Global Change and the World's Mountains— Research Needs and Emerging Themes for Sustainable Development

Gurung, Astrid Björnsen; Dach, Susanne Wymann von; Price, Martin F.; Aspinall, Richard; Balsiger, Jörg; Sharma, Eklabya; Greenwood, Gregory B.; Köhler, Thomas

doi:10.1659/mrd-journal-d-11-00084.s1

Cited by 50 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Scientific disciplines ranging from snow hydrology to bioecology to palaeoclimatology struggle with obtaining accurate data with reasonable estimates of uncertainty on the most basic of climatic parameters in complex topography [ Lundquist and Cayan , ; Fridley , ; Dobrowski , ; Graae et al , ; Stoklosa et al , ], which could have profound effects on interpretation of large‐scale cause and local‐scale effect [ Lookingbill and Urban , ; Minder et al , ; Warren et al , ; Oyler et al , ]. The importance of research on mountain processes continues to be recognized as crucial for resiliency of socio‐ecological systems on a global scale [ Messerli and Ives , ; Viviroli and Weingartner , ; Foley et al , ; Gurung et al , ], and therefore, scientific investigators and policymakers will use whichever data are made available in an information‐poor environment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing the daily PRISM air temperature model on semiarid mountain slopes

Strachan

Daly

2017

JGR Atmospheres

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Studies in mountainous terrain related to ecology and hydrology often use interpolated climate products because of a lack of local observations. One data set frequently used to develop plot‐to‐watershed‐scale climatologies is PRISM (Parameter‐elevation Regression on Independent Slopes Model) temperature. Benefits of this approach include geographically weighted station observations and topographic positioning modifiers, which become important factors for predicting temperature in complex topography. Because of the paucity of long‐term climate records in mountain environments, validation of PRISM algorithms across diverse regions remains challenging, with end users instead relying on atmospheric relationships derived in sometimes distant geographic settings. Presented here are results from testing observations of daily temperature maximum (TMAX) and minimum (TMIN) on 16 sites in the Walker Basin, California‐Nevada, located on open woodland slopes ranging from 1967 to 3111 m in elevation. Individual site mean absolute error varied from 1.1 to 3.7°C with better performance observed during summertime as opposed to winter. We observed a consistent cool bias in TMIN for all seasons across all sites, with cool bias in TMAX varying with season. Model error for TMIN was associated with elevation, whereas model error for TMAX was associated with topographic radiative indices (solar exposure and heat loading). These results demonstrate that temperature conditions across mountain woodland slopes are more heterogeneous than interpolated models (such as PRISM) predict, that drivers of these differences are complex and localized in nature, and that scientific application of atmospheric/climate models in mountains requires additional attention to model assumptions and source data.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing the daily PRISM air temperature model on semiarid mountain slopes

Strachan

Daly

2017

JGR Atmospheres

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“…Therefore, the study of the state, use and prospects of PA system development are still relevant around the world [10,23,23]. They become ever more relevant in the conditions of sensitive mountain ecosystems that require a particular approach to their study and planning [3,7,15,22,27]. Over the recent years, the areas of protected territories and water areas have extended significantly around the world.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unique Natural Objects of Mountain Landscapes of the Chechen Republic

Zaburayeva¹,

Gatsayeva²,

Dzhabrailov³

et al. 2018

Proceedings of the International Symposium “Engineering and Earth Sciences: Applied and Fundamental Research” (ISEES 2018)

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The paper considers unique natural objects within the mountain territory of the Chechen Republic (hydrological, paleontological, biological, etc.). It provides information on natural objects qualified as nature sanctuaries, as well as describes unique natural objects (including, paleontological and stratigraphic) recommended for inclusion into the list of nature sanctuaries. The paper also reveals modern problems of reserve management and studies in the region and gives recommendations regarding their solution.

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“…Here we have presented the first global economic valuation of C stored in MGS, filling critical gaps in knowledge about MGS ecosystems (Gurung et al, 2010;Jansky, 2002). Our principle aim was to determine the economic significance of these C stocks, and in so doing, contribute to enhanced public policy formation and setting future research directions.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It should also be noted that SCC should be considered an economic estimate for avoided climate damage, and not necessarily what the market is willing to pay for emissions reductions (US Government, 2010). Considerable uncertainty also stems from the rates of land use conversion in MGS, and more generally for mountain areas as identified by a number of studies (Gurung et al, 2010;Jansky, 2002;Ward et al, 2015).…”

Section: Limitations and Uncertaintiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Establishing a reliable global estimate for the economic value of all ecosystem services provided by MGS is likely to be a challenging task given the lack of integrated systems research and the numerous data gaps that exist for mountains (Gurung et al, 2010;Jansky, 2002;TEEB Foundations, 2010;UN FAO 2015;Ward et al 2015). Moreover, these gaps are particularly apparent at the global scale (Debarbieux and Price, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The extent and value of carbon stored in mountain grasslands and shrublands globally, and the prospects for using climate finance to address natural resource management issues

Ward¹

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The mitigation of climate change is a global priority. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Paris Agreement sets an ambitious goal of limiting global warming well below two degrees Celsius, and ideally at 1.5 degrees Celsius, by the end of the 21st Century. While recent publications have highlighted the important role that terrestrial forests, wetland forests, marine ecosystems (such as mangroves and seagrass meadows) and lowland grasslands play in global climate mitigation efforts, there has been few studies quantifying how mountain grasslands and shrublands might contribute in this regard. These fragile high-altitude (mostly above treeline) ecosystems cover around 6% (9.38 million km 2 ) of Earth's landmass, provide habitat for rare flora and fauna species while supplying water, food, fibre and economic opportunities to billions of people, many of whom are very poor. Like forests and marine ecosystems, mountain grasslands and shrublands are under threat from multiple anthropogenic stressors. Without a global assessment and understanding of the extent and value of carbon stocks in mountain grasslands and shrublands these ecosystems cannot be effectively integrated into international carbon budgets and climate policy. This thesis therefore helps address this issue by providing both an estimate of C stored in mountain grasslands and shrublands areas, and its relative economic value in climate regulation terms. This thesis also makes several recommendations for how this C pool might be factored into international climate policy frameworks and budgets, and how climate finance might be used to address the various drivers of degradation in mountains grassland and shrubland ecosystems around the world.Using spatial analysis, this thesis commences by estimating there to be between 60.5 Pg C and 82.8 Any improvement in this respect will also improve the reliability of the science, aiding progress towards the targets set by the Paris Agreement. Second, from an accounting perspective, this thesis could potentially provide input data into other global studies which have excluded estimates for C in alpine areas which until now has not been available. Third, when combined, the estimates for C stocks, CO2 sequestration and economic value provided herein justify further investigation of how carbon markets and climate finance might be used specifically to address the factors influencing degradation in mountain grasslands and shrublands around the world.4

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Global Change and the World's Mountains— Research Needs and Emerging Themes for Sustainable Development

Cited by 50 publications

References 3 publications

Testing the daily PRISM air temperature model on semiarid mountain slopes

Testing the daily PRISM air temperature model on semiarid mountain slopes

Unique Natural Objects of Mountain Landscapes of the Chechen Republic

The extent and value of carbon stored in mountain grasslands and shrublands globally, and the prospects for using climate finance to address natural resource management issues

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