Research Projects - Climate Change (Track 1)

Ecological Change

2009 Annual Report Highlights

Title: Update on Nevada’s Environmental Transect for Climate Change Research.

Authors: Dr. Franco Biondi (University of Nevada, Reno); Dr. Lynn Fenstermaker (Desert Research Institute); Dr. Jay Arnone (Desert Research Institute); Dr. Dale Devitt (University of Nevada, Las Vegas); Dr. David Charlet (College of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas); Dr. Laurel Saito (University of Nevada, Reno).

Managed by the Water Resources and Ecological Change components, the instrumental network includes seven sites in the state’s eastern Snake Range and five sites in the southern Sheep Range. At each site, data collection towers measure atmospheric, soil, and vegetation variables, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Land permits have been formally obtained from the Long Now Foundation, the Nevada Land Conservancy, and the Desert National Wildlife Refuge. Baseline data are being collected on the vegetation (composition and structure) and floristics (species presence and absence) for Clark County, where the southern instrumental transect is also located. Toward this end, 1111 ground control points were established, and several biological indicators were evaluated, including the identification of 700 species of plants. Additional vegetation sampling is now planned for the Snake Range area, where the other instrumented transect will be located.

The highest elevation site on the Long Now Foundation property is home to some of the most iconic Nevada wildlife

Click photo to enlarge

(photo: Scotty Strachan scotty@dayhike.net)

This work was supported by NSF Cooperative Agreement EPS-‐0814372 to the Nevada System of Higher Education.