International Director Georg
Grabherr and Scientific
Director Hari Pauli from
Vienna, Austria inspecting
California sites
GLORIA and CNPS
Photo credits:
Catie Bishop (& Jim)
Steve Matson
Connie Millar
Evidence of climate-induced upward migration of mountain plants
has already been detected.
Increases in alpine species richness
have been reported from the Alps
Increased mountain forest growth
or advances of altitudinal treelines
Observed treeline rises of up to150165 m in Scandinavia during the
20th century reflect the 1°C summer
warming
Warming of 3 °C could cause current distribution limits shift by 500 m.; the
alpine zone of many mountains ranges could potentially disappear
Climate warming has now reached a level where substantial ecological
impacts can be easily detected in alpine and arctic environments around
the world (KULLMAN 2004)
No comprehensive account about the rate of the retreat of the alpine world
exists.
GLobal Observation Research Initiative in Alpine environments
At a climate extreme already, alpine plants will
respond sensitively to climate change
Summits tend to be little impacted by humans
Sites will be resurveyed at approx. 5 year
intervals for evidence of change
California GLORIA
Target regions
CNPS
PSW USFS
White Mtn RS
Inyo NF
Mono Lake
CNPS
PSW USFS
White Mtn RS
Many
interested
contributors
Yosemite NP
Sierra Nevada target region summits
Dunderberg Ridge near Conway Summit
Dunderberg middle site 11,700’
Granite Lakes site, 10,900’
Dunderberg high site 12,300’
White Mountain Summits, 3 of 4
Mt. Barcroft
White Mtn. Peak
RNA Peak
White-Inyo target region summits
Sage Hen Flat, 10,600’
Mt. Barcroft, 13,040’
Research Natural Area, 12,200’
White Mtn. Pk., 14,000’
Setting out for work
Along the way
Getting to the top
The long, really long, ride to White Mtn. peak
Getting organized on the summit
Basic azimuth-altitude system
HSP
5m
Laying out the survey pattern
3 x 3 meter grids
Meter-square quadrats
Plant surveys
Plant lists
Summit area
surveys
Grid frequency counts
Photo Documentation
Temperature loggers (10 cm
deep) record for 3 years
Plant specimens are collected on each summit
Plant field identification
Back to camp, Sierras
Back to camp, White Mtns.
Cloud development
Base camps
Whitebark pines
Crooked Creek Research Station
Montane vistas
Mount Conness
NW of Saddlebag Lake
Granite Lakes
Owens Valley & Sierra
Endless vistas…
Mono Lake
White Mtns.
metaconglomerate
Color under glacial polish
Lichen
Mini Half Dome
Glacial scratches
Works of snow and ice
Sun cups
Moraines
Rock glaciers
Block streams
Red & White heather
Hulsea algida
Alpine gold
Eriogonum ovalifolium
Butterballs
Chrysothamnus viscid.
Yellow rabbitbrush
Erigeron
Eriogonum gracilipes
Raspberry buckwheat
Penstemon davidsonii
Alpine penstemon
Pedicularis attolens
Little Elephant head
Lepidodactylon
pungens
Granite gilia
Silene sargentii
Sargent’s catchfly
Penstemon davidsonii
Alpine penstemon
Grass
Eriogonum gracilipes
Raspberry buckwheat
Mosses and Lichens
Castilleja nana
Alpine paintbrush
Lewisia
Dwarf lewisia?
Artemisia arbuscula
Dwarf sagebrush
Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus
Yellow rabbitbrush
Chamaebatiaria millefolium
Fernbush
Gentiana newberryi
Alpine gentian
Salix arctica
Arctic willow
Ivesia lycopodioides
Club-moss ivesia
Sedum
Draba lemmonii
Lemmons draba
Alpine gold and friend
Phyllodoce breweri
Red mtn. heather
Sedum rosea
Rosy sedum
Cassiope mertensiana
White heather
Are we already seeing the
effects of the warming?
Whitebark pine
trees well above
current treeline
Great folks &
enjoyable moments
Crooked Creek
RNA Peak lunch
White Mountain
The plant conservation imperative:
Maintain large, intact landscapes to provide
the plants the ecological space to accommodate.