Steven Hostetler, Ph.D. (Former Employee)
Science and Products
Informing Adaptation Strategies for Maintaining Landscape Connectivity for Northern Rockies Wildlife
The U.S. Northern Rocky Mountains support a large number of native wildlife species, and survival of these populations depends on connected landscapes to support current migration and dispersal, as well as future shifts in species’ ranges. However, habitat fragmentation and loss threaten these connections. Land and wildlife managers across the U.S. are faced with decisions focused on...
The Past as a Prelude to the Future: Assessing Climate Effects on Native Trout in the U.S.
Salmonids (a family of fish that includes salmon, trout, and char) are a keystone species for both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and can be an early warning indicator of ecosystem health. Salmonids also have strong societal values and contribute enormously to regional economies and Native American cultures. Today, many native salmonid populations are small, highly fragmented, and...
Webinar: The Potential Influence of Changing Climate on the Persistence of Rocky Mountain Native Salmonids: What Information Will We Need to Manage for the Future?
View this webinar to learn more about managing salmonids in a changing climate.
Integrating ecological forecasting methods to improve applications for natural resource management: An invasive species example
Projecting the effects of climate change on plant and animal species distributions and abundance is critical to successful long‐term conservation and restoration efforts. There have been significant recent advances made in the areas of: (1) climate forecasts; (2) habitat niche modeling; (3) mechanistic modeling; and (4) observation techniques and networks. However, projections of...
Understanding Extreme Climate Events in the North Central U.S.
The climate of the North Central U.S. is driven by a combination of factors, including atmospheric circulation patterns, the region’s complex topography which extends from the High Rockies to the Great Plains, and variations in hydrology. Together, these factors determine the sustainability of the region’s ecosystems and the services that they provide communities. In order to understand...
A Visualization Approach for Projecting Future Climate Distributions in North America
Conservation and natural resource managers require information about potential future climate changes for the areas they manage, in terms that are relevant for the specific biotic and environmental resources likely to be affected by climate change. We produced a suite of data sets that provide managers with climate and climate-derived data and a visualization approach that allows...
CMIP5 MACAv2-METDATA Monthly Water Balance Model Projections 1950-2099 for the Contiguous United States CMIP5 MACAv2-METDATA Monthly Water Balance Model Projections 1950-2099 for the Contiguous United States
We apply a monthly water-balance model (MWBM) to simulate components of the water balance for the period 1950-2099 under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 for the Contiguous United States. We use the statistically downscaled MACAv2-METDATA temperature and precipitation data from 20 General Circulation Models (GCMs) from the Climate Model Intercomparison Program Phase 5 (CMIP5) as input to the water...
Data release for Greater Yellowstone Climate Assessment (vol 1), Chapter 7. Future Water Projections for the GYA Data release for Greater Yellowstone Climate Assessment (vol 1), Chapter 7. Future Water Projections for the GYA
We apply a monthly water-balance model (MWBM) to simulate components of the water balance for the period 1950-2099 under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 for the Greater Yellowstone Climate Assessment. We use the statistically downscaled MACAv2-METDATA temperature and precipitation data from 20 GCMs from the Climate Model Intercomparison Program Phase 5 (CMIP5) as input to the water balance model. The
Data release for Applying the Community Ice Sheet Model to evaluate PMIP3 LGM climatologies over the North American ice sheets Data release for Applying the Community Ice Sheet Model to evaluate PMIP3 LGM climatologies over the North American ice sheets
The data release consists of a single NetCDF file with results from a suite of ice sheet model simulations. We ran with Community Ice Sheet Model (CISM2) with input from models used in the Palaeoclimate Modelling Intercomparison 3 (PMIP3). The NetCDF file contains output from model year 5000 for a limited number of variables to keep the file size reasonably small. This subset of...
