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Prairie Dogs in Peril

"En Garde!" Photo Credit: Cynergist

Colorado receives a failing grade from the watchdog group WildEarth Guardians. Prairie dogs are important to grassland ecosystems because they are food sources for hawks and the like. Though not high alpine animals Colorado’s failing grade raises questions. For example how will Colorado react to the situation of the pika or alpine ecosystems in danger because of climate change when these areas are often out of public view?

New Images of Earth Show Greenhouse Gases

A high tech plane and a team of researchers completed the first pole-to-pole flight. Scientists will map out where carbon dioxice is in the atmosphere on this and four subsequent missions.

“It’s the first time we’ll be able to see the whole globe all at once in great detail. This is giving us a completely new picture of how greenhouse gases
are entering the atmosphere and being removed from it, both by natural processes and by humans,” said scientist Steven Wofsy of Harvard to NCAR.

"Blue Marble (Planet Earth) Photo Credit: woodleywonderworks

Alpine Studies of Larkspur Wildflower Show Climate Changes Negative Impacts

"Zig Zag Larkspur - Delphinium patens" Photo Credit: larry&flo

Researchers predict that high-altitude sites will be especially impacted by global warming because plants have a short growing season. Innovative research since 1994 has shown the negative impact warming has on early-spring purple larkspur.

“Long-term observational studies in subalpine meadows of the Colorado Rocky Mountains have shown a strong positive correlation between snowpack and flower production by the forb Delphinium nuttallianum. If a warmer climate reduces annual snowfall in this region then global warming might reduce fitness in D. nuttallianum,” the study said.

I have seen this flower in abundance on spring hikes above Nederland, Colo. The flower was named after the Latin word for Dolphin because it was thought the buds resembled the aquatic mammals. Personally, I don’t see the resemblance, do you?

Since 1994 the study has shown that warming the flowers has reduced their abundance and production. This purple staple of the Rockies matters for more than its dolphin like shape, if it is lost it could have wide reaching impacts on bugs that pollinate the flowers.

Here are some interesting tidbits:

• The larkspur is a sign of spring that pops out of the ground right after the snow melts.
• Humming birds and bees pollinated the flower at the study site
• The study was conducted with heaters and warming lights – pretty cool!
• billy barr provided the snow data over the years (see post below!)

This study and others have shown that climate change doesn’t just mess with one specific species it impacts entire ecosystems and alpine climates are often the first to experience that change.

For the full PDF study click here.

CO2 Stays in Atmosphere A Long Time

Currently Carbon Dioxide concentrations are above 380 parts per million, which is above the threshold for a warm climate. A new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, released at 5 p.m. yesterday shows that carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere longer than other greenhouse gases.

“I think you have to think about this stuff as more like nuclear waste than acid rain: The more we add, the worse off we’ll be,” NOAA senior scientist Susan Solomon told the Washington Post over the phone. “The more time that we take to make decisions about carbon dioxide, the more irreversible climate change we’ll be locked into.”

The researchers predict that Carbon Dioxide concentrations will continue to increase and peak at 6oo ppm in some areas. This dramatic increase, researchers say will cause a rise in sea level and droughts reminiscent of the dust bowl.

“Lake Hume at 4%” Photo Credit: suburbanbloke

This study spells trouble for threatened alpine species like the American Pika who will die-off if its body temperature is raised a few degrees. For more about the pika’s plight read my earlier entry “Protection for the Pika?“

Will the Pika be Protected Under the Obama Administration?

"The Pika" Photo Credit: wildxplorer

Do you think the pika will become the first animal to be protected because of climate change under the Obama administration? Let me know what you think in the comments section below.

Ethics and Climate Change Blogs

The environment is a hot button issue these days or it was until the economy tanked and many people in my parent’s generation lost their retirement plans, homes and economic stability. Suddenly climate change coverage seemed less important.

But should quality environmental coverage of climate change cease just because the economy took a turn for the worse?

Personally I think that we still need to cover climate change. For one thing climate change can affect economies (see Alaska). Furthermore, I think this is the perfect opportunity for digital journalists to serve as independent, curious, accurate and innovative transitional figures.

As a digital environmental journalist I think we can cover climate change differently than the media outlets while still adhering to the ideals of journalism. For one we can post relevant stories as they are breaking and update them though out the lifeline of the story from a more personal angle. For example this climate change blog covers the appearance of a flycatcher from a personal perspective while still giving readers access to the traditional story.

