Rockies
The states of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado include the heart of the broad and majestic Rocky Mountain range in the United States, which divides the continent. The Rockies’ glaciers and snow pack, which supply drinking water to much of the western United States, as well as mountain streams, forests, and alpine meadows, are highly vulnerable to the effects of global warming.
Warming climate is causing lower-elevation forest habitats to expand uphill into higher elevation habitats, while alpine meadows and glaciers disappear. As the climate warms and habitat changes, alpine species are moving upwards, but soon there may be nowhere higher to go. These specialized species are especially at-risk from global warming.
Like in the Northwest, precipitation patterns are trending toward more rain in winter and less snow, causing winter stream-flow to increase and occur earlier while summers become drier. Rising temperatures are also drying mountain forests, making them more vulnerable to fire, which will also become more frequent due to more and increasingly severe lighting storms. Less snow also exposes wildlife to frost, and disrupts their migration patterns. At the same time, warmer winters may lead to more avalanches and more winter flooding.
« Back to Map
Species in the region:
