Biogeographical Consequences of Recent Climate Changes in the Southern Andes of Argentina

Abstract

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION The International Year of Mountains: Challenge and opportunity for mountain research 1 PART I: PALEOENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES K. Alverson, C. Kull, G. W. K. Moore and P. Ginot A dynamical perspective on high altitude paleoclimate proxy timeseries 11 S. L. Shafer, P. J. Bartlein and C. Whitelock Understanding the spatial heterogeneity of global environmental change in mountain regions 21 L. G. Thompson, M. E. Davis, P-N. Lin, E. Mosley-Thompson and H. H. Brecher Ice cores from tropical mountain glaciers as archives of climate change 31 J. C. Gosse The contribution of cosmogenic nuclides to unraveling alpine paleoclimate histories 39 A. Nesje, S. O. Dahl, Ø. Lie and J. Bakke Holocene glacier fluctuations and winter precipitation variations in southern Norway 51 O. N. Solomina Glacier and climate variability in the mountains of the former Soviet Union during the last 1000 years 61 H. Kerschner Glacier-climate models as palaeoclimatic information sources: Examples from the Alpine Younger Dryas Period 73 J. Overpeck, K. B. Liu, C. Morrill, J. Cole, C. Shen, D. Anderson and L. Tang Holocene environmental change in the Himalayan-Tibetan Plateau region: Lake sediments and the future 83 M. Grosjean and H. Veit Water resources in the arid mountains of the Atacama Desert: Past climate changes and modern conflicts 93 A. F. Lotter Palaeolimnological investigations in the Alps: The long-term development of mountain lakes 105 R. W. Battarbee, S. Patrick, M. Kernan, R. Psenner, H. Thies, J. Grimalt, B. O. Rosseland, B. Wathne, J. Catalan, R. Mosello, A. Lami, D. Livingston, E. Stuchlik, V. Straskrabova and G. Raddum High mountain lakes and atmospherically transported pollutants 113 N. L. Rose, H. Yang, P. Fernández and J. O. Grimalt Trace metals, fly-ash particles and persistent organic pollutants in European remote mountain lakes 123 W. Tinner and B. Ammann Long-term responses of mountain ecosystems to environmental changes: Resilience, adjustment, and vulnerability 133 A. Lara, A. Wolodarsky-Franke, J. C. Aravena, R. Villalba, M. E. Solari, L. Pezoa, A. Rivera and C. Le Quesne Climate fluctuations derived from tree-rings and other proxy-records in the Chilean Andes: State of the art and future prospects 145 R. Villalba, M. H. Masiokas, T. Kitzberger and J. A. Boninsegna Biogeographical consequences of recent climate changes in the southern Andes of Argentina 157 PART II: CRYOSPHERIC CHANGES W. Haeberli Mountain glaciers in global climate-related observing systems 169 M. B. Dyurgerov Mountain glaciers are at risk of extinction 177 G. Kaser, Ch. Georges, I. Juen and T. Mölg Low latitude glaciers: Unique global climate indicators and essential contributors to regional fresh water supply. A conceptual approach 185 B. Francou, P. Ribstein, P. Wagnon, E. Ramirez and B. Pouyaud Glaciers of the tropical Andes: Indicators of global climate variability 197 B. G. Mark and G. O. Seltzer Glacier recession in the Peruvian Andes: Climatic forcing, hydrologic impact and comparative rates over time 205 C. Harris Climate change, mountain permafrost degradation and geotechnical hazar 215 A. Kääb, J. M. Reynolds and W. Haeberli Glacier and permafrost hazards in high mountains 225 E. Martin and P. Etchevers Impact of climatic changes on snow cover and snow hydrology in the French Alps 235 R. Hock, P. Jansson and L. N. Braun Modelling the response of mountain glacier discharge to climate warming 243 PART III: HYDROLOGICAL CHANGES C. Schär and C. Frei Orographic precipitation and climate change 255 H. F. Diaz Monitoring climate variability and change in the western United States 267 L. Menzel and H. Lang Spatial heterogeneity of snow conditions and evapotranspiration in the Swiss Alps 275 A. Becker Runoff processes in mountain headwater catchments: Recent understanding and research challenges 283 S. Uhlenbrook, J. Didszun and C. Leibundgut Runoff generation processes on hillslopes and their susceptibility to Global Change 297 R. Kirnbauer, G. Blöschl, P. Haas, G. Müller and B. Merz