Photo Credit:veganstrightedge

In the information age we are overwhelmed with information. As digital journalists we can offer the important nuggets to our audience and link to external sites where they can gather more information if they are still interested in the story. Here is an example of how a climate blog covered a protest and how the Times covered it. The blog post is short, funny and links like crazy while the Times piece is just a long string of text.

Instead of being proprietary about our material (as some media outlets are) we can share and interact with other bloggers, social networkers and twitter feeds to improve the content of our sites and drive up web traffic.

We can appeal to a devoted custom audience instead of a broad audience that may not be interested in the technical aspects of climate change. This means we have to come clean in order to adhere to the ideal of balanced reporting. We may not be neutral when blogging about climate change but we can clearly state where we stand on the issue and even link to sites that disagree with our own opinions and findings. Here is a site that presents climate change in an entirely different manner than my blog.

Climate change can be covered differently in the digital medium because we can update material in a more personally meaningful way, share and receive credible material thought he internet collective, and report detailed customized material for a specific audience.

These practices will let climate change bloggers reach out and interact with their audience while also following basic tenets of online journalism ethics. For more guidance on blogging ethics click here.

(Assignment #1)

A Mountain Man

billy barr in front of Gothic Mountain Photo Credit: Joanna Nasar

billy barr, 58, is a mountain man, but he is not a hermit.  True he lives in virtual solitude for the winter but his valley in Gothic, Colo. is his home.  He knows this valley better than most of us know the palm of our hands and has many friends in these mountains, even if some are seasonal like the scientists that work at the lab.

He first came to Gothic in 1972 to work at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory http://rmbl.org and he ended up staying. In 1973 he moved into a tiny shack. Since there was not much to do he says “I started recording everything in a notebook and I did it for years.”

For 33 years and counting he has been collecting data. At first is was just something to do but soon scientists took interest when they realized his data could be used in relation to climate change and species movements.  He takes four records each day.

He majored in environmental science at Rutgers in New Jersey where he says he was, “a complete misfit.”  Working at the lab was the perfect antidote. “It was quite and just a chance to get away from everything.”

He tries to keep track of the animal sightings each year and collects snow data.  He has been trapped in avalanches a bizillion times backcountry exploring.  He has a great deal of respect for the land and environment around him and pays attention to what it tells him.  barr is someone with the keen observational powers and humility.

More to come soon!

Check out this article in the Rocky Mountain News about barr: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4310966,00.html

Protection for the Pika?

NPS photo

by Joanna Nasar

The American Pika could be one of the first high alpine animals listed as endangered because of climate change.

The Center for Biological Diversity is a nonprofit that aims to protect species that are in peril though public outreach and through existing laws. They are working to get the American Pika listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act and the California Endangered Species Act. After petitions in October and August of 2007 were filed and no action was taken the center brought two lawsuit in 2008 (one against the California Fish and Game Commission, and one against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) to “compel the agencies to protect the American Pika” according to the center’s Web site.

Shaye Wolf, staff biologist for the center, is working to protect the pika because she believes it is endangered by climate change. “Species and ecosystems in high elevation areas stand out.  The pika is like the canary in the coal mine.  Pikas are early warning indicators,” she said.

One reason that pikas are in danger, she said, is because they have a very high body temperature normally. This high body temperature if raised only a few degrees can cause the animal to overheat and die.

“Pikas can’t withstand exposure to high temperatures,” she said.

Another reason is the “popping of the mountain effect.” Essentially as temperatures rise, pikas will move up the slope of the mountain where it is colder. Eventually, the pikas will not have anywhere to go.

However, there are populations of pikas that have managed to survive at much lower elevations. In Nevada, a population of low dwelling pikas was found.

But Wolf says that doesn’t mean all sub-species of pikas will be able to adapt to rapid climate change. “Pikas in some areas live in micro-climates at lower elevations like lava beds and ice caves. There are always exceptions to the rule,” she said.

Isolated pika populations on mountains, though, seem to be declining.

“This is about preventing pika extinction and preserving a sustainable quality of life,” she said. “We still have time to act but the window is closing.”

Watch a short YouTube video about pikas to learn more, hear its calls and see this animal in action.