Diatom indicators of climate change in Glacier National Park
Bahls LL. 2007. Diatom indicators of climate change in Glacier National Park. Intermountain Journal of Sciences. 13(4):99-109
The distribution and abundance of two diatom species (Didymosphenia geminata and Distrionella incognita) in and near Glacier National Park, Montana was investigated. Didymosphenia geminata ("didymo" or "rock snot") is becoming a nuisance in the west and will likely increase in abundance in response to global warming. Distrionella incognita, or "glacier gold", is a rare relict species and will probably decrease in abundance in response to predicted climate change. Didymosphenia has been widely distributed and locally abundant in the Park since 1976, large populations of this diatom have been recorded in each of the Park's major watersheds. Samples collected in 2007 from Duck Lake, Kintla Lake, and St Mary Lake document the first large populations of Distrionella to be recorded in North America.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Bahls, Loren
- Units
- CRCO , GLAC
- Keywords
- Abundance (Biodiversity), Aquatic Studies, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Diatoms, Distribution (Biodiversity), Invasive Species, Observations, Presence (Biodiversity), Water Quality, Water Resources