Weather and Climate Inventory, National Park Service, Sonoran Desert Network
Davey CA, Redmond KT, Simeral DB. 2007. Weather and Climate Inventory, National Park Service, Sonoran Desert Network. Natural Resource Technical Report. NPS/SODN/NRTR—2007/044. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
Climate is a dominant factor driving the physical and ecologic processes affecting the Sonoran Desert Inventory and Monitoring Network (SODN). The climate of the SODN is characterized by little precipitation along with temperature extremes. Winter temperatures are generally mild and summers are quite hot across the SODN. The SODN exhibits a unique bimodal precipitation regime and steep topographic gradients, which in turn supports a high level of biological diversity. Precipitation typically increases dramatically with elevation in the SODN, due to the orographic effects of the Sonoran Desert “sky islands.” Both El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variations and passages of tropical storm remnants influence interannual climate variations in the SODN, particularly regarding precipitation. The potential impacts of climate change in the SODN to sensitive ecosystems, endemic species, and threatened or endangered species are of particular concern. Because of its influence on the ecology of SODN park units and the surrounding areas, climate was identified as a high-priority vital sign for SODN and is one of the 12 basic inventories to be completed for all National Park Service (NPS) Inventory and Monitoring Program (I&M) networks.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Davey, C; Redmond, K; Simeral, D
- Date of Issue
- 2007
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- CAGR , CHIR , CLI , CORO , FOBO , GICL , MOCA , NRSS , ORPI , SAGU , SODN , TONT , TUMA , TUZI
- Keywords
- 3, Climate, Core, NRCA, Weather, WRCC-Report