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Effects of Global Warming on Land Management

Harrison Ruesch. Effects of Global Warming on Land Management. Glacier National Park. Superintendent Jeff Mow has dealt with numerous obstacles due to climate change at his parks. The hardest part with dealing with the constant change, is not being able to predict what will change.

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Effects of Global Warming on Land Management

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  1. Harrison Ruesch Effects of Global Warming on Land Management

  2. Glacier National Park • Superintendent Jeff Mow has dealt with numerous obstacles due to climate change at his parks. • The hardest part with dealing with the constant change, is not being able to predict what will change.

  3. Examples of Climate Change • More severe fire seasons • Drier winters • Wetter springs and falls • Increasing invasive species • Increasing human population

  4. Ex. Alaska’s Kenai Fjords National Park • Built to feature exit glacier • Glacier has melted so much since 1990, that it can’t be seen anymore

  5. Kenai Fjords National Park • Though, the glacier has melted, it still controls the park • In 2004, the main visitor road started flooding out at times when no flooding had ever occurred before.

  6. Why? • National Weather Service meteorologists were unable to find the weather source causing the flooding • They know the glacier’s melt water is the cause, however what triggered the flood timing remains uncertain.

  7. Result • Kenai Fjords’ most popular road had 4 to 5 inches of sheeting water running across it • Damage costs were around 4 to 5 million to rebuild the two miles of road, which wouldn’t necessarily even fix the problem

  8. Result • Due to the uncertainty, Mow decided to spend just 400,000 dollars on barriers and sandbags to make the road passable again

  9. Takeaway • Future climate change has so many factors and variables, we cannot tell what to prepare for • The best we can do is generate a range of possible scenarios and take guesses about which to act • People are continuing to develop better ways to deal with climate change

  10. Sources • http://missoulian.com/news/local/land-managers-unprepared-for-effects-of-climate-change-on-crown/article_6062cfaa-af06-11e3-a6e2-0019bb2963f4.html

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