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This dissertation explores one overarching question relevant to the paleoclimate of the latest Pleistocene glacial cycle (approximately the last 130,000 years): “How did spatial and temporal evolution ...
Citation Citation
- Title:
- Ocean Temperature Variability during the Late Pleistocene
- Author:
- Hoffman, Jeremy Scott
This dissertation explores one overarching question relevant to the paleoclimate of the latest Pleistocene glacial cycle (approximately the last 130,000 years): “How did spatial and temporal evolution of ocean temperature, both at the surface and interior, relate to other parts of the climate system in the late Pleistocene?” Results from three studies are presented that seek to address longstanding questions in paleoceanography and paleoclimatology for the late Pleistocene using a combination of novel and accepted statistical and geochemical analysis techniques and leveraging comparisons with available global climate model data. The last interglaciation (LIG; ~129-116 ka) was the most recent period in Earth’s history with higher-than-present global sea level (≥6-9 m) under similar-to-preindustrial concentrations of atmospheric CO₂. This suggests that additional feedbacks related to albedo, insolation, and ocean overturning circulation may have resulted in the apparent warming required to cause the higher sea level. Our understanding of how much warmer the LIG was relative to the present interglaciation remains uncertain, however, with current estimates suggesting that sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) were 0-2°C warmer than late-20th century average global temperatures. We present a global compilation of proxy-based annual SST spanning the LIG. Using Monte Carlo and Bayesian techniques to propagate uncertainties in age-model and proxy-based SST reconstructions, our results quantify the spatial timing, amplitude, and uncertainty in global and regional SST change during the LIG. Our conclusions suggest that the LIG surface ocean was indistinguishable from the average surface ocean temperatures observed for the last two decades (1995-2014). This may ultimately imply that the Earth is currently committed to ≥6-9m of equilibrium sea-level rise. Although the LIG is not an analogue for present and future climate change due to the large differences in seasonal orbital insolation and absence of anthropogenic greenhouse gas radiative forcing, it provides an opportunity to test the ability of global climate models to simulate the mechanisms and climate feedbacks responsible for the warmer climate and higher global mean sea level during the LIG. However, when forced only by LIG greenhouse gas concentrations and insolation changes, climate models suggest that the annual mean temperature response was not significantly different from preindustrial control simulations. We present the first multi-model and multiscenario ensemble of transient and equilibrium global climate modeling results spanning the LIG. We show, using a novel model-data comparison framework, that these scenario-specific model results exhibit regionally independent agreement with ocean basin-specific proxy-based SST stacks. This result ultimately implies structural uncertainties and/or misrepresentations of climate feedbacks in the existing suite of climate model simulations, or underestimations of additional proxy-based SST uncertainties. Our conclusions suggest a new target LIG time period for future model-data comparisons and highlight the need for higher resolution transient climate modeling of the LIG and its dependence on meltwater input to the high latitude oceans during the preceding deglaciation. Few discoveries have stimulated the paleoclimate community more so than Heinrich events. Nevertheless, the cause of Heinrich events, characterized by a large flux of icebergs sourced from the Hudson Strait Ice Stream into the North Atlantic, remains debated. Commonly attributed to internal ice-sheet instability, the occurrence of Heinrich events during the coldest intervals of the last glacial cycle instead suggests an external climate control. We expand on recent studies that have shown that incursions of warm subsurface waters into the intermediate depth North Atlantic Ocean destabilized an ice shelf fronting the Hudson Strait Ice Stream, causing a Heinrich event. We present new surface- and bottom-water stable isotope, trace metal, and sedimentary records from two cores taken along the Labrador margin that further support subsurface warming as a trigger of Hudson Strait Heinrich events. We further relate these changes to other sediment core records from the North Atlantic and transient deglacial climate modeling results to show that subsurface warming was ubiquitous across the intermediate North Atlantic during the early part of the last deglaciation and was most likely caused by a preceding reduction in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation.
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Abstract -- Bull trout have been adversely affected by many land, water, and fisheries management activities throughout the range of the species. Degraded and fragmented habitat and negative interactions with ...