Data Release for The dependence of hydroclimate projections in snow-dominated regions of the western U.S. on the choice of statistically downscaled climate data Data Release for The dependence of hydroclimate projections in snow-dominated regions of the western U.S. on the choice of statistically downscaled climate data
Climate change information simulated by global climate models is downscaled using statistical methods to translate spatially course regional projections to finer resolutions needed by researchers and managers to assess local climate impacts. Several statistical downscaling methods have been developed over the past fifteen years, resulting in multiple datasets derived by different methods...
Informing adaptation strategies for maintaining landscape connectivity for Northern Rockies wildlife in the face of climate change Informing adaptation strategies for maintaining landscape connectivity for Northern Rockies wildlife in the face of climate change
Establishing connections among natural landscapes is the most frequently recommended strategy for adapting management of natural resources in response to climate change. The U.S. Northern Rockies still support a full suite of native wildlife, and survival of these populations depends on connected landscapes. Connected landscapes support current migration and dispersal as well as future...
Filter Total Items: 82
Greater Yellowstone climate assessment: Past, present, and future climate change in the greater Yellowstone watersheds Greater Yellowstone climate assessment: Past, present, and future climate change in the greater Yellowstone watersheds
The Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA) is one of the last remaining large and nearly intact temperate ecosystems on Earth. GYA was originally defined in the 1970s as the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, which encompassed the minimum range of the grizzly bear. The boundary now includes about 22 million acres (8.9 million ha) in northwestern Wyoming, south central Montana, and eastern Idaho...
Authors
Steven Hostetler, Cathy Whitlock, Bryan Shuman, David Liefert, Charles Wolf Drimal, Scott Bischke
Using information from global climate models to inform policymaking—The role of the U.S. Geological Survey Using information from global climate models to inform policymaking—The role of the U.S. Geological Survey
This report provides an overview of model-based climate science in a risk management context. In addition, it summarizes how the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) will continue to follow best scientific practices and when and how the results of this research will be delivered to the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and other stakeholders to inform policymaking. Climate change is a risk...
Authors
Adam Terando, David Reidmiller, Steven Hostetler, Jeremy Littell, Beard, Sarah Weiskopf, Jayne Belnap, Geoffrey Plumlee
Application of a regional climate model to assess changes in the climatology of the Eastern US and Cuba associated with historic landcover change Application of a regional climate model to assess changes in the climatology of the Eastern US and Cuba associated with historic landcover change
We examine the annual, seasonal, monthly, and diurnal climate responses to the land use change (LUC) in eastern United States and Cuba during four epochs (1650, 1850, 1920, and 1992) with ensemble simulations conducted with the RegCM4 regional climate model that includes the Biosphere Atmosphere Transfer Scheme (BATS1e) surface physics package (Dickinson et al., 1993). We derived the...
Authors
Steven Hostetler, R Reker, Jay Alder, Thomas Loveland, Debra Willard, Christopher Bernhardt, Eric Sundquist, Renee L. Thompson
The dependence of hydroclimate projections in snow‐dominated regions of the western United States on the choice of statistically downscaled climate data The dependence of hydroclimate projections in snow‐dominated regions of the western United States on the choice of statistically downscaled climate data
We assess monthly temperature and precipitation data produced by four statistically based techniques that were used to downscale general circulation models (GCMs) in the Climate Model Intercomparison Program Phase 5 (CMIP5) (Taylor et al., 2012). We drive a simple water-balance model with the downscaled data to demonstrate the effect of the methods on the cold season hydrology of three...
Authors
Jay Alder, Steven Hostetler
Applying the Community Ice Sheet Model to evaluate PMIP3 LGM climatologies over the North American ice sheets Applying the Community Ice Sheet Model to evaluate PMIP3 LGM climatologies over the North American ice sheets
We apply the Community Ice Sheet Model (CISM2) to determine the extent to which the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) temperature and precipitation climatologies from the Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project 3 (PMIP3) simulations support the large North American ice sheets that were prescribed as a boundary condition. We force CISM2 with eight PMIP3 general circulation models (GCMs)...
Authors
Jay Alder, Steven Hostetler
Past warm periods provide vital benchmarks for understanding the future of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Past warm periods provide vital benchmarks for understanding the future of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
No abstract available.
