Climate change vulnerability assessment for terrestrial ecosystems at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
Handler S, Burkman P, Van Stappen J, Johnson SE, Epstein E, O’Connor R, Schuurman GW, Prosperi A, Briley LJ, Cooper D, Cooper MJ, Croll R, Gafvert U, Iverson LR, Krumenaker B, Lofgren BM, Montano NI, Panci H, Panek D, Parker LR, Peters MP, Schmitt KM, Swanston CW, Tillison N. 2020. Climate change vulnerability assessment for terrestrial ecosystems at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Natural Resource Report. NPS/APIS/NRR—2020/2121. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
As our climate continues to change, it is increasingly clear that natural landscapes are being affected in a variety of ways. Managers of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore have observed notable changes in their own backyard, and they are rightfully concerned that continued change will challenge their mission to preserve and enhance the ecological and cultural legacy of this remarkable place. Therefore, the National Park Service has undertaken this vulnerability assessment to gather the best available information on how climate change may affect the park’s terrestrial ecosystems. This assessment, created by a team of local experts representing diverse institutions and disciplines, is designed to provide information about what ecosystems are vulnerable, how vulnerable they are, and why they are vulnerable. It is not designed to give management recommendations to managers of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Our intent is to improve the understanding of local vulnerabilities to climate change and to draw conclusions about potential ecosystem vulnerability and change across a range of plausible future climate scenarios by the end of the 21st century. This vulnerability assessment summarizes the physical environment, ecological character, and cultural history of the Apostle Islands in Chapter 1. The park’s island setting and location within Lake Superior fundamentally shapes its ecology, for example by creating a more maritime climate, limiting deer abundance, and exposing the park’s vegetation to persistent winds and waves. The cultural history of the Apostle Islands has also shaped the landscape that we see today, from several eras of indigenous inhabitation to the intense period of extraction and disruption following European settlement, and finally to the most recent 50 years as a part of the National Park System.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Handler, Stephen; Burkman, Peggy; Van Stappen, Julie; Johnson, Sarah; Epstein, Eric; O’Connor, Ryan; Schuurman, Gregor; Prosperi, Alexia; Briley, Laura; Cooper, Dave; Cooper, Matthew; Croll, Rob; Gafvert, Ulf; Iverson, Louis; Krumenaker, Bob; Lofgren, Brent; Montano, Nisogaabo; Panci, Hanna; Panek, Damon; Parker, Linda; Peters, Matthew; Schmitt, Kristen; Swanston, Christopher; Tillison, Naomi
- Date of Issue
- 2020-05
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- APIS , GLKN , NRSS
- Keywords
- Climate Inventory