Citation Citation
- Title:
- Abundance, Life History, and Distribution of Bull Trout in the Hood River Basin: A Summary of Findings from 2006 to 2009 Information Reports number 2010-01
Abstract -- Bull trout have been adversely affected by many land, water, and fisheries management activities throughout the range of the species. Degraded and fragmented habitat and negative interactions with nonnative fishes have led to a decline in bull trout distribution and abundance, several local extirpations, and a federal listing in 1998 as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (USFWS 2002). Distribution and abundance of bull trout also have declined in Oregon, and most management units in the state are considered to be threatened by conservation risks (ODFW 2005). One of these at-risk management units exists in the Hood River basin (ODFW 2005). Bull trout in Hood River basin currently are thought to exist as two independent reproductive units (USFWS 2002), known as local populations (Rieman and McIntyre 1995). The Clear Branch local population was isolated from the rest of the basin by the construction of Clear Branch Dam in 1968. This dam provides limited downstream fish passage during periods of spill and no voluntary upstream passage. Bull trout in this population inhabit Laurance Lake reservoir and the tributaries Pinnacle Creek and upper Clear Branch, which flow into the reservoir. The Hood River local population is distributed in the mainstem Hood River, Middle Fork Hood River (Middle Fork), and a few Middle Fork tributaries. Fluvial migrants from Hood River basin also forage and winter in the Columbia River (Pribyl et al. 1996, Buchanan et al. 1997). Bull trout have been observed in the East and West Fork basins of the Hood River, but these sightings have been rare. Presently, there is little evidence to suggest local populations exist in these tributary basins (USFWS 2002, Reagan and Olsen 2008). The status of both local populations is extremely precarious. Threats that put the Clear Branch population at risk of extirpation include low abundance, negative interactions with illegally introduced smallmouth bass, isolation from upstream migration and immigration, and diminished spawning and rearing habitat (USFW 1998). The Hood River population also appears to be small and is affected by passage barriers, unscreened irrigation diversions, impaired water quality, and periodic debris flows during glacial outbursts (USFWS 1998). As mandated by their federally designated threatened status, recovery plans were drafted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for each distinct population segment, including for Hood River bull trout in 2002. This draft plan listed four goals for recovery in this basin: 1) establish at least one more local population in addition to the two existing populations, 2) increase the estimated adult population in the basin to at least 500 individuals, 3) achieve a stable or increasing trend at the population recovery level for at least two generations (=10 years), and 4) improve habitat connectivity by addressing problems with passage and screening at diversions and seasonal water quality barriers (USFWS 2002). The recovery plan also sets out research and monitoring needs critical to the recovery of these populations. Needed are accurate adult abundance estimates; a standardized monitoring program; more life history information for each local population, including how Hood River bull trout use of the Columbia River and the effects of potential passage obstructions on movement; and more information on the threat posed to the Clear Branch population by the illegal introduction of smallmouth bass in Lake Laurance reservoir. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), with the help of the USDA Forest Service (USFS), initiated a four-year study in 2006 seeking to address these needs by synthesizing available data and conducting further studies to improve our understanding of the abundance, life history, and potential limiting factors of bull trout in the Hood River recovery unit. This report describes our findings, summarizes previous studies in the context of new information, and recommends a standardized monitoring protocol and future research. Our specific study objectives were as follows: 1. Assess adult abundance of the Clear Branch local population and develop a monitoring protocol to track abundance trends that is statistically reliable, cost-effective, and that minimizes potential adverse effects on this small isolated population. 2. Describe the juvenile and adult life history patterns of the Clear Branch local population. 3. Assess the potential impact of smallmouth bass on bull trout in Laurance Lake reservoir. 4. Determine current distribution of bull trout reproduction and early rearing in potential bull trout streams in the Hood River basin. 5. Describe the migratory life history of Hood River bull trout and assess the potential impacts of Coe Diversion and two new falls on the Middle Fork Hood River (scoured by the November 2006 glacial outburst) on bull trout migrations.
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73. [Article] Present-day and future contributions of glacier melt to the Upper Middle Fork Hood River : implications for water management
Glaciers are effective reservoirs because they moderate variations in runoff and supply reliable flow during drought periods. Thus, there needs to be a clear understanding of the influence of glacier runoff ...Citation Citation
- Title:
- Present-day and future contributions of glacier melt to the Upper Middle Fork Hood River : implications for water management
- Author:
- Phillippe, Jeff
Glaciers are effective reservoirs because they moderate variations in runoff and supply reliable flow during drought periods. Thus, there needs to be a clear understanding of the influence of glacier runoff at both the basin and catchment scale. The objectives of this study were to quantify the late summer contributions of glacier melt to the Upper Middle Fork Hood River and to simulate potential impacts of climate change on late summer streamflow. The Upper Middle Fork Hood River catchment (50.6 km²) is located on the northeast flanks of Mount Hood Oregon. Discharge measurements and isotope samples were used to calculate glacier meltwater contributions to the entire catchment, which feeds into a major water diversion used for farmland irrigation. Data were collected over the period August 10 - September 7, 2007. This late summer period was selected because there is typically little rain and suspected high glacier melt contributions. Discharge measurements taken at glacier termini, show that just two of the mountains glaciers, Eliot and Coe, contributed 41% of the total surface water in the catchment. The Eliot Glacier contributed 87% of the total flow in the Eliot Creek, while the Coe Glacier supplied 31% of the runoff in Coe Creek. Isotopic analyses, which include the inputs of all other glacier surfaces in the catchment, show a total glacier contribution of 88% from the Eliot Glacier to the Eliot Creek, in excellent agreement with the streamflow measurements. Isotopes also showed an 88% contribution from the Coe Glacier to the Coe Creek, higher than the amount measured from streamflow. This latter discrepancy is likely due to undersampling of streamflow from the Coe Glacier. During the isotope measurement period, overall contributions of both Coe and Eliot Glaciers to the Upper Middle Fork Hood River were 62 - 74% of catchment discharge. A temperature index model was used to simulate projected impacts of glacier recession and warmer temperatures on streamflow. The Snowmelt Runoff Model (SRM) was chosen for this task because it has been shown to effectively model runoff in glacierized catchments where there are limited meteorological records. SRM was calibrated using the 2007 discharge records to quantify August – September glacier runoff in the Upper Middle Fork catchment under a variety of glacier and temperature scenarios. SRM simulations indicate that runoff from the catchment glaciers are highly sensitive to changes in glacial area, glacier debris-cover, and air temperature. Model simulations show that glacier recession has a greater effect on runoff than do projected temperature increases. Thus, even without warmer summer temperatures, glacier contributions to streamflow will decrease as long as the glacier continues to lose mass. Applying both current glacier recession rates and a 2°C temperature forcing, the model predicts a decrease of 31% of late summer glacier runoff by 2059, most of which is lost in August. This study suggests that glaciers currently play a significant hydrological role in the headwater catchments of the Hood River Basin at a time when water is needed most, and that these contributions are projected to diminish over time.
