Glacier recession since the Little Ice Age: Implications for water storage in a Rocky Mountain landscape

Martin-Mikle, Chelsea J.; Fagre, Daniel B.

doi:10.1080/15230430.2019.1634443

Cited by 12 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Approximately 11,500 y ago, GNP was nearly ice free, and since ∼6,500 y ago, small glaciers have been present and active (38). The most recent ice advance culminated with the Little Ice Age (LIA) glacial maxima near the mid-19th century, around 1850 (19). GNP glacier advance and retreat over recent centuries has been tied to regional climate drivers (39).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We used glacial catchment coverage (GCC) as a measure of glacial influence by calculating the proportion of total upstream watershed area covered by glaciers for each sample site. LIA ice extent was documented in the glacier polygon dataset (19). LIA glacier extent was reconstructed by digitally tracing LIA moraines and cirque headwalls visible in 30-cm resolution, multispectral, pansharpened Digital Globe WorldView satellite imagery collected in late summer 2014, 2015, and 2016 (19).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…LIA ice extent was documented in the glacier polygon dataset (19). LIA glacier extent was reconstructed by digitally tracing LIA moraines and cirque headwalls visible in 30-cm resolution, multispectral, pansharpened Digital Globe WorldView satellite imagery collected in late summer 2014, 2015, and 2016 (19). Additional snowfield perimeters were refined using National Aerial Photography Program imagery from September 2003, a record year for wildfires in GNP.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Using high-resolution satellite imagery, we quantified change in glacier cover by mapping the area of present-day glaciers (ca. 2015) and analyzing their maximum at the end of the LIA (18,19,21). We quantified the abundance and diversity of stream invertebrate communities at 129 sites (within and across streams) in 36 catchments with varying levels of contemporary glacial influence (percentage of present-day glacier cover, 0-91%) and glacier loss since the LIA (8-100%) (22).…”

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…These habitat mosaics support diverse biological communities with high levels of endemism, including two stoneflies (Lednia tumana and Zapada glacier) that were recently listed under the US Endangered Species Act exclusively due to climate change-induced glacier and snow loss (17,18). Of the 146 glaciers present at the end of the LIA, only 35% persisted through 2005 (19), with complete deglaciation predicted by 2100 (5). We focused on alpine stream invertebrates because they are constrained to the highest elevations of aquatic habitats and are considered a "canary in the coal mine" for climate-induced biodiversity loss in mountain ecosystems (20).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Specialized meltwater biodiversity persists despite widespread deglaciation

Muhlfeld

Cline

Giersch

et al. 2020

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Glaciers are important drivers of environmental heterogeneity and biological diversity across mountain landscapes. Worldwide, glaciers are receding rapidly due to climate change, with important consequences for biodiversity in mountain ecosystems. However, the effects of glacier loss on biodiversity have never been quantified across a mountainous region, primarily due to a lack of adequate data at large spatial and temporal scales. Here, we combine high-resolution biological and glacier change (ca. 1850–2015) datasets for Glacier National Park, USA, to test the prediction that glacier retreat reduces biodiversity in mountain ecosystems through the loss of uniquely adapted meltwater stream species. We identified a specialized cold-water invertebrate community restricted to the highest elevation streams primarily below glaciers, but also snowfields and groundwater springs. We show that this community and endemic species have unexpectedly persisted in cold, high-elevation sites, even in catchments that have not been glaciated in ∼170 y. Future projections suggest substantial declines in suitable habitat, but not necessarily loss of this community with the complete disappearance of glaciers. Our findings demonstrate that high-elevation streams fed by snow and other cold-water sources continue to serve as critical climate refugia for mountain biodiversity even after glaciers disappear.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Specialized meltwater biodiversity persists despite widespread deglaciation

Muhlfeld

Cline

Giersch

et al. 2020

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Mountain glaciers influence biogeochemical and ecological characteristics of high‐elevation lakes across the northern Rocky Mountains, USA

Vanderwall,

Muhlfeld,

Tappenbeck

et al. 2023

Limnology & Oceanography

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Mountain glaciers are retreating rapidly due to climate change, leading to the formation of downstream lakes. However, little is known about the physical and biogeochemical conditions in these lakes across a range of glacial influence. We surveyed alpine lakes fed by both glacial and snowpack meltwaters and those fed by snowpack alone to compare nutrient concentrations, stoichiometry, water clarity, chlorophyll, and zooplankton communities. Total phosphorus (TP) and soluble reactive phosphorus were two times higher in glacial lakes than in non‐glacial lakes, while nitrate concentrations were three times higher. However, organic carbon concentrations in glacial lakes were two times lower than in non‐glacial lakes. The carbon‐to‐phosphorus ratio and the nitrogen‐to‐phosphorus ratio of lake seston increased with water clarity in glacial lakes, suggesting that turbidity from glacial flour increases light limitation and increases stoichiometric food quality for zooplankton in newly formed lakes. However, chlorophyll a concentrations did not differ between lake types. Through structural equation modeling, we found that glaciers exhibit a bidirectional association with nitrate and TP concentrations, perhaps mediated through landscape vegetation and lake clarity. Zooplankton communities in high‐turbidity glacial lakes were largely composed of cyclopoid copepods and rotifers (i.e., non‐filter feeders), while non‐glacial lakes tended to be dominated by calanoid copepods and cladocerans (i.e., filter feeders). Our results show that glacier‐influenced lakes have biogeochemical and ecological characteristics distinct from snow‐fed mountain lakes. Sustained studies are needed to assess the dynamics of these unique features as the influence of the alpine cryosphere fades under ongoing climate change.

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