A Montana State University study of Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding area shows that increased population and density, as well as a changing climate, are affecting the overall ecological health of the region.
A Montana State University study of Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding area shows that increased population and density, as well as a changing climate, are affecting the overall ecological health of the region.
“The study quantified trends in the condition of 35 ecological ‘vital signs’ dealing with snow, rivers, forests, fire, wildlife and fish,” saidAndrew Hansen, professor in the MSU Department of Ecologyin the College of Letters and Science.
“The human population has doubled — and housing density has tripled — in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem since 1970, and both are projected to double again by 2050,” Hansen said. “Plus, the temperature has warmed 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit since 1950 and is projected to increase by another 4.5 to 9.4 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100.”
Hansen, who is also director of MSU’s Landscape Biodiversity Lab, co-authored the paper “Trends in Vital Signs for Greater Yellowstone: Application of a Wildland Health Index,” with Linda Phillips, a research scientist in MSU’s Department of Ecology. The science journal EcoSphere published the article in August.
Read more at Montana State University
Image: Andrew Hansen, professor of ecology and director of the Landscape Biodiversity Lab at Montana State University, co-authored a wildland health index of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem with research scientist Linda Phillips, evaluating the ecological health of Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding area. (Credit: MSU Photo by Adrian Sanchez-Gonzalez)
