Simulating future climate and the expected ecosystem responses for Wind Cave National Park
This collaborative project between NPS, USGS, OSU and CBI, will provide localized, quantitative simulations of future climate at Wind Cave National Park and the expected ecosystem responses to potential future climate scenarios using climate, hydrological, and ecosystem models customized for the park and its vicinity. These simulations will provide the information necessary for the desired quantitative evaluation of the scenarios and management implications derived in the 2009 scenario-planning workshop.
This is a key opportunity, as WICA begins revising its General Management Plan, to include climate change forecasting as a vital set of information for long-term park planning. Interpretive programs will use the project products and convey the knowledge gained about climate change impacts in the northern Great Plains to visitors. CoPI is Amy Symstadt (USGS) and her colleagues at Wind Cave National Park with funding from USGS. At CBI, the project lead is Dominique Bachelet (PI) with support from David King (OSU postdoc), Ken Ferschweiler and David Conklin.
