ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a multi-scale, multidisciplinary approach examining how climatic change and variability drive ecosystem dynamics in three North American mountain protected areas - Olympic, North Cascades, and Glacier National Parks. Mountains play a significant role in human activities, providing critical resources such as minerals, forest products, and 50% of the freshwater consumed by people. Mountains have greater biodiversity than their lowland counterparts because steep environmental gradients compress life zones, resulting in large species turnover over short distances. Rugged mountain topography leads to higher rates of endemism through genetic isolation, and many mountain areas have been refugia for species during past climate changes. Climate change will interact more with direct human activities, such as deforestation and habitat fragmentation, to severely threaten extant biodiversity of mountain ecosystems. Climate is controlled by dominant air masses, providing Olympic with a maritime climate, North Cascades a transitional climate, and Glacier with a more continental climate.
