Weather and Climate Inventory, National Park Service, Heartland Network

Davey, C; Redmond, K; Simeral, D

Climate is a dominant factor driving the physical and ecologic processes affecting the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network (HTLN). The HTLN encompasses a wide range of climates but generally displays a mid-continental climate with temperatures that can vary widely between summer highs and winter lows. Winters in the HTLN are typically dry and cold, while summers are typically warm and humid, especially to the south. The western portions of the HTLN are characterized by highly variable and stormy weather patterns and support the tall-grass prairies of the eastern Great Plains. During the late summer and autumn months, remnants of tropical systems can move north out of the Gulf of Mexico and bring heavy rainfall to southern and eastern portions of the HTLN. Due to the significant variability exhibited by HTLN climate, the region is prone both to severe droughts (e.g., summer of 1988) and catastrophic flooding events (e.g., summer of 1993). There are concerns about how the frequency of drought and flood cycles in the HTLN will change in response to future climate changes and the impacts these changes will have on HTLN ecosystems. The relationship between climate and land-use patterns in the HTLN is also important. Human influences in the HTLN, including highly-fragmented land-use patterns, introduce local microclimate and regional climate changes that in turn lead to local- and regional-scale changes in HTLN ecosystems. The HTLN network has stressed the importance of site-specific weather and climate monitoring. Climate is one of the 12 basic inventories to be completed for all National Park Service (NPS) Inventory and Monitoring Program (I&M) networks.

Weather and Climate Inventory, National Park Service, Heartland Network

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