Climate Change in Mountain Ecosystems (CCME) Active
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.
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Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
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Below are publications associated with this project.
Terrain parameters of glide snow avalanches and a simple spatial glide snow avalanche model
Glacier-derived August runoff in northwest Montana
Floristic similarity, diversity and endemism as indicators of refugia characteristics and needs in the West
Invasive hybridization in a threatened species is accelerated by climate change
Spatial contexts for temporal variability in alpine vegetation under ongoing climate change
Examining spring wet slab and glide avalanche occurrence along the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor, Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
Timing of wet snow avalanche activity: An analysis from Glacier National Park, Montana, USA.
The unusual nature of recent snowpack declines in the North American cordillera
Climate change links fate of glaciers and an endemic alpine invertebrate
Contexts for change in alpine tundra
Climatic controls on the snowmelt hydrology of the northern Rocky Mountains
Mountain treelines: A roadmap for research orientation
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- Overview
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.
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
- Data
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
- Multimedia
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 28Terrain parameters of glide snow avalanches and a simple spatial glide snow avalanche model
Glide snow avalanches are dangerous and difficult to predict. Despite substantial recent research there is still inadequate understanding regarding the controls of glide snow avalanche release. Glide snow avalanches often occur in similar terrain or the same locations annually, and repeat observations and prior work suggest that specific topography may be critical. Thus, to gain a better understanAuthorsErich H. Peitzsch, Jordy Hendrikx, Daniel B. FagreGlacier-derived August runoff in northwest Montana
The second largest concentration of glaciers in the U.S. Rocky Mountains is located in Glacier National Park (GNP), Montana. The total glacier-covered area in this region decreased by ∼35% over the past 50 years, which has raised substantial concern about the loss of the water derived from glaciers during the summer. We used an innovative weather station design to collect in situ measurements on fAuthorsAdam Clark, Joel T. Harper, Daniel B. FagreFloristic similarity, diversity and endemism as indicators of refugia characteristics and needs in the West
The floras of mountain ranges, and their similarity, beta diversity and endemism, are indicative of processes of community assembly; they are also the initial conditions for coming disassembly and reassembly in response to climate change. As such, these characteristics can inform thinking on refugia. The published floras or approximations for 42 mountain ranges in the three major mountain systemsAuthorsGeorge P. Malanson, Dale L. Zimmerman, Daniel B. FagreInvasive hybridization in a threatened species is accelerated by climate change
Climate change will decrease worldwide biodiversity through a number of potential pathways1, including invasive hybridization2 (cross-breeding between invasive and native species). How climate warming influences the spread of hybridization and loss of native genomes poses difficult ecological and evolutionary questions with little empirical information to guide conservation management decisions3.AuthorsClint C. Muhlfeld, Ryan P. Kovach, Leslie A. Jones, Robert K. Al-Chokhachy, Matthew C. Boyer, Robb F. Leary, Winsor H. Lowe, Gordon Luikart, Fred W. AllendorfSpatial contexts for temporal variability in alpine vegetation under ongoing climate change
A framework to monitor mountain summit vegetation (The Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments, GLORIA) was initiated in 1997. GLORIA results should be taken within a regional context of the spatial variability of alpine tundra. Changes observed at GLORIA sites in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA are quantified within the context of the range of variability observed in alpAuthorsGeorge P. Malanson, Daniel B. FagreExamining spring wet slab and glide avalanche occurrence along the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor, Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
Wet slab and glide snow avalanches are dangerous and yet can be particularly difficult to predict. Wet slab and glide avalanches are presumably triggered by free water moving through the snowpack and the subsequent interaction with layer or ground interfaces, and typically occur in the spring during warming and subsequent melt periods. In Glacier National Park (GNP), Montana, both types of avalancAuthorsErich H. Peitzsch, Jordy Hendrikx, Daniel B. Fagre, Blase ReardonTiming of wet snow avalanche activity: An analysis from Glacier National Park, Montana, USA.
Wet snow avalanches pose a problem for annual spring road opening operations along the Going-to-the-Sun Road (GTSR) in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. A suite of meteorological metrics and snow observations has been used to forecast for wet slab and glide avalanche activity. However, the timing of spring wet slab and glide avalanches is a difficult process to forecast and requires new capabilAuthorsErich H. Peitzsch, Jordy Hendrikx, Daniel B. FagreThe unusual nature of recent snowpack declines in the North American cordillera
In western North America, snowpack has declined in recent decades, and further losses are projected through the 21st century. Here, we evaluate the uniqueness of recent declines using snowpackreconstructions from 66 tree-ring chronologies in key runoff-generating areas of the Colorado, Columbia, and Missouri River drainages. Over the past millennium, late 20th century snowpack reductions are almosAuthorsGregory T. Pederson, Stephen T. Gray, C.A. Woodhouse, Julio L. Betancourt, Daniel B. Fagre, Jeremy S. Littell, Emma Watson, B.H. Luckman, Lisa J. GraumlichClimate change links fate of glaciers and an endemic alpine invertebrate
Climate warming in the mid- to high-latitudes and high-elevation mountainous regions is occurring more rapidly than anywhere else on Earth, causing extensive loss of glaciers and snowpack. However, little is known about the effects of climate change on alpine stream biota, especially invertebrates. Here, we show a strong linkage between regional climate change and the fundamental niche of a rare aAuthorsClint C. Muhlfeld, J. Joseph Giersch, F. Richard Hauer, Gregory T. Pederson, Gordon Luikart, Douglas P. Peterson, Christopher C. Downs, Daniel B. FagreContexts for change in alpine tundra
Because alpine tundra is responding to climate change, a need exists to understand the meaning of observed changes. To provide context for such interpretation, the relevance of niche and neutral theories of biogeography and the continuum and classification approaches to biogeographic description are assessed. Two extensive studies of alpine tundra, from the Indian Peaks area, Colorado and GlacierAuthorsGeorge P. Malanson, Jonathan P. Rose, P. Jason Schroeder, Daniel B. FagreClimatic controls on the snowmelt hydrology of the northern Rocky Mountains
The northern Rocky Mountains (NRMs) are a critical headwaters region with the majority of water resources originating from mountain snowpack. Observations showing declines in western U.S. snowpack have implications for water resources and biophysical processes in high-mountain environments. This study investigates oceanic and atmospheric controls underlying changes in timing, variability, and trenAuthorsGregory T. Pederson, S.T. Gray, T. Ault, W. Marsh, Daniel B. Fagre, A.G. Bunn, C.A. Woodhouse, L.J. GraumlichMountain treelines: A roadmap for research orientation
For over 100 years, mountain treelines have been the subject of varied research endeavors and remain a strong area of investigation. The purpose of this paper is to examine aspects of the epistemology of mountain treeline research-that is, to investigate how knowledge on treelines has been acquired and the changes in knowledge acquisition over time, through a review of fundamental questions and apAuthorsGeorge P. Malanson, Lynn M. Resler, Maaike Y. Bader, Fredrich-Karl Holtmeier, David R. Butler, Daniel J. Weiss, Lori D. Daniels, Daniel B. Fagre - Web Tools
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