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Elevation-dependent temperature trends in the Rocky Mountain Front Range: changes over a 56- and 20-year record
Chris R McGuire1, César R Nufio, M Deane Bowers
1University of Colorado Natural History Museum, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America.
Plos One
|September 13, 2012
Summary
Climate warming in the Rocky Mountains is strongest at mid-elevations, impacting growing degree days but not season length. Direct weather station data is crucial, as interpolated climate models show significant discrepancies.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Climatology
- Ecology
Background:
- Understanding climate change impacts across elevational gradients is key for predicting hydrologic and ecosystem shifts.
- Long-term temperature data is essential for analyzing climate change patterns and their ecological consequences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze temperature trends and their relationship with biological indicators across an elevational gradient in the Rocky Mountains.
- To compare direct weather station data with interpolated climate datasets (PRISM) for accuracy in documenting local climate change.
Main Methods:
- Utilized five long-term weather stations along a 2077-meter elevational transect in the Rocky Mountain Front Range, Colorado.
- Analyzed 56-year (1953-2008) and 20-year (1989-2008) temperature records, including maximum and minimum temperatures.
- Assessed changes in season length and accumulated growing-degree days, and compared station data with PRISM interpolated data.
Main Results:
- Warming signals were most pronounced at mid-elevations over both temporal scales.
- The 56-year record showed warming primarily through increased maximum temperatures, while the 20-year record indicated warming from increased maximum temperatures at lower elevations and minimum temperatures at higher elevations.
- Increased growing-degree days were observed, but the growing season length remained unchanged. PRISM data showed poor correlation with actual station data, revealing different trends.
Conclusions:
- Climate change interpretation in the Rocky Mountains is elevation and time-scale dependent.
- Directly measured weather station data is vital for accurate local climate change assessment.
- Over-reliance on interpolated climate data like PRISM may lead to misinterpretation of local climate trends.
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