Integrated research on climate change in mountain ecosystems: The CLIMET project
No abstract available.
Book chapter↗
Geology topics
D. L. Peterson
Publications and source records attributed to D. L. Peterson.
Global-scale environmental changes in mountain protected areas: The CLIMET project
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Book chapter↗
Interannual variability in aboveground tree growth in Stehekin River watershed, North Cascade Range, Washington
Many forests in the Pacific Northwest region of North America are both highly productive and sensitive to climate. The combination of productivity and sensitivity makes forests vulnerable to changes in future climate and most likely to feed back to the regional carbon cycle. We reconstructed basal area increment (BAI) for 20 yr using tree-ring increments and diameter to identify species-specific responses of 14 forested vegetation types in the Stehekin River watershed in the North Cascade Range, to interannual climatic variability. Mean basal area increment (MBAI) for the 20-yr period is low when the standard error is low, but as MBAI increases, the standard error (SE) is more variable. Growth at sites with both low SE and MBAI may be related to climatic variables, however, some forest types dominated by Douglas-fir and mountain hemlock are both productive and responsive to climatic variability. Many forests in the Pacific Northwest are dominated by Douglas-fir, a commercially important timber species, and as a result, may play a major role in the regional carbon balance. Douglas-fir and mountain hemlock forests in the eastern portion of the North Cascades should be carefully monitored and managed in the context of both changing climatic conditions and regional carbon budgets.
Northwest Science↗
Modeling and monitoring ecosystem responses to climate change in 3 North American mountain ranges
No abstract available
Book chapter↗
Use of passive ambient ozone (O3) samplers in vegetation effects assessment
A stochastistic, Weibull probability model was developed and verified to simulate the underlying frequency distributions of hourly ozone (O3) concentrations (exposure dynamics) using the single, weekly mean values obtained from a passive (sodium nitrite absorbent) sampler. The simulation was based on the data derived from a co-located continuous monitor. Although at the moment the model output may be considered as being specific to the elevation and location of the study site, the results were extremely good. This effort for the approximation of the O3 exposure dynamics can be extended to other sites with similar data sets and in developing a generalized understanding of the stochastic O3 exposure-plant response relationships, conferring measurable benefits to the future use of passive O3 samplers, in the absence of continuous monitoring. Copyright ?? 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd.
Environmental Pollution↗
Genetic and morphologic variation in Phyllodoce empetriformis and Phyllodoce glanduliflora (Ericaceae) in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
Genetic and morphological diversity of Phyllodoce empetriformis (Sw.) D. Don and Phyllodoce glanduliflora (hook.) Cov. were surveyed in Mount Rainier National Park in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State. Paired populations at high and low elevations were sampled at three study areas between 1720- and 2451-m elevation. Allozyme analysis of four polymorphic loci indicates high levels of genetic diversity within populations ( P. empetriformis = 94.2% and P. glanduliflora = 93.4% of total diversity) and significant differences in allele frequencies among populations and study areas. Individual populations are composed of multiple clones with high ratios of local to widespread genotypes. The proportion of distinguishable clones ranges from 32 to 83% within individual populations. Within individual populations, 18-67% of genotypes were restricted to one population. Patterns of morphologic variation, estimated through measurements of leaf width, leaf length, stem extension, and plant height paralleled those displayed by allozyme analysis. Significant differences were found in leaf width and stem length for P. empetriformis and among greenhouse populations for leaf width ( P. empetriformis ) and leaf length ( P. glanduliflora ). Species conservation strategies for Phyllodoce should concentrate on the maintenance of within-population levels of diversity, protection of adjacent populations, and protection of safe sites for recruitment of new populations.
