Climate Change and the Rocky Mountains - Impact of Global Changes on Mountains: Responses and Adaptation - page 457

This chapter has provided specifi c discussion on how climate change
will affect the Rocky Mountains of western North America. The complex
terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in the Rocky Mountains have evolved
within the climate since the last great glaciation ended 10,000 years ago.
Human-induced climate change will bring weather extremes on both the
short and long-term to the Rocky Mountains. On average, those of us who
depend upon the Rocky Mountains for resources will have to adjust to
shorter winters and longer summers that will lead to a myriad of changes.
Climate scientists are quite certain that greater variability will bring greater
challenges for ecosystems and for society.
This chapter dwelt primarily with changes to the ecosystems of the
Rocky Mountains. Snow and ice are critical components of hydrology and
ecology, and snow and ice will be radically changed as the climate warms.
Expect much greater variability in soil moisture conditions in forests and
valleys that will lead to longer and more intense droughts than we have
experienced in the past. Forest fi res will be much more common, leading
to whole scale land-cover changes in many areas. These changes will have
dramatic impacts on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. In wet years we will
experience extreme fl oods, like the province of Alberta suffered in summer
2013, with damages now estimated at US$5-$6 billion. The damages require
years for recovery, and in some places extensive, costly fl ood protection
will be needed. The same is true of Colorado Rocky Mountain regions that
suffered through the worst fi re year ever in the spring of 2013, and just a few
months later the northern Rockies of Colorado experienced unprecedented,
terrible fl ooding.
Humanity will adjust to climate change as best we can. The same is
true of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in the Rocky Mountains. Where
possible, plant and animal species will migrate in search of suitable
habitat. Those fragile species already inhabiting areas near the tops of
mountains may have nowhere to go. Aquatic species may be challenged by
mega-fl oods, droughts where low fl ows makes survival diffi cult, or even
impossible; and changing water temperatures will make current habitats
less functional for indigenous species and allow new species to invade.
Adaptive management may offer some solutions but often the
adaptation needs of humanity and society are in confl ict with those of
ecosystems. We will have to make very careful decisions, recognizing that
the value of the resources we gain from the Rocky Mountains is based
substantially on the value of ecosystems that keep the mountains a viable,
healthy environment. The challenges of climate change in the Rocky
Mountains are already quite overwhelming in many areas and will only
continue to build. Humanity has to take immediate steps to both mitigate
the impacts of climate change and develop adaptation techniques, policies
and plans that will protect the interest of ecosystems and people. Failure