Authors
Cathy Whitlock, Steven Hostetler
Science and Products
Informing Adaptation Strategies for Maintaining Landscape Connectivity for Northern Rockies Wildlife
The U.S. Northern Rocky Mountains support a large number of native wildlife species, and survival of these populations depends on connected landscapes to support current migration and dispersal, as well as future shifts in species’ ranges. However, habitat fragmentation and loss threaten these connections. Land and wildlife managers across the U.S. are faced with decisions focused on...
The Past as a Prelude to the Future: Assessing Climate Effects on Native Trout in the U.S.
Salmonids (a family of fish that includes salmon, trout, and char) are a keystone species for both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and can be an early warning indicator of ecosystem health. Salmonids also have strong societal values and contribute enormously to regional economies and Native American cultures. Today, many native salmonid populations are small, highly fragmented, and...
Webinar: The Potential Influence of Changing Climate on the Persistence of Rocky Mountain Native Salmonids: What Information Will We Need to Manage for the Future?
View this webinar to learn more about managing salmonids in a changing climate.
Integrating ecological forecasting methods to improve applications for natural resource management: An invasive species example
Projecting the effects of climate change on plant and animal species distributions and abundance is critical to successful long‐term conservation and restoration efforts. There have been significant recent advances made in the areas of: (1) climate forecasts; (2) habitat niche modeling; (3) mechanistic modeling; and (4) observation techniques and networks. However, projections of...
Understanding Extreme Climate Events in the North Central U.S.
The climate of the North Central U.S. is driven by a combination of factors, including atmospheric circulation patterns, the region’s complex topography which extends from the High Rockies to the Great Plains, and variations in hydrology. Together, these factors determine the sustainability of the region’s ecosystems and the services that they provide communities. In order to understand...
A Visualization Approach for Projecting Future Climate Distributions in North America
Conservation and natural resource managers require information about potential future climate changes for the areas they manage, in terms that are relevant for the specific biotic and environmental resources likely to be affected by climate change. We produced a suite of data sets that provide managers with climate and climate-derived data and a visualization approach that allows...
CMIP5 MACAv2-METDATA Monthly Water Balance Model Projections 1950-2099 for the Contiguous United States CMIP5 MACAv2-METDATA Monthly Water Balance Model Projections 1950-2099 for the Contiguous United States
We apply a monthly water-balance model (MWBM) to simulate components of the water balance for the period 1950-2099 under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 for the Contiguous United States. We use the statistically downscaled MACAv2-METDATA temperature and precipitation data from 20 General Circulation Models (GCMs) from the Climate Model Intercomparison Program Phase 5 (CMIP5) as input to the water...
Data release for Greater Yellowstone Climate Assessment (vol 1), Chapter 7. Future Water Projections for the GYA Data release for Greater Yellowstone Climate Assessment (vol 1), Chapter 7. Future Water Projections for the GYA
We apply a monthly water-balance model (MWBM) to simulate components of the water balance for the period 1950-2099 under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 for the Greater Yellowstone Climate Assessment. We use the statistically downscaled MACAv2-METDATA temperature and precipitation data from 20 GCMs from the Climate Model Intercomparison Program Phase 5 (CMIP5) as input to the water balance model. The
Data release for Applying the Community Ice Sheet Model to evaluate PMIP3 LGM climatologies over the North American ice sheets Data release for Applying the Community Ice Sheet Model to evaluate PMIP3 LGM climatologies over the North American ice sheets
The data release consists of a single NetCDF file with results from a suite of ice sheet model simulations. We ran with Community Ice Sheet Model (CISM2) with input from models used in the Palaeoclimate Modelling Intercomparison 3 (PMIP3). The NetCDF file contains output from model year 5000 for a limited number of variables to keep the file size reasonably small. This subset of...
Data Release for The dependence of hydroclimate projections in snow-dominated regions of the western U.S. on the choice of statistically downscaled climate data Data Release for The dependence of hydroclimate projections in snow-dominated regions of the western U.S. on the choice of statistically downscaled climate data
Climate change information simulated by global climate models is downscaled using statistical methods to translate spatially course regional projections to finer resolutions needed by researchers and managers to assess local climate impacts. Several statistical downscaling methods have been developed over the past fifteen years, resulting in multiple datasets derived by different methods...