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74. [Article] Hood River Bull Trout Abundance, Life History, and Habitat Connectivity, 2007 Progress Reports 2007
Abstract -- Hood River bull trout are thought to exist as two independent reproductive units (USFWS 2004), known as local populations (Rieman and McIntyre 1995). The Clear Branch local population is isolated ...Citation Citation
- Title:
- Hood River Bull Trout Abundance, Life History, and Habitat Connectivity, 2007 Progress Reports 2007
Abstract -- Hood River bull trout are thought to exist as two independent reproductive units (USFWS 2004), known as local populations (Rieman and McIntyre 1995). The Clear Branch local population is isolated above Clear Branch Dam, which provides limited downstream fish passage during infrequent and sporadic periods of spill and no upstream passage. Bull trout in this population inhabit Laurance Lake Reservoir and tributaries upstream of Clear Branch Dam. The Hood River local population occurs in the mainstem Hood River and Middle Fork Hood River downstream of the Clear Branch Dam and a small number of adult bull trout migrate each year into the Hood River from the Columbia River (Figure 1). The status of both populations is extremely precarious. The Clear Branch population is at risk of a random extinction event due to low numbers, negative interactions with non-native smallmouth bass, isolation and limited spawning habitat (USFWS, 1998). The Hood River population also appears to be small and is threatened by passage barriers, unscreened irrigation systems, impaired water quality and periodic siltation of spawning substrate by glacial outbursts. Clear Branch bull trout spawn in Clear Branch and Pinnacle Creek. After rearing in these two natal streams for an unknown time period, most are believed to migrate downstream to Laurance Lake Reservoir. Clear Branch bull trout have been documented passing over the dam spillway during high water events (Pribyl et al. 1996) and may provide a recruitment source for the Hood River local population. Adult bull trout tagged at Powerdale Dam have been observed at Coe Branch irrigation diversion and in a trap at the base of Clear Branch dam. These fish may have been attempting to reach spawning areas located upstream of the dam. However, the success of bull trout migrating downstream via the spillway or the possibility of successfully navigating through the diversion network has never been determined. Depending on the water year, the Middle Fork Irrigation District (MFID) may not spill at all, or the timing of the spill may not coincide with the timing of downstream migration, which is currently unknown (East Fork Hood River and Middle Fork Hood River Watershed analysis). Smallmouth bass were discovered in Lake Laurance Reservoir in the 1990s. Creel surveys have shown that large adult bass are caught occasionally in the reservoir and schools of bass fry have been seen by district fish biologist (Rod French, ODFW, personal communication), suggesting that they are spawning successfully. This illegal introduction poses a potential threat to the Clear Branch bull trout population, but its magnitude is unknown because the bass population size and degree of interaction between the two species are unknown. Bull trout and smallmouth bass have significantly different temperature preferences and tolerances, with bull trout being one of the most sensitive coldwater species and bass being a warm water species. Lake Laurance, a relatively high-altitude reservoir at 890 m (2,920 feet), does not provide ideal bass habitat so these two species may have largely non-overlapping distributions or differing activity periods (Terry Shrader, ODFW warmwater fish biologist, personal communication). However, based on past reservoir temperature data (Berger et al. 2005), there are periods in the reservoir when there is potential for bull trout and bass interaction: periods when bull trout are susceptible to bass predation and when juvenile fish might compete for resources. Spawning activity of the Hood River local population has been observed in a few locations within the Middle Fork of Hood River (Figure 1). Although consistent and extensive spawning areas for this population are not known, some of the locations where juvenile rearing or potential bull trout redds have been observed include the Middle Fork Hood River and some of its tributaries: Bear Creek, Compass Creek and Coe Branch (USFWS 2004). However, Coe Branch, Compass Creek, and the Middle Fork are glacial streams with a high volume of sand and silt which may compromise spawning success. No bull trout spawning or rearing has been observed on the East and West Forks of Hood River. The Middle Fork and mainstem Hood River provide foraging, migration and overwintering habitat. Hood River bull trout are also known to migrate into the Columbia River. Two bull trout tagged at Powerdale Dam (RK 7.2 of mainstem Hood River) were recovered near Drano Lake in Washington State; and one was captured 11 kilometers downstream of the confluence of the Hood and Columbia Rivers (USFWS 2004). Every year (usually between May and July), adult bull trout, presumably migrating upstream from the Columbia River, are captured and anchor tagged at Powerdale Dam. Although some of these tagged fish have been observed upstream (one in Coe Branch and three below Clear Branch dam), the spawning destination of fluvial adults within the Hood River basin is largely unknown. Dispersing juvenile bull trout and migrating adults in this local population are threatened by flow