Identifying space-time patterns of runoff generation: A case study from the Löhnersbach catchment, Austrian Alps 309 J. M. García-Ruiz, T. Lasanta, B. Valero, C. Martí, S. Beguería, J. I. López-Moreno, D. Regüés and N. Lana-Renault Soil erosion and runoff generation related to land use changes in the Pyrenees 321 B. L. McGlynn The role of riparian zones in steep mountain watersheds 331 J. Gurtz, H. Lang, M. Verbunt and M. Zappa The use of hydrological models for the simulation of climate change impacts on mountain hydrology 343 L. R. Leung Effects of climate variability and change on mountain water resources in the Western US 355 PART IV: ECOLOGICAL CHANGES Ch. Körner The green cover of mountains in a changing environment 367 W. D. Bowman The response of alpine plants to environmental change: Feedbacks to ecosystem function 377 H. Pauli, M. Gottfried, D. Hohenwallner, K. Reiter and G. Grabherr Ecological climate impact research in high mountain environments: GLORIA (Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments) – its roots, its purpose and the long-term perspectives 383 E. M. Spehn and Ch. Körner A global assessment of mountain biodiversity and its function 393 R. J. Williams and C-H. Wahren Potential impacts of global change on vegetation in Australian Alpine landscapes: Climate change, landuse, vegetation dynamics and biodiversity conservation 401 E. Tasser, U. Tappeiner and A. Cernusca Ecological effects of land-use changes in the European Alps 409 J. Harte Climate interactions in montane meadow ecosystems 421 J. S. Baron, K. R. Nydick, H. M. Rueth, B. Moraska Lafrançois and A. P. Wolfe High elevation ecosystem responses to atmospheric deposition of Nitrogen in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, USA 429 R. D. Vinebrooke and P. R. Leavitt Mountain lakes as indicators of the cumulative impacts of ultraviolet radiation and other environmental stressors 437 D. Schimel and B. H. Braswell The role of mid-latitude mountains in the carbon cycle: Global perspective and a Western US case study 449 H. H. Shugart Remote sensing detection of high elevation vegetation change 457 A. Guisan and J.-P. Theurillat Monitoring networks for testing model-based scenarios of climate change impact on mountain plant distribution 467 H. Bugmann, B. Zierl and S. Schumacher Projecting the impacts of climate change on mountain forests and landscapes 477 D. Fagre, S. W. Running, R. E. Keane and D. L. Peterson Assessing climate change effects on mountain ecosystems using integrated models: A case study 489 L. J. Graumlich, L. A. Waggoner and A. G. Bunn Detecting global change at Alpine treeline: Coupling paleoecology with contemporary studies 501 PART V: HUMAN DIMENSIONS M. Beniston The risks associated with climatic change in mountain regions 511 M. F. Price Forests in sustainable mountain development 521 L. Lebel Institutional dynamics and interplay: Critical processes for forest governance and sustainability in the mountain regions of Northern Thailand 531 X. Jianchu and A. Wilke State simplifications of land-use and biodiversity in the Uplands of Yunnan, Eastern Himalayan Region 541 P. S. Ramakrishnan Mountain biodiversity, land use dynamics and traditional ecological knowledge 551 A. J. Hansen and R. S. DeFreis Land use intensification around nature reserves in mountains: Implications for biodiversity 563 D. I. McCracken and S. Huband Nature conservation value of European mountain farming systems 573 N. S. Jodha Economic globalization and its repercussions for fragile mountains and communities in the Himalayas 583 H. Hurni, H. P. Liniger and U. Wiesmann Research partnerships for mitigating syndromes of global change in mountain regions 593 L. MacMillan and H. P. Liniger Monitoring and modelling for the sustainable management of water resources in Tropical mountain basins: The Mount Kenya example 605 H. Schreier Challenges in mountain watershed management 617 M. R. v. Bieberstein Koch-Weser Overcoming the vertical divide: Legal, economic, and compensation approaches for sustainable management of mountain watersheds 627 SYNTHESIS A. Björnsen, U. M. Huber, M. Reasoner, B. Messerli and H. Bugmann Future research directions 637