Informing adaptation strategies for maintaining landscape connectivity for Northern Rockies wildlife in the face of climate change Informing adaptation strategies for maintaining landscape connectivity for Northern Rockies wildlife in the face of climate change
Establishing connections among natural landscapes is the most frequently recommended strategy for adapting management of natural resources in response to climate change. The U.S. Northern Rockies still support a full suite of native wildlife, and survival of these populations depends on connected landscapes. Connected landscapes support current migration and dispersal as well as future...
Filter Total Items: 82
Greater Yellowstone climate assessment: Past, present, and future climate change in the greater Yellowstone watersheds Greater Yellowstone climate assessment: Past, present, and future climate change in the greater Yellowstone watersheds
The Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA) is one of the last remaining large and nearly intact temperate ecosystems on Earth. GYA was originally defined in the 1970s as the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, which encompassed the minimum range of the grizzly bear. The boundary now includes about 22 million acres (8.9 million ha) in northwestern Wyoming, south central Montana, and eastern Idaho...
Authors
Steven Hostetler, Cathy Whitlock, Bryan Shuman, David Liefert, Charles Wolf Drimal, Scott Bischke
Using information from global climate models to inform policymaking—The role of the U.S. Geological Survey Using information from global climate models to inform policymaking—The role of the U.S. Geological Survey
This report provides an overview of model-based climate science in a risk management context. In addition, it summarizes how the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) will continue to follow best scientific practices and when and how the results of this research will be delivered to the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and other stakeholders to inform policymaking. Climate change is a risk...
Authors
Adam Terando, David Reidmiller, Steven Hostetler, Jeremy Littell, Beard, Sarah Weiskopf, Jayne Belnap, Geoffrey Plumlee
Application of a regional climate model to assess changes in the climatology of the Eastern US and Cuba associated with historic landcover change Application of a regional climate model to assess changes in the climatology of the Eastern US and Cuba associated with historic landcover change
We examine the annual, seasonal, monthly, and diurnal climate responses to the land use change (LUC) in eastern United States and Cuba during four epochs (1650, 1850, 1920, and 1992) with ensemble simulations conducted with the RegCM4 regional climate model that includes the Biosphere Atmosphere Transfer Scheme (BATS1e) surface physics package (Dickinson et al., 1993). We derived the...
Authors
Steven Hostetler, R Reker, Jay Alder, Thomas Loveland, Debra Willard, Christopher Bernhardt, Eric Sundquist, Renee L. Thompson
The dependence of hydroclimate projections in snow‐dominated regions of the western United States on the choice of statistically downscaled climate data The dependence of hydroclimate projections in snow‐dominated regions of the western United States on the choice of statistically downscaled climate data
We assess monthly temperature and precipitation data produced by four statistically based techniques that were used to downscale general circulation models (GCMs) in the Climate Model Intercomparison Program Phase 5 (CMIP5) (Taylor et al., 2012). We drive a simple water-balance model with the downscaled data to demonstrate the effect of the methods on the cold season hydrology of three...
Authors
Jay Alder, Steven Hostetler
Applying the Community Ice Sheet Model to evaluate PMIP3 LGM climatologies over the North American ice sheets Applying the Community Ice Sheet Model to evaluate PMIP3 LGM climatologies over the North American ice sheets
We apply the Community Ice Sheet Model (CISM2) to determine the extent to which the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) temperature and precipitation climatologies from the Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project 3 (PMIP3) simulations support the large North American ice sheets that were prescribed as a boundary condition. We force CISM2 with eight PMIP3 general circulation models (GCMs)...
Authors
Jay Alder, Steven Hostetler
Past warm periods provide vital benchmarks for understanding the future of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Past warm periods provide vital benchmarks for understanding the future of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
No abstract available.
Authors
Cathy Whitlock, Steven Hostetler