Response of western mountain ecosystems to climatic variability and change: the Western Mountain Initiative

Product Type: Popular Article

Year: 2006

Author(s): Stephenson, N., D. Peterson, D. Fagre, C. Allen, D. McKenzie, and J. Baron

Suggested Citation:
Stephenson, N., D. Peterson, D. Fagre, C. Allen, D. McKenzie, and J. Baron. 2006. Response of western mountain ecosystems to climatic variability and change: the Western Mountain Initiative. Park Science. 24(1): 24-29 p.

Abstract

Mountain ecosystems within our national parks and other protected areas provide valuable goods and services such as clean water, biodiversity conservation, and recreational opportunities, but their potential responses to expected climatic changes are inadequately understood. The Western Mountain Initiative (WMI) is a collaboration of scientists whose research focuses on understanding and predicting responses of western mountain ecosystems to climatic variability and change. It is a legacy of the Global Change Research Program initiated by the National Park Service (NPS) in 1991 and continued by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to this day as part of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program.