diversions with inadequate screening and passage facilities. Several structures are suspected to impede upstream migration or entrain juvenile and adult bull trout into irrigation works (Pribyl et al. 1996, HRWG 1999). These structures include: the diversion at Clear Branch Dam (passage and screening), Coe Branch (passage and screening), and the Farmers Irrigation District diversion (screening) on the mainstem Hood River (HRWG 1999). However, little research has been conducted to assess the impacts of these structures on migrating bull trout. Beyond a general knowledge of the distribution of Hood River bull trout and the nature of anthropogenic factors that potentially restrict their life history and habitat connectivity, little is known about this recovery unit. Baseline information about adult abundance is lacking for both local populations, the potential of a source (Clear Branch) and sink (Hood River) relationship between the two local populations has not been explored, and the migratory life history of adult fish caught at Powerdale Dam is unknown. The degree to which irrigation and hydropower diversions hamper connectivity within the Hood River basin is also poorly understood. Migratory life histories have been viewed as key to species persistence (Rieman and McIntyre 1995; Dunham and Rieman 1999), and understanding movement patterns and associated habitat requirements are critical to maintaining those migratory forms (Muhlfeld and Morotz 2005; Hostettler 2005). Gaining this information is also critical to evaluating bull trout recovery in the Hood River Subbasin (Coccoli 2004). The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) initiated a study in 2006 to improve our understanding of the abundance, life history, and potential limiting factors of the bull trout in this recovery unit. This report describes findings for the first two years of the study (2006-2007). Specific study objectives for the first two years were: 1. Determine the migratory life history of Hood River bull trout and assess the potential impacts of flow diversions and two new falls on the Middle Fork Hood River (scoured by the November 2006 glacial outburst) on bull trout migrations. 2. Determine current distribution of bull trout reproduction and early rearing in historical and potential bull trout streams in the Hood River Subbasin. 3. Determine the juvenile and adult life history the Clear Branch local population and develop a statistically reliable and cost-effective protocol for monitoring the abundance of adult Clear Branch bull trout. 4. Assess the potential impact of smallmouth bass on bull trout in Laurance Lake Reservoir.
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75. [Article] Benthic foraminifer stable isotope record from Site 849 (0 - 5 Ma) : local and global climate changes
Benthic foraminifer and δ¹³C data from Site 849, on the west flank of the East Pacific Rise (0°11'N, 110°3l'W; 3851 m), give relatively continuous records of deep Pacific Ocean stable isotope variations ...Citation Citation
- Title:
- Benthic foraminifer stable isotope record from Site 849 (0 - 5 Ma) : local and global climate changes
- Author:
- Rugh, W., Morey, A., Hagelberg, T. K., Mix, Alan C., Wilson, J., Pisias, Nicklas G.
Benthic foraminifer and δ¹³C data from Site 849, on the west flank of the East Pacific Rise (0°11'N, 110°3l'W; 3851 m), give relatively continuous records of deep Pacific Ocean stable isotope variations between 0 and 5 Ma. The mean sample spacing is 4 k.y. Most analyses are from Cibicides wuellerstorfi> but isotopic offsets relative to Uvigerina peregrina appear roughly constant. Because of its location west of the East Pacific Rise, Site 849 yields a suitable record of mean Pacific Ocean δ¹³C, which approximates a global oceanic signal. The ~lOO-k.y.-period climate cycle, which is prevalent in δ¹⁸O does not dominate the long-term δ¹³C record. For δ¹³C, variations in the -400- and 41-k.y. periods are more important. Phase lags of δ¹³C relative to ice volume in the 41- and 23-k.y. bands are consistent with δ¹³C as a measure of organic biomass. A model-calculated exponential response time of 1-2 k.y. is appropriate for carbon stored in soils and shallow sediments responding to glacial-interglacial climate change. Oceanic δ¹³C leads ice volume slightly in the 100-k.y. band, and this suggests another process such as changes in continental weathering to modulate mean river δ¹³C at long periods. The δ¹³C record from Site 849 diverges from that of Site 677 in the Panama Basin mostly because of decay of ¹³C-depleted organic carbon in the relatively isolated Panama Basin. North Atlantic to Pacific δ¹³C differences calculated using published data from Sites 607 and 849 reveal variations in Pliocene deep water within the range of those of the late Quaternary. Maximum δ¹³C contrast between these sites, which presumably reflects maximum influx of high-δ¹³C northern source water into the deep North Atlantic Ocean, occurred between 1.3 and 2.1 Ma, well after the initiation of Northern Hemisphere glaciation. Export of high-δ¹³C North Atlantic Deep Water from the Atlantic to the circumpolar Antarctic, as recorded by published δ'3C data from Subantarctic Site 704, appears unrelated to the North Atlantic-Pacific δ¹³C contrast. To account for this observation, we suggest that deep-water formation in the North Atlantic reflects northern source characteristics, whereas export of this water into the circumpolar Antarctic reflects Southern Hemisphere wind forcing. Neither process appears directly linked to ice-volume variations.