Washington↗
Mountain hemlock growth responds to climatic variability at annual and decadal time scales
Improved understanding of tree growth responses to climate is needed to model and predict forest ecosystem responses to current and future climatic variability. We used dendroecological methods to study the effects of climatic variability on radial growth of a subalpine conifer, mountain hemlock ( Tsuga mertensiana ). Tree-ring chronologies were developed for 31 sites, spanning the latitudinal and elevational ranges of mountain hemlock in the Pacific Northwest. Factor analysis was used to identify common patterns of interannual growth variability among the chronologies, and correlation and regression analyses were used to identify climatic factors associated with that variability. Factor analysis identified three common growth patterns, representing groups of sites with different climate–growth relationships. At high-elevation and midrange sites in Washington and northern Oregon, growth was negatively correlated with spring snowpack depth, and positively correlated with growth-year summer temperature and the winter Pacific Decadal Oscillation index (PDO). In southern Oregon, growth was negatively correlated with spring snowpack depth and previous summer temperature, and positively correlated with previous summer precipitation. At the low-elevation sites, growth was mostly insensitive to annual climatic variability but displayed sensitivity to decadal variability in the PDO opposite to that found at high-elevation sites. Mountain hemlock growth appears to be limited by late snowmelt, short growing seasons, and cool summer temperatures throughout much of its range in the Pacific Northwest. Earlier snowmelt, higher summer temperatures, and lower summer precipitation in southern Oregon produce conditions under which growth is limited by summer temperature and/or soil water availability. Increasing atmospheric CO 2 concentrations could produce warmer temperatures and reduced snowpack depths in the next century. Such changes would likely increase mountain hemlock growth and productivity throughout much of its range in Washington and northern Oregon. Increased summer drought stress and reduced productivity would be likely, however, in mountain hemlock forests of southern Oregon and near the species lower elevation limit at some sites.
Oregon, Washington↗
From open to closed canopy: A century of change in Douglas-fir forest, Orcas Island, Washington
During the past century, forest structure on south-facing slopes of Mount Constitution, Orcas Island, Washington, has changed from open-grown Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) mixed with prairie to primarily closed canopy forest. Density of open-grown Douglas-fir was approximately 7 stems/ha in the 19th century, while current density of trees in closed-canopy mature forest is 426 stems/ha. Trees occur at intermediate densities in areas of transition from savanna-like stands to closed canopy. Analysis of fire scars indicates that at least seven fires have occurred on Mount Constitution since 1736, but only one fire has occurred since 1893, which suggests that the recent increase in stem density has been caused primarily by fire exclusion. The high stem densities currently found in this landscape put the relict (120-350+ years old) Douglas-fir at risk from contemporary fires, which would likely be high-intensity crown fires. Given the transition of forests on Orcas Island during the 20th century to closed canopy structure, undisturbed open-grown coniferous forest is now extremely rare in the San Juan Islands.
Northwest Science↗
Space-time modelling of lightning-caused ignitions in the Blue Mountains, Oregon
Generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) were used to study the effect of vegetation cover, elevation, slope, and precipitation on the probability of ignition in the Blue Mountains, Oregon, and to estimate the probability of ignition occurrence at different locations in space and in time. Data on starting location of lightning-caused ignitions in the Blue Mountains between April 1986 and September 1993 constituted the base for the analysis. The study area was divided into a pixela??time array. For each pixela??time location we associated a value of 1 if at least one ignition occurred and 0 otherwise. Covariate information for each pixel was obtained using a geographic information system. The GLMMs were fitted in a Bayesian framework. Higher ignition probabilities were associated with the following cover types: subalpine herbaceous, alpine tundra, lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud.), whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis Engelm.), Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm.), subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt.), and grand fir (Abies grandis (Dougl.) Lindl.). Within each vegetation type, higher ignition probabilities occurred at lower elevations. Additionally, ignition probabilities are lower in the northern and southern extremes of the Blue Mountains. The GLMM procedure used here is suitable for analysing ignition occurrence in other forested regions where probabilities of ignition are highly variable because of a spatially complex biophysical environment.
Canadian Journal of Forest Research↗
Recent growth of conifer species of western North America: Assessing spatial patterns of radial growth trends
We explored spatial patterns of low-frequency variability in radial tree growth among western North American conifer species and identified predictors of the variability in these patterns. Using 185 sites from the International Tree-Ring Data Bank, each of which contained 10a??60 raw ring-width series, we rebuilt two chronologies for each site, using two conservative methods designed to retain any low-frequency variability associated with recent environmental change. We used factor analysis to identify regional low-frequency patterns in site chronologies and estimated the slope of the growth trend since 1850 at each site from a combination of linear regression and time-series techniques. This slope was the response variable in a regression-tree model to predict the effects of environmental gradients and species-level differences on growth trends. Growth patterns at 27 sites from the American Southwest were consistent with quasi-periodic patterns of drought. Either 12 or 32 of the 185 sites demonstrated patterns of increasing growth between 1850 and 1980 A.D., depending on the standardization technique used. Pronounced growth increases were associated with high-elevation sites (above 3000 m) and high-latitude sites in maritime climates. Future research focused on these high-elevation and high-latitude sites should address the precise mechanisms responsible for increased 20th century growth.
