Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
frame.hypotheses.based.on.past.modeling.results,.scale.up.empirical.results,.and.
identify.sensitivities.of.speciic.mountain.landscapes.to.climatic.change.(Urban.
2000).
WMI.research.is.guided.by.the.research.questions.noted.previously.and.uses.the.
following.themes.to.identify.critical.properties.of.ecosystem.structure.and.function:.
(1).
linkages
. (e.g.,. climatic. change. affects. disturbance. regimes,. hence. vegetation,.
hence.erosion),.(2).s
ensitivities
.(resources,.ecosystems,.or.landscapes.susceptible.to.
abrupt.or.profound.change),.and.(3).
thresholds
.(magnitudes.of.climatic.events.suf-
icient.to.drive.abrupt.and.profound.change)..Although.not.all.themes.are.present.in.
all.projects,.at.least.one.theme.is.present.in.each.project.
WMI.has.a.strong.focus.on.technology.transfer.and.communication.in.order.to.
put.scientiic.information.in.the.hands.of.resource.managers,.media,.and.the.general.
public..Primary.clients.are.federal.land.management.agencies,.but.we.also.commu-
nicate.regularly.with.state.resource.agencies,.counties,.municipalities,.and.nongov-
ernmental.organizations..Results.are.summarized.in.fact.sheets.and.reports.written.
in.common.language.and.distributed.in.hard.copy.and.on.the.Web..Resource.manag-
ers,.legislative.staff,.and.educators.are.invited.to.workshops.at.various.locations.in.
the.west,.and.resource.managers.often.assist.with.the.design.and.implementation.of.
WMI.studies.
STATUS AND TRENDS IN WESTERN MOUNTAIN ECOSYSTEMS
WMI. research. has. documented. important. characteristics. and. trends. of. the. struc-
ture.and.function.of.Western.mountain.ecosystems,.the.effects.of.exceeding.critical.
thresholds,. and. the. potential. for. future. changes. in. aquatic. and. terrestrial. systems..
Although.it.is.not.possible.to.deinitively.identify.all.recent.changes.as.being.caused.
by.climatic.change,.the.effects.of.climatic.variability—especially.dominant.modes.
of. climatic. variability,. such. as. the. Paciic. Decadal. Oscillation—can. be. used. with.
some.conidence.to.infer.expected.changes.in.ecosystems.in.a.warmer.climate.
The. following. sections. discuss. the. results. of. recent. WMI. research.. They. are.
intended.to.cover.a.range.of.aquatic.and.terrestrial.systems.across.the.WMI.biore-
gions,.and.suggest.topics.that.merit.additional.research.and.monitoring.
s
noW
, i
Ce
,
and
h
ydrology
Loss.of.glacier.mass.has.accelerated.in.several.regions.of.the.world.(e.g.,.Hall.and.
Fagre.2003),.with.effects.on.both.mountainous.regions.and.downstream.resources..
Glaciers.and.snow.are.the.source.of.water.for.over.half.of.humanity.and.provide.85%.
of.the.water.for.agriculture.and.municipalities.in.the.western.United.States..Changes.
in.mountain.glaciers.have.social.and.economic.impacts.on.water.supplies.and.hydro-
power.production,.and.affect.the.structure.and.function.of.mountain.ecosystems.and.
species.adapted.to.cold.mountain.environments..WMI.has.addressed.the.need.for.a.
cryospheric.assessment.of.Western.mountains.with.targeted.studies.of.glaciers.and.
snow.and.mountain.catchment.hydrology..First,.we.conducted.a.Westwide.survey.of.
glacier.areal.extent..Second,.we.developed.time.series.of.glacier.recession.rates.in.