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76. [Article] Systematics of the salamander genus Dicamptodon strauch (Amphibia:Caudata:Ambystomatidae)
Dicamptodon is the single, extant genus of the ambystomatid subfamily Dicamptodontinae. Two species, D. ensatus (Eschscholtz) and D. copei Nussbaum are recognized. D. ensatus is found in the forested, ...Citation Citation
- Title:
- Systematics of the salamander genus Dicamptodon strauch (Amphibia:Caudata:Ambystomatidae)
- Author:
- Nussbaum, Ronald A.
Dicamptodon is the single, extant genus of the ambystomatid subfamily Dicamptodontinae. Two species, D. ensatus (Eschscholtz) and D. copei Nussbaum are recognized. D. ensatus is found in the forested, mountain regions of northwestern California and western Oregon, in the Willapa Hills and Cascade Mountains of Washington, in extreme southwestern British Columbia, and in the northern and central Rocky Mountains of Idaho. D. copei is found in the Olympic Mountains, Willapa Hills and southwestern Cascades of Washington; and in the vicinity of the Columbia River Gorge in extreme northwestern Oregon. The two species are sympatric in the Columbia River Gorge, southern Willapa Hills, and southwestern Cascades of Washington. The two species differ, among other characters, in blood serum proteins, sensitivity to thyroxine, mode of life history, body size, relative head size, limb length, tail height, tooth number, gill raker number, color, and degree of ossification of skeletal elements. Geographic variation is prominent in D. ensatus. Multivariate analysis of morphometric characters of larval populations discriminates three groups: a Rocky Mountain Group, a Cascade and Oregon Coast Range Group, and a Californian Group. The first two groups seem to be more similar to each other than either is to the Californian Group. The Californian Group can be divided into a southern subgroup and a northern subgroup; and the northern subgroup can be further separated into a coastal subgroup and an interior highlands subgroup. These groups are all more-or-less verified by analysis of color of larvae and adults, and morphometric characters of adults. These groups correspond geographically with major features of topography in the Pacific Northwest. The California Group is confined south of the geologically old and complex Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains. The southern Californian subgroup is found south of the "North Coast Divide", and the northern subgroup is found north of this Divide in an area of northwestern drainage. The interior highlands subgroup of the northern Californian subgroup is found in the higher, summer-dry mountains of northern California where the substrate is complex and of a different origin than the coastal substrate. Strong morphoclines occur across the Klamath-Siskiyou Region into southwestern Oregon. The Rocky Mountain Group is separated from the Cascade and Oregon Coast Range Group by the broad, arid Columbia Plateau. Variation is slight over the relatively small range of D. copei, and what variation exists seems to be a function of geographic distance. The dicamptodontines have been an evolutionarily conservative group confined to the humid temperate, Arcto-Tertiary environments of western North America throughout their Cretaceous and Tertiary history. A remnant of the once wide-spread, ancestral habitat occurs today in the humid fog belt of northwestern California and southwestern Oregon. D. ensatus living in this area today exhibit the most primitive features of all living Dicamptodon. These include: large heads, long limbs and tails, many teeth and gill rakers, propensity to transform, and perhaps the habit of vocalizing as a terrestrial, defensive adaptation. D. copei is viewed as a relatively recent derivitive of an ensatus-like ancestor. This ancestor is believed to have had a propensity for neoteny and body attenuation associated with life in the extreme climatic, physical, and biotic environments imposed by Pleistocene glaciation. Isolation in western Washington during a glacial maximum allowed these tendencies, along with small body size, to be selected for, unhampered by gene flow from outside populations. It is thought that the ensatus-like ancestor of D. copei was more similar to recent northern populations of D. ensatus than to recent Californian populations of D. ensatus. Californian populations were relatively unaffected by Pleistocene climatic extremes, as they passed this period in the milder, ancestral environment of southern, coastal latitudes. During the last glacial maximum, the Rocky Mountain populations were probably continuous with populations on the lower eastern slopes of the Washington Cascades, via a connecting, wet, forested parkland, which existed south of the Cordilleran ice sheet in north-central Washington. This parkland was broken up after the ice retreated, during the Altithermal interval, about 7-4,000 years ago, and it was at this time that the Rocky Mountain Group became isolated. Postglacial readjustments in the ranges of D. copei and D. ensatus account for their current narrow zone of sympatry. Subspecies of D. ensatus and D. copei are not recognized.
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The forest alpine tundra ecotone (FTE, also known as alpine treeline or subalpine parkland), is a conspicuous feature of mountain landscapes throughout the world. Climate change-driven increases in temperature ...