Canadian Journal of Forest Research↗
Monitoring air quality in mountains: Designing an effective network
A quantitatively robust yet parsimonious air-quality monitoring network in mountainous regions requires special attention to relevant spatial and temporal scales of measurement and inference. The design of monitoring networks should focus on the objectives required by public agencies, namely: 1) determine if some threshold has been exceeded (e.g., for regulatory purposes), and 2) identify spatial patterns and temporal trends (e.g., to protect natural resources). A short-term, multi-scale assessment to quantify spatial variability in air quality is a valuable asset in designing a network, in conjunction with an evaluation of existing data and simulation-model output. A recent assessment in Washington state (USA) quantified spatial variability in tropospheric ozone distribution ranging from a single watershed to the western third of the state. Spatial and temporal coherence in ozone exposure modified by predictable elevational relationships (∼ 1.3 ppbv ozone per 100 m elevation gain) extends from urban areas to the crest of the Cascade Range. This suggests that a sparse network of permanent analyzers is sufficient at all spatial scales, with the option of periodic intensive measurements to validate network design. It is imperative that agencies cooperate in the design of monitoring networks in mountainous regions to optimize data collection and financial efficiencies.
Washington↗
Fire frequency in the Interior Columbia River Basin: Building regional models from fire history data
Fire frequency affects vegetation composition and successional pathways; thus it is essential to understand fire regimes in order to manage natural resources at broad spatial scales. Fire history data are lacking for many regions for which fire management decisions are being made, so models are needed to estimate past fire frequency where local data are not yet available. We developed multiple regression models and tree-based (classification and regression tree, or CART) models to predict fire return intervals across the interior Columbia River basin at 1-km resolution, using georeferenced fire history, potential vegetation, cover type, and precipitation databases. The models combined semiqualitative methods and rigorous statistics. The fire history data are of uneven quality; some estimates are based on only one tree, and many are not cross-dated. Therefore, we weighted the models based on data quality and performed a sensitivity analysis of the effects on the models of estimation errors that are due to lack of cross-dating. The regression models predict fire return intervals from 1 to 375 yr for forested areas, whereas the tree-based models predict a range of 8 to 150 yr. Both types of models predict latitudinal and elevational gradients of increasing fire return intervals. Examination of regional-scale output suggests that, although the tree-based models explain more of the variation in the original data, the regression models are less likely to produce extrapolation errors. Thus, the models serve complementary purposes in elucidating the relationships among fire frequency, the predictor variables, and spatial scale. The models can provide local managers with quantitative information and provide data to initialize coarse-scale fire-effects models, although predictions for individual sites should be treated with caution because of the varying quality and uneven spatial coverage of the fire history database. The models also demonstrate the integration of qualitative and quantitative methods when requisite data for fully quantitative models are unavailable. They can be tested by comparing new, independent fire history reconstructions against their predictions and can be continually updated, as better fire history data become available.
California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, ↗
Carbon distribution in subalpine forests and meadows of the Olympic Mountains, Washington
stimates of C storage in mountainous regions are rare. Forest–meadow ecotones in subalpine ecosystems, which contain a mosaic of forests and meadows, may be particularly sensitive to future changes in climate and are therefore important to include in estimates of terrestrial C storage. In this study, we quantified soil C and ecosystem C pools in subalpine forest and meadow soils of the northeastern (NE, dry climate) and southwestern (SW, wet climate) Olympic Mountains. Carbon concentrations of mineral soil are relatively high in upper horizons, ranging from 43 to 142 g kg −1 in NE soils and 27 to 162 g kg −1 in SW soils. Northeastern meadow soils store more C than NE forests ( P = 0.009) , while SW forest soils store more C than SW meadows ( P = 0.038) Ecosystem C storage is greater in forests than in meadows. Under a warmer climatic scenario with drier summers and wetter winters, subalpine C storage may decrease in the NE and increase in the SW, and changes in C storage will be closely related to vegetation distribution, ecosystem productivity, decomposition rates, and local disturbance regimes. Because ecosystem processes and associated C storage differ between high- and low-elevation ecosystems, it is important that data from both high- and low-elevation sites are included in estimates of C storage in terrestrial ecosystems.
