Snowmelt velocity predicts vegetation green-wave velocity in mountainous ecological systems of North America
The timing of spring initiates an important period for resource availability for large trophic webs within ecosystems, including forage for grazing animals, flowers for pollinators, and the higher trophic levels that depend on these resources. Spring timing is highly variable across space, being inf...
Published in: | International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Elsevier
2020
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2020.102110 https://doaj.org/article/18856d4bc89c47159645c7f26f021374 |
id |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:18856d4bc89c47159645c7f26f021374 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:18856d4bc89c47159645c7f26f021374 2023-05-15T18:40:43+02:00 Snowmelt velocity predicts vegetation green-wave velocity in mountainous ecological systems of North America Donal O’Leary, III David Inouye Ralph Dubayah Chengquan Huang George Hurtt 2020-07-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2020.102110 https://doaj.org/article/18856d4bc89c47159645c7f26f021374 EN eng Elsevier http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0303243419312917 https://doaj.org/toc/1569-8432 1569-8432 doi:10.1016/j.jag.2020.102110 https://doaj.org/article/18856d4bc89c47159645c7f26f021374 International Journal of Applied Earth Observations and Geoinformation, Vol 89, Iss , Pp 102110- (2020) Remote sensing Resource availability Green wave Snowmelt timing Migration Phenology Physical geography GB3-5030 Environmental sciences GE1-350 article 2020 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2020.102110 2022-12-30T22:59:10Z The timing of spring initiates an important period for resource availability for large trophic webs within ecosystems, including forage for grazing animals, flowers for pollinators, and the higher trophic levels that depend on these resources. Spring timing is highly variable across space, being influenced strongly by the departure of snow cover (i.e. snowmelt timing, in locations with a seasonal snowpack), climate, weather, elevation, and latitude. When spring timing occurs along a gradient (e.g. spring arriving later in higher elevations of mountainous terrain), the organisms that rely on spring resources often migrate to maintain an optimal position for spring resources – a phenomenon known as ‘surfing the green wave.’ While this behavior has been observed by tracking animals, there have been no studies to quantify the green wave as a movement across space and time. Furthermore, considering that snowmelt timing has moderate power to explain green-up timing for a given location, we ask the question: does snowmelt velocity predict green wave velocity? Here, we introduce the first continental maps of snowmelt and green wave velocity for North America from 2001 to 2016 as derived from the MODIS MCD12Q2 phenology dataset. We show that both snowmelt and green wave velocities are influenced strongly by topography, including slope and aspect. Furthermore, we quantify the relationships between snowmelt and green wave velocities according to three variables: direction, speed, and distance traveled. We conclude that mountainous ecoregions, such as the western North American cordillera, have the highest correspondence between snowmelt and green wave velocities, compared to flatter regions such as the Great Plains and tundra. This work will be of interest to wildlife ecologists, biologists, and land managers who seek to conserve migratory animals and the ecosystems that support them. Article in Journal/Newspaper Tundra Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation 89 102110 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Remote sensing Resource availability Green wave Snowmelt timing Migration Phenology Physical geography GB3-5030 Environmental sciences GE1-350 |
spellingShingle |
Remote sensing Resource availability Green wave Snowmelt timing Migration Phenology Physical geography GB3-5030 Environmental sciences GE1-350 Donal O’Leary, III David Inouye Ralph Dubayah Chengquan Huang George Hurtt Snowmelt velocity predicts vegetation green-wave velocity in mountainous ecological systems of North America |
topic_facet |
Remote sensing Resource availability Green wave Snowmelt timing Migration Phenology Physical geography GB3-5030 Environmental sciences GE1-350 |
description |
The timing of spring initiates an important period for resource availability for large trophic webs within ecosystems, including forage for grazing animals, flowers for pollinators, and the higher trophic levels that depend on these resources. Spring timing is highly variable across space, being influenced strongly by the departure of snow cover (i.e. snowmelt timing, in locations with a seasonal snowpack), climate, weather, elevation, and latitude. When spring timing occurs along a gradient (e.g. spring arriving later in higher elevations of mountainous terrain), the organisms that rely on spring resources often migrate to maintain an optimal position for spring resources – a phenomenon known as ‘surfing the green wave.’ While this behavior has been observed by tracking animals, there have been no studies to quantify the green wave as a movement across space and time. Furthermore, considering that snowmelt timing has moderate power to explain green-up timing for a given location, we ask the question: does snowmelt velocity predict green wave velocity? Here, we introduce the first continental maps of snowmelt and green wave velocity for North America from 2001 to 2016 as derived from the MODIS MCD12Q2 phenology dataset. We show that both snowmelt and green wave velocities are influenced strongly by topography, including slope and aspect. Furthermore, we quantify the relationships between snowmelt and green wave velocities according to three variables: direction, speed, and distance traveled. We conclude that mountainous ecoregions, such as the western North American cordillera, have the highest correspondence between snowmelt and green wave velocities, compared to flatter regions such as the Great Plains and tundra. This work will be of interest to wildlife ecologists, biologists, and land managers who seek to conserve migratory animals and the ecosystems that support them. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Donal O’Leary, III David Inouye Ralph Dubayah Chengquan Huang George Hurtt |
author_facet |
Donal O’Leary, III David Inouye Ralph Dubayah Chengquan Huang George Hurtt |
author_sort |
Donal O’Leary, III |
title |
Snowmelt velocity predicts vegetation green-wave velocity in mountainous ecological systems of North America |
title_short |
Snowmelt velocity predicts vegetation green-wave velocity in mountainous ecological systems of North America |
title_full |
Snowmelt velocity predicts vegetation green-wave velocity in mountainous ecological systems of North America |
title_fullStr |
Snowmelt velocity predicts vegetation green-wave velocity in mountainous ecological systems of North America |
title_full_unstemmed |
Snowmelt velocity predicts vegetation green-wave velocity in mountainous ecological systems of North America |
title_sort |
snowmelt velocity predicts vegetation green-wave velocity in mountainous ecological systems of north america |
publisher |
Elsevier |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2020.102110 https://doaj.org/article/18856d4bc89c47159645c7f26f021374 |
genre |
Tundra |
genre_facet |
Tundra |
op_source |
International Journal of Applied Earth Observations and Geoinformation, Vol 89, Iss , Pp 102110- (2020) |
op_relation |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0303243419312917 https://doaj.org/toc/1569-8432 1569-8432 doi:10.1016/j.jag.2020.102110 https://doaj.org/article/18856d4bc89c47159645c7f26f021374 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2020.102110 |
container_title |
International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation |
container_volume |
89 |
container_start_page |
102110 |
_version_ |
1766230119474528256 |