Citation Citation
- Title:
- Patterns of tree establishment and vegetation composition in relation to climate and topography of a subalpine meadow landscape, Jefferson Park, Oregon, USA
- Author:
- Zald, Harold Samuel James
The forest alpine tundra ecotone (FTE, also known as alpine treeline or subalpine parkland), is a conspicuous feature of mountain landscapes throughout the world. Climate change-driven increases in temperature are believed to result in FTE movement and tree invasion of subalpine meadows, which have been documented throughout the Northern Hemisphere across a wide range of geographic locations, climatic regimes, forest types, land use histories, and disturbance regimes. Climate-driven FTE movement may have numerous ecological effects such as: positive temperature feedbacks, increased net primary productivity and carbon storage, and declines of plant populations and species. The magnitude of these ecological effects is highly uncertain, but will be largely determined by the rates and spatial extent of FTE movement and meadow invasion. FTE movement and meadow invasion are often considered at global or regional spatial scales in relation to climate, yet they are fundamentally driven by tree regeneration processes that are influenced by a variety of climatic and biophysical factors at micro site, landscape, and regional scales. Much of the research on the FTE has not taken a landscape approach incorporating multi-scale processes. For example, species distribution models used to project climate change effects on future species distributions and plant biodiversity in mountainous landscapes rely on species distribution data that is often sparse and incomplete across FTE landscapes. This dissertation attempts to overcome many of the limitations in FTE research by taking a landscape approach to develop a greater understanding of past spatiotemporal patterns of tree invasion, current spatial patterns of vegetation composition and structure, and potential future patterns of climate-driven tree invasion in the FTE. The setting for this research is Jefferson Park, a 260 ha subalpine parkland landscape in the Oregon High Cascades, USA. This study uses field plots, remotely sensed imagery, airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), and simulation modeling to: 1) predictively map current fine-scale species distributions, vegetation structure, and tree ages; 2) reconstruct patterns of tree invasion over the last fifty years in subalpine meadows in relation to climatic conditions, landforms, microtopography, and seed dispersal limitations; and 3) develop a statistical model that projects future patterns of tree invasion into subalpine meadows under different climate scenarios in Jefferson Park. In chapter two, I generated fine-scale spatially-explicit predictions of current vegetation composition, structure, and tree ages in the Jefferson Park study area. Objectives of this chapter were threefold: 1) to characterize spatial patterns of tree ages, vegetation composition, and vegetation structure in a FTE landscape in the Oregon Cascades using predictive mapping; 2) determine how vegetation composition and structure were associated with gradients of environmental factors derived from multispectral satellite imagery and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data; and 3) determine if predictive mapping characterizations of tree age, vegetation composition, and vegetation structure were improved by the inclusion of LiDAR data. Predictive mapping of vegetation attributes was accomplished using gradient analysis with nearest neighbor imputation; integrating field plots, multispectral SPOT 5 satellite imagery, and LiDAR data. Vegetation composition was best described by SPOT 5 imagery and LiDAR-derived topography, while vegetation structure was best described by LiDAR-derived vegetation heights. Predictions of species occurrence were most accurate for tree species, moderate for shrub species and vegetation groups, and highly variable for graminoid species. Tree age, which was the most accurately predicted vegetation structure variable, indicates the study area was largely un-forested in 1600, gradually invaded by trees from 1600 to the 1920's, and rapidly invaded from the 1920's to 1980. Predictive mapping of vegetation structure variables such as basal area and stand density were subject to large amounts of error, possibly resulting from scale incompatibilities between vegetation patterns and plot size, and/or heterogeneous FTE landscapes where forest structure does not develop along consistent trajectories with stand age. This study suggests integrating multispectral satellite imagery, LiDAR data, and field plots can accurately predict fine-scale spatial characterizations of species distributions and tree invasion in the FTE. This study also indicates that sample design can influence spatial patterns of model uncertainty, which needs to be considered if predictive mapping of vegetation and sensitive ecosystems is a component of inventory and monitoring programs. In chapter three, I focused on quantifying spatiotemporal patterns of subalpine parkland tree invasion in Jefferson Park over the past five decades in relation multi-scale climatic and biophysical controls. LiDAR data provided previously unavailable fine-scale spatial characterizations of microtopography and vegetation structure. I utilized LiDAR, georeferenced field plots, and tree establishment reconstructions to quantify spatiotemporal patterns of tree invasion in relation to late season snow persistence, landform types, fine-scale topographic variability, distances from potential seed sources, and climate variation within 130 ha of the subalpine parkland landscape of Jefferson Park. Tree occurrence (i.e. tree presence in 2 m plots and grid cells) occurred in 7.75% of study area meadows in 1950 and increased to 34.7% in 2007. Landform types and finer-scale patterns of topography and vegetation structure influenced summer snow depth, which influenced temporal and spatial patterns of tree establishment. Tree invasion rates were higher on debris flow landforms, which had lower summer snow depth than glacial landforms, suggesting potentially rapid treeline responses to disturbance events. Tree invasion rates were strongly associated with reduced annual snow fall on glacial landforms, but not on debris flows. Tree establishment was spatially constrained to micro sites with high topographic positions and close proximity to overstory canopy, site conditions associated with low summer snow depth. Seed source