Soil Science Society of America Journal↗
Spatial distribution of tropospheric ozone in western Washington, USA
We quantified the distribution of tropospheric ozone in topographically complex western Washington state, USA (total area a??6000 km2), using passive ozone samplers along nine river drainages to measure ozone exposure from near sea level to high-elevation mountain sites. Weekly average ozone concentrations were higher with increasing distance from the urban core and at higher elevations, increasing a mean of 1.3 ppbv per 100 m elevation gain for all mountain transects. Weekly average ozone concentrations were generally highest in Cascade Mountains drainages east and southeast of Seattle (maximum=55a??67 pbv) and in the Columbia River Gorge east of Portland (maximum=59 ppbv), and lowest in the western Olympic Peninsula (maximum=34 ppbv). Higher ozone concentrations in the Cascade Mountains and Columbia River locations downwind of large cities indicate that significant quantities of ozone and ozone precursors are being transported eastward toward rural wildland areas by prevailing westerly winds. In addition, temporal (week to week) variation in ozone distribution is synchronous within and between all drainages sampled, which indicates that there is regional coherence in air pollution detectable with weekly averages. These data provide insight on large-scale spatial variation of ozone distribution in western Washington, and will help regulatory agencies optimize future monitoring networks and identify locations where human health and natural resources could be at risk.
Environmental Pollution↗
Analytical group decision making in natural resources: Methodology and application
Group decision making is becoming increasingly important in natural resource management and associated scientific applications, because multiple values are treated coincidentally in time and space, multiple resource specialists are needed, and multiple stakeholders must be included in the decision process. Decades of social science research on decision making in groups have provided insights into the impediments to effective group processes and on techniques that can be applied in a group context. Nevertheless, little integration and few applications of these results have occurred in resource management decision processes, where formal groups are integral, either directly or indirectly. A group decision-making methodology is introduced as an effective approach for temporary, formal groups (e.g., workshops). It combines the following three components: (1) brainstorming to generate ideas; (2) the analytic hierarchy process to produce judgments, manage conflict, enable consensus, and plan for implementation; and (3) a discussion template (straw document). Resulting numerical assessments of alternative decision priorities can be analyzed statistically to indicate where group member agreement occurs and where priority values are significantly different. An application of this group process to fire research program development in a workshop setting indicates that the process helps focus group deliberations; mitigates groupthink, nondecision, and social loafing pitfalls; encourages individual interaction; identifies irrational judgments; and provides a large amount of useful quantitative information about group preferences. This approach can help facilitate scientific assessments and other decision-making processes in resource management.
Forest Science↗
[Book Review] Sunrise to Paradise: The story of Mount Rainier National Park
No abstract available.
Northwest Science↗
Air pollution effects on growth of ponderosa pine, jeffrey pine, and bigcone douglas-fir
No abstract available.
Book chapter↗
Response of high-elevation forests in the Olympic Mountains to climatic change
The gap model ZELIG was used to examine the effects of increased temperature (2°C) and altered precipitation on high-elevation ecosystems of the Olympic Mountains, Washington, U.S.A. Changes in tree species distribution and abundance, as well as stand biomass, were examined on north and south aspects in the dry northeast (NE) and wet southwest (SW) regions of the Olympics for ( i ) warmer, ( ii ) warmer and 20% wetter, and ( iii ) warmer and 20% drier climatic-change scenarios. Dominant tree species shift upwards 300-600 m in elevation in the SW, with subalpine meadows and Tsuga mertensiana (Bong.) Carr. forests being replaced by Abies amabilis (Dougl.) Forbes forests at higher elevations and A. amabilis forests being replaced by Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg. forests at lower elevations. In the NE, drought-tolerant species become dominant approximately 200 m lower than present, with A. lasiocarpa dominating the north aspect and Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. the south aspect. Biomass increases in the SW and generally decreases in the NE, depending on aspect and precipitation regime. This study suggests that species and site-specific responses at mesoscale (e.g., wet vs. dry climatic regime) and microscale (e.g., north vs. south aspect) resolutions must be characterized to quantify the variation in potential effects of climatic change on forest vegetation in mountainous regions.
Canadian Journal of Forest Research↗