A substantial upward shift of the alpine treeline ecotone in the southern Canadian Rocky Mountains
Date
2010-01-04T18:46:53Z
Authors
Roush, William Morgan
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Abstract
Changes within and beyond the alpine treeline ecotone are hypothesized to respond to
climatic changes and to be controlled by site-specific conditions. Repeated photographs
show significant changes in the alpine treeline ecotone of Goodsir Pass in Kootenay
National Park, B.C. over the past century. Field work revealed increases in tree density
within the ecotone, and a 150 vertical metre increase in the elevation of the ecotone, at a rate
of 2.2 metres/year. Change within the ecotone of Goodsir Pass is more closely related to
temporal climatic variability than to site-specific spatial variability. Repeated photographs
from three National Parks in the southern Canadian Rocky Mountains show this change to
be a typical but dramatic example. Results at several scales indicate that the occurrence,
magnitude and type of change in the alpine treeline ecotone and the drivers of that change
are most influenced by the regional ecologic and geo-climatic setting or context.
Description
Keywords
Climate Change, Kootenay National Park, Repeat Photography, Subalpine Larch, Climatic changes