Weather & Climate Monitoring in NETN Parks

Severe weather is predicted to  increase as climate continues to warm.

 

Download the Weather & Climate Monitoring Program Brief

Overview

Temperature and precipitation, taken over time-scales of years, decades or longer, are the basic components of climate. Climate provides the physical constraints that determine plant and animal survival and drives the basic processes that underpin ecosystems. Current climate models predict substantial climate-related changes in the northeast, and this will result in ecological changes. Potential changes include: (1) changes in forest species composition (e.g., loss of sugar maples), (2) increased frequency of heavy precipitation events and flooding, and (3) an overall increase in the heat index of 8-20º F. Monitoring the basic components of climate will help to discern whether these predictions are accurate for the NETN, and will help managers anticipate potential changes that will affect parks. For example, increased severity and frequency of rainfall events could cause flooding of low-lying areas, and convert vernal pools to year-round pools (with potential consequences for amphibian species).

Weather monitoring is currently being conducted in or near all parks in NETN.The Inventory & Monitoring Division is developing a national-level protocol that will use data from multiple climate monitoring networks (Applied Climate Information System) and will provide parks with tools to access and summarize these data.

 

Participating Parks

Acadia National Park, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP, Minute Man NHP, Morristown NHP, Roosevelt-Vanderbilt NHS, Saint-Gaudens NHS, Saratoga NHP, Saugus Iron Works NHS, Weir Farm NHS

 

NETN Weather & Climate Materials

Click on the links below to view protocols, reports, briefs, and other materials

 

Protocols

Source: Data Store Saved Search 2235. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.

 

Reports

Source: Data Store Saved Search 2236. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.

 

Briefs

Source: Data Store Saved Search 1271. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.

 

Duration:

6 minutes, 54 seconds

National Parks protect amazing places and organisms for all Americans. As climate changes, learn how Inventory & Monitoring helps parks track its effects on populations of Shenandoah salamander, life in the rocky intertidal zone, and brook trout in freshwater streams.

 

Staff Contacts for Weather and Climate Monitoring

Program Manager: Aaron Weed
Data Manager: Adam Kozlowski