Transcript 2006 poster - White Mountain Research Center

ABSTRACT
The GLORIA project (Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments,
established in 2001) is an international research effort to monitor effects of climate
change on high peaks above timberline around the world. Collaborating with
scientists and volunteers from the US Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research
Station, CIRMOUNT (Consortium for Integrated Climate Research in Western
Mountains), and the California Native Plant Society, the University of California
White Mountain Research Station (WMRS) established 4 long-term monitoring sites
on summits in the White Mountains the week of August 13-20, 2004. Baseline
vegetation and soil temperature data were collected following standard GLORIA
protocols, which call for re-measurement every 5 years in perpetuity.
Collaborating for climate change monitoring:
GLORIA in the White Mountains
Daniel W. Pritchett1, John T. Smiley1
5m
During this process several scientists expressed interest in expanding the project
to sample for other potential ecosystem responses to climate change. To this end
WMRS sponsored a "GLORIA field week" August 12-20, 2005, inviting scientists to
the WMRS Crooked Creek station to collaborate on GLORIA-related projects. This
lead to establishment of 3 more GLORIA monitoring sites as well as initiation of an
annual butterfly survey and monitoring of periglacial geomorphic features near
each GLORIA summit.
1m
2m
4m 3m
6m
7m
9m
8m
10m
Right: a diagram of the layout of the
modified GLORIA sampling protocol
used in the White Mountains. The
addition of a fixed area plot (10 m x 10
m, shown in pink) within each Summit
Area Section facilitates comparisons
between sites and calibration of ocular
cover estimates.
NW
NE
Interest continued to grow and in May 2006, WMRS sponsored a one-day workshop
for researchers interested in GLORIA-related work. The outcome was a
commitment by WMRS to sponsor another GLORIA field week and establish a
"GLORIA Master Site" known as "WMRS-GLORIA”.
Twenty-seven researchers and volunteers participated in the second GLORIA field
week, July 23-29, 2006. Multiple sampling protocols were used to gather data on
organisms (macroinvertebrates to bristlecone pines), plant communities, and
geomorphic features. Supported projects will extend the spatial and ecological
scales of monitoring, help interpret results of standard GLORIA monitoring, and
provide well-documented baselines for future re-survey. Among the hypotheses
investigated are predictions that species distributions will change in a variety of
ways in relation to topography and elevation, and that periglacial geomorphic
features will show more rapid response to climate change than will species
distributions. Local and national media covered the event. WMRS is archiving data
sets and is committed to long-term support for WMRS-GLORIA projects.
FIXED AREA PLOTS
Left: a diagram of the layout of the North
Summit Area Sections (5 m and 10 m,
outlined by yellow transverse lines)
according to the standard GLORIA
sampling protocol. The area of each
Summit Area Section varies with the
slope of the summit.
N
5m
6m
7m
9m
8m
10m
N
IMPLEMENTING STANDARD GLORIA
PROTOCOL
GLORIA down-slope extension of vegetation monitoring: Ann Dennis2
Limber pine recruitment and demography: Connie Millar3
Plant recruitment across ecotones: Stu Weiss4 & Chris Van de Ven5
Microclimate survey: Stu Weiss4 & Chris Van de Ven5
Alpine meadow vegetation Survey: Linah Ababneh1
Butterfly census: John Smiley1
Alpine macroinvertebtrate survey: Jeff Holmquist1
White Mountains climate transect: Dan Cayan6
Periglacial processes and patterned ground formation: Forrest Wilkerson7 &
Ginger Schmidt7
White Mountains treeline change: Linah Ababneh1
2005 GLORIA sites
5: SME (3734 m)
6: CWS (3612 m)
7: PGS (3490 m)
NW
NE
2006 GLORIA FIELD WEEK
Projects: Principal Investigators
2004 GLORIA sites
1: WMT (4285 m)
2: BAR (3975 m)
3: RNA (3722 m)
4: SHF (3258 m)
1m
2m
4m 3m
Left: working on summit SME (Site 5). View is
from the East 5 m Summit Area Section (SAS)
looking downslope into the East 10 m SAS.
Each of the 8 SAS’s are defined by aspect (N,
S, E, W) and elevation (0 – 5 m downslope from
the summit, and 5-10 m downslope from
summit). The yellow paint on the rocks will
assist in re-establishment of the sampling grid
when the summit is monitored again in 2010.
WMRS Facilities
A: Summit Lab (4342 m)
B: Barcroft Station (3801 m)
C: Crooked Creek Station (3094 m)
D: Owens Valley Lab (1252 m)
1
A
TREELINE CHANGE IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. Above left: 1964; Above right: 2005.
SOMETIMES LOWTECH IS BEST
3
2
B
AFFILIATIONS
1. University of California White Mountain Research Station
2. CalFlora Project
3. USDA PSW Research Station
4. Creekside Center for Earth Observations
5. Albion College
6. Scripps Institute for Oceanography
7. Minnesota State University
Limber pine recruitment within zone of former upper treeline,
as evidenced by deadwood bristlecone pine. Photo Connie Millar
D
5
Above: butterfly
census team.
Above right:
pennies in a 1 m
grid to measure
ground surface
motion.
Right: WMRS
ecologist Jeff
Holmquist throws a
sampling quadrat.
6
7
C
4
. Photo Lance Iverson