Hydracarina from Glacier National Park

Grizzly Bear Density in Glacier National Park, Montana

We present the first rigorous estimate of grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) population density and distribution in and around Glacier National Park (GNP), Montana, USA. We used genetic analysis to identify individual bears from hair samples collected via 2 concurrent sampling methods: 1) systematically distributed, baited, barbed-wire hair traps and 2) unbaited bear rub trees found along trails. We u...

Assessing simulation ecosystem processes for climate variability research at Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park served as a test site for ecosystem analyses that involved a suite of integrated models embedded within a geographic information system. The goal of the exercise was to provide managers with maps that could illustrate probable shifts in vegetation, net primary production (NPP), and hydrologic responses associated with two selected climatic scenarios. The climatic scenarios...

Decadal-scale climate drivers for glacial dynamics in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA

[1] Little Ice Age (14th–19th centuries A.D.) glacial maxima and 20th century retreat have been well documented in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. However, the influence of regional and Pacific Basin driven climate variability on these events is poorly understood. We use tree-ring reconstructions of North Pacific surface temperature anomalies and summer drought as proxies for winter glacia...

Wildfire effects on stream food webs and nutrient dynamics in Glacier National Park, USA

We documented immediate and mid-term (5 y) impacts on streams from a large (15,500 ha) wildfire in northwestern Montana. Fire-related impacts were ecosystemwide, extending from water chemistry to fish. During the initial firestorm, phosphorus and nitrogen levels increased 5to 60-fold above background levels resulting from aerial deposition from smoke and ash. Nutrients returned to background co...

Positive Feedback Between Tree Establishment and Patterns of Subalpine Forest Advancement, Glacier National Park, Montana, U.S.A