limitations placed an additional species-specific spatial constraint on where trees invaded meadows. Climate and topography had an interactive effect, with trees establishing on higher topographic positions during both high snow/low temperature and low snow/high temperature periods, but had greater than expected establishment on lower topographic positions during low snow/high temperature periods. Within the context of larger landform types, topography and proximity to overstory trees constrained where trees established in the meadows, even during climate periods with higher temperatures and lower snowfall. Results of this study suggest large scale climate-driven models of vegetation change may overestimate treeline movement and meadow invasion, because they do not account for biophysical controls limiting tree establishment at multiple spatial scales. In chapter four, I used field data and analyses from chapter 3 to parameterize a spatially and temporally explicit statistical model of fine-scale tree invasion within 130 ha of the Jefferson Park study area. The model incorporated both the climatic and biophysical controls found in chapter 3 to influence tree invasion. The model was used in two ways: (1) to spatially project patterns of tree invasion from 1950 to 2007 in response to historical climate; and (2) to project future tree invasion of the study area from 2007 to 2064 under six different annual snowfall scenarios. Modeling addressed the following questions: (1) Can fine-scale (2 m pixel size) patterns of historical tree invasion be accurately predicted? (2) How sensitive is future tree invasion (and therefore meadow persistence) to different future snowfall scenarios? (3) Are non-climatic factors such as landforms and biotic interactions associated with different spatial patterns of tree invasion? From 1950 to 2007, simulated historical meadow area declined from 82% to 65% of the study area. Model outputs of historical area, spatial distributions, and spatial clustering of tree invasion generally agreed with independent validation, and suggest biotic interactions due to young tree establishment facilitation are important on glacial landforms but not debris flows. Simulations of future scenarios indicated meadow declined to 36 to 43% of the study area by 2064. Projected meadow area declined with reduced annual snow fall, but not under prolonged high and low snow fall periods. Meadows persisted under all future scenarios in 2064. This model suggests subalpine meadows may significantly decline under climate warming, but will still persist in 2064. Micro sites and recruitment limitation may be equally or more important factors than climate change in influencing subalpine landscape change, suggesting local high-elevation persistence of subalpine meadows under future climate warming.
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78. [Article] Man and the land : an ecological history of fire and grazing on eastern Oregon rangelands
Ecological and historical information are combined in examining the environmental influence of fire and grazing on rangelands in eastern Oregon through time. Competitive relationships between herbaceous ...Citation Citation
- Title:
- Man and the land : an ecological history of fire and grazing on eastern Oregon rangelands
- Author:
- Shinn, Dean Allison
Ecological and historical information are combined in examining the environmental influence of fire and grazing on rangelands in eastern Oregon through time. Competitive relationships between herbaceous and woody flora in the northern Great Basin are discussed, focusing broadly on the shrubsteppe regions 'of Franklin and Dyrness (1973) but with special reference to the Artemisia/Agropyron association. Impacts of native and domestic grazing animals and of cultural burning are traced from the distant past into recent history. During the Pleistocene Epoch North America supported a wide diversity of large mammals. Toward the end of the Pleistocene, many of these fauna became extinct, perhaps as a result of post-glacial climatic change, perhaps also under the influence of incoming primitive hunting cultures and their broadcast burning practices. Some question exists about the intensity of native grazing in the northern Great Basin during the last few thousand years. Actual levels of bison populations and the duration of their residence in the study area have not been determined. The character of indigenous vegetations, however, indicates that native grazing was relatively light for an extended period primevally. Twenty-four references to native cultural burning at the time of European contact were found in historical journals. Though the antiquity of these customs is uncertain, an analysis of Native American fire myths demonstrates the depth of native cultural perceptions of the relationship between man and fire, and supports the likelihood that fire was used primevally in the northern Great Basin as it was used by aboriginal peoples elsewhere in North America. With the influx of European culture during the 19th century, misapprehensions about fire among whites distorted the influence of native cultural burning. Exotic flora and fauna were introduced, and ecosystems began to change. Large herds of livestock depleted native herbaceous populations. Early irresponsible burning by whites became associated with declining rangeland resources, and efforts toward total fire suppression became incorporated in developing conservation policies. Native woody flora and exotics began to invade open rangeland communities. Climatic flux during the period of European settlement in the northern Great Basin may have exacerbated the impacts of intensified grazing and elimination of burning. Early photographs of rangelands in east-central Oregon were gathered; their dates range from 1880 to the early 1930's. Sites represented in these pictures were re-photographed in 1976. Photo-set comparisons show expansion of western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) populations into rangeland ecosystems, demonstrating the consequences of cultural disturbances during the last 150 to 200 years.
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Harlequin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) were observed during the summers of 1979 and 1980 in Sawmill Bay, northeast Prince William Sound, Alaska. Harlequins were associated with a short, medium gradient, non-glacial ...
Citation Citation
- Title:
- Ecology of harlequin ducks in Prince William Sound, Alaska, during summer
- Author:
- Dzinbal, Kenneth A.
