Developing a map of the world's mountain forests.

Pérez, M. Ruiz; Fu, Mingliang; Belcher, B.; Yang, Xuefei

doi:10.1079/9780851994468.0004

Cited by 185 publications

(191 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…1b). Kapos et al (2000) suggested that for quantitative applications at sub-national scales their map could be verified and potentially refined using higher-resolution vegetation data, together with an appropriate measure of relative relief; we test these criteria in the context of the Eastern Arc Mountains.…”

Section: A Global Mountain Typologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At the global scale, the local elevation range parameter (hereafter, LER RADIUS ) is intended to capture 'older mountains of regional significance' (Kapos et al 2000). Eastern Arc blocs consist entirely of such old weathered slopes, but in some cases are relatively small and, particularly in the east, rise abruptly from surrounding plains.…”

Section: Terrain Parametersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Implementing these criteria on a global scale, UNEP-WCMC developed a map of the world's mountains and mountain forests by classifying 1 km 2 land parcels according to elevation, slope and local relief (Kapos et al 2000;Blyth et al 2002). The classification consists of six elevational bands, with terrain constraints strictest at low elevations (Fig.…”

Section: A Global Mountain Typologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The 'Eastern Arc Mountains [sic] Forests' have recently been proposed for UNESCO World Heritage status (http://whc.unesco.org/), and will soon be subject to increased international attention as the United Nations REDD Programme (Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries) is piloted in Tanzania . We propose for the first time a rigorous set of topographical limits for these mountain habitats, using as a starting point the global mountain topology developed by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC; Kapos et al 2000). Increasing the spatial resolution from 1 km to 90 m, we rescale terrain parameters using empirical and remotely sensed data on the distribution of endemic plant species and mountain forests respectively, before bounding the ecoregion according to topographic prominence and established biogeographical distributions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Delimiting tropical mountain ecoregions for conservation

Platts

Burgess²,

Gereau

et al. 2011

Envir. Conserv.

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SUMMARYEcological regions aggregate habitats with similar biophysical characteristics within well-defined boundaries, providing spatially consistent platforms for monitoring, managing and forecasting the health of interrelated ecosystems. A major obstacle to the implementation of this approach is imprecise and inconsistent boundary placement. For globally important mountain regions such as the Eastern Arc (Tanzania and Kenya), where qualitative definitions of biophysical affinity are well established, rulebased methods for landform classification provide a straightforward solution to ambiguities in region extent. The method presented in this paper encompasses the majority of both contemporary and estimated preclearance forest cover within strict topographical limits. Many of the species here tentatively considered 'near-endemic' could be reclassified as strictly endemic according to the derived boundaries. LandScan and census data show population density inside the ecoregion to be higher than in rural lowlands, and lowland settlement to be most probable within 30 km. This definition should help to align landscape scale conservation strategies in the Eastern Arc and promote new research in areas of predicted, but as yet undocumented, biological importance. Similar methods could work well in other regions where mountain extent is poorly resolved. Spatial data accompany the online version of this article.

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Section: A Global Mountain Typologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Terrain Parametersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: A Global Mountain Typologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Delimiting tropical mountain ecoregions for conservation

Platts

Burgess²,

Gereau

et al. 2011

Envir. Conserv.

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“…Another important factor is the topography, which has a strong influence on the climate of a region. The substantial orographic features (w25 % of earth's total dry land area) significantly influence the regional and global climate by changing the dynamics of the atmospheric circulation (Kapos et al, 2000), and interactions between the atmosphere and the land surface have considerable influences on weather and climate (Kumar et al, 2008). Within these terrain characteristics, the terrain complexity can play a major role in the surrounding atmospheric circulation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A sensitivity study of the WRF model in wind simulation for an area of high wind energy

Carvalho

Rocha

Gómez‐Gesteira

et al. 2012

Environmental Modelling & Software

263

150

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The performance of the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model in wind simulation was evaluated under different numerical a nd physical options for an area of Portugal, located in complex terrain and characterized by its significant wind energy resource. The grid nudging and integration time of the simulations were the tested numerical options. Since the goal is to simulate the near-surface wind, the physical parameterization schemes regarding the boundary layer were the ones under evaluation. Also, the influences of the local terrain complexity and simulation domain resolution on the model results were also studied. Data from three wind measuring stations located within the chosen area were compared with the model results, in terms of Root Mean Square Error, Standard Deviation Error and Bias. Wind speed histograms, occurrences and energy wind roses were also used for model evaluation. Globally, the model accurately reproduced the local wind regime, despite a significant underestimation of the wind speed. The wind direction is reasonably simulated by the model especially in wind regimes where there is a clear dominant sector, but in the presence of low wind speeds the characterization of the wind direction (observed and simulated) is very subjective and led to higher deviations between simulations and observations. Within the tested options, results show that the use of grid nudging in simulations that should not exceed an integration tim e of 2 days is the best numerical configuration, and the parameterization set composed by the physical schemes MM5eYonsei UniversityeNoah are the most suitable for this site. Results were poorer in sites with higher terrain complexity, mainly due to limita-tions of the terrain data supplied to the model. The increase of the simulation domain resolution alone is not enough to significantly improve the model performance. Results suggest that error minimization in the wind simulation can be achieved by testing and choosing a suitable numerical and physical con figuration for the region of interest together with the use of high resolution terrain data, if available.

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How much runoff originates as snow in the western United States, and how will that change in the future?

Wrzesien

Durand

et al. 2017

Geophysical Research Letters

288

241

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In the western United States, the seasonal phase of snow storage bridges between winter‐dominant precipitation and summer‐dominant water demand. The critical role of snow in water supply has been frequently quantified using the ratio of snowmelt‐derived runoff to total runoff. However, current estimates of the fraction of annual runoff generated by snowmelt are not based on systematic analyses. Here based on hydrological model simulations and a new snowmelt tracking algorithm, we show that 53% of the total runoff in the western United States originates as snowmelt, despite only 37% of the precipitation falling as snow. In mountainous areas, snowmelt is responsible for 70% of the total runoff. By 2100, the contribution of snowmelt to runoff will decrease by one third for the western U.S. in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 scenario. Snowmelt‐derived runoff currently makes up two thirds of the inflow to the region's major reservoirs. We argue that substantial impacts on water supply are likely in a warmer climate.

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Developing a map of the world's mountain forests.

Cited by 185 publications

References 2 publications

Delimiting tropical mountain ecoregions for conservation

Delimiting tropical mountain ecoregions for conservation

A sensitivity study of the WRF model in wind simulation for an area of high wind energy

How much runoff originates as snow in the western United States, and how will that change in the future?

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