana: What do temperature trends portend?
Mass balance of a cirque glacier in the U.S. Rocky Mountains
Below are FAQ associated with this project.
Climate change is widely acknowledged to have a profound effect on the biosphere and cryosphere with many and diverse impacts on global resources. Mountain ecosystems in the western U.S., and the U.S. Northern Rocky Mountains in particular, are highly sensitive to climate change. Warming in western Montana is nearly 2 times greater than the rise in global temperatures over the last 100+ years (Pederson et al, 2010). In these mountainous areas, snowmelt provides almost 70% of the water that humans living in the western U.S. depend on (Li et. Al 2017). Additionally, they provide a host of other ecosystem services such as snow-based recreation, timber, habitat for unique flora and fauna, as well as habitat for species of conservation concern like bull trout and grizzly bear. USGS scientists with the Climate Change in Mountain Ecosystems (CCME) group, in conjunction with collaborators across the globe, study the connection between climate and snow on the landscape. Since 1991, studies of climate variability on glaciers, avalanche cycles, and patterns of snow distribution have provided land managers with data to make management decisions for future generations.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Avalanche ecology and large magnitude avalanche events: Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
Potential economic benefits of adapting agricultural production systems to future climate change
A century of climate and ecosystem change in Western Montana: What do temperature trends portend?
Mass balance of a cirque glacier in the U.S. Rocky Mountains
Below are FAQ associated with this project.