Harlequin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) were observed during the summers of 1979 and 1980 in Sawmill Bay, northeast Prince William Sound, Alaska. Harlequins were associated with a short, medium gradient, non-glacial stream (Stellar Creek) also used by salmon. Although harlequins nested along Stellar Creek, they apparently did not establish home ranges there during the prenesting period, and both courtship and copulation occurred in the bay. Pairs were most numerous.in the bay in mid-late May; 15 pairs were recorded in 1979, and 14 pairs were observed in 1980. Laying occurred from about 26 May - 17 June, and hatching took place from 3-15 July. Females lost weight during the incubation period, but gained weight the remainder of the. summer. The non-breeding frequency among females was estimated as 47% in 1979 and 50% in 1980. The application of patagial tags, however, appeared to reduce production. Following nesting, males generally deserted Sawmill Bay for comparatively exposed moulting areas, Females mostly remained in the bay until midlate August. Use of habitats by harlequins varied with time of day, and activity budgets varied with habitat. Paired harlequins during prenesting and laying (10 May - 21 June) spent about 47% of their time near rocks and headlands, and about 26% of their time each in Stellar Creek and in lee (i.e. protected) waters. Unpaired harlequins (22 June - 15 August) were rare in lee waters (<3%); unpaired males spent about 77% of their time on rocks and about 20% of their time in Stellar Creek, while unpaired females spent about 43% and 55% of their time on rocks and in Stellar'Creek, respectively. Harlequins primarily rested on rocks and headlands, while lee waters seemed important mostly for social spacing among pairs. Stellar Creek was the focus of nearly half to practically all of the feeding activity of harlequins. Early in the summer they fed primarily on marine invertebrates in the intertidal delta of the creek, but in July they moved upstream into the spawning beds of the arriving salmon, where they fed predominately on loose, drifting roe. Paired females spent more time feeding (21% vs 13%), but less time resting (41% vs 46%) and interacting (1% vs 3%) than did their mates. Unpaired females spent slightly more time feeding (15% vs 13%) and in locomotion (13% vs 10%), but less time preening (6% vs 3%) than did unpaired males. The large proportion of time harlequins spent resting was tentatively attributed to a strategy of minimizing energy expenditure, versus one of maximizing energy intake.
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The Breitenbush Hot Springs area lies on the boundary of folded middle to late Tertiary Western Cascade rocks and younger High Cascade rocks. Within the mapped area the Western Cascade rocks are represented ...
Citation Citation
- Title:
- Geology of the Breitenbush Hot Springs area, Cascade Range, Oregon
- Author:
- Clayton, Clifford Michael
- Year:
- 1976
The Breitenbush Hot Springs area lies on the boundary of folded middle to late Tertiary Western Cascade rocks and younger High Cascade rocks. Within the mapped area the Western Cascade rocks are represented by four formations. The Detroit Beds, a sequence of interstratified tuffaceous sandstone, mudflow breccia, and tuff, is overlain unconformably by the Breitenbush Tuff. The Breitenbush Tuff consists of three units of welded pumice-rich crystal-vitric ash-flow tuffs interbedded with tuffaceous sedimentary rocks. The Outerson Formation unconformably overlies the Breitenbush Tuff and consists primarily of basaltic lava and breccia. The Outerson Formation includes three localized members: a basal, glassy, aphanitic basalt, the Lake Leone Sediments, and the Outerson Tuff. The Outerson Formation is cut by a number of feeder dikes and plugs and is unconformably overlain by the Cheat Creek Sediments, composed of volcanic sedimentary rocks and a distinctive basaltic tuff. The Western Cascade formations total more than 1660 m {5500 ft) of strata and range from Oligocene to Pliocene in age. The High Cascade rocks are represented by two formations: the Triangulation Peak Volcanics of basalt and andesite lava and breccia, lying unconformably atop the Cheat Creek Sediments; and unconformably beneath the Collowash Volcanics, a series of thin basaltic lava flows and breccias. The Western and High Cascade rocks are covered extensively by surficial deposits, primarily glacial drift. The High Cascade formations are at least 840 m (2800 ft) thick, ranging in age from Pliocene to Pliestocene. The Western Cascade rocks have been folded and faulted in the Breitenbush Hot Springs area, and form the eastern limb of the north-trending Breitenbush Anticline. The folded rocks and the erosional unconformities between the rock units probably represent two local episodes of orogeny: one in early to middle Miocene and another in late Pliocene to Pleistocene time. The Outerson Formation represents a depositional sequence between the periods of uplift and deformation. Faulting accompanied the orogenic sequences. The primary volcanic landforms in the area have been destroyed by erosion but skeletal remains of High Cascade volcanoes are recognized. Stream erosion and glaciation are responsible for the present landforms. Breitenbush Hot Springs occurs, in part, along basaltic dikes which channel the water through impermeable Breitenbush Tuff. The dikes are believed to be associated with the Outerson basalts. The Hot Springs discharge upwards at 3400 l/min. (900 gpm) of water at temperatures up to 92°C (198°F).