Since planet Earth has had an atmosphere
that supported the development of a climate,
the climate has always changed, but the rate of change
we're seeing in the climate today for the past 150 years,
since the start of the Industrial Revolution, is unprecedented
in the past 15 million years. The trend towards increased
frequency of these large-scale weather events
and atypical weather events: periods of long drought,
periods of high temperature, large rain events,
are all pointing towards a change in climate,
versus a single weather-related event. When you think of
climate change in national parks people often think of places
like Glacier National Park and the disappearing glaciers
or places like Assateague Island National Seashore where sea level
rise will be a major issue for them. But even in places like
Shenandoah National Park climate change is an issue that we
have a lot of concerns about, because it has the potential
to completely change the ecosystem in this part of the Appalachians.
Here in Shenandoah National Park,
many of the changes we're noticing are related to the phonology
or seasonal timing of natural events:
when plants bloom and go to seed,
when animals migrate, the hatching
of insects and things like that.
While many of those changes are subtle they're all directly related to the
ecology of this place: the inner workings of plants and animals
in the environment and what it means to visitors, as well
as those that live in and around the park.
The Shenandoah salamander, an endemic species, meaning it's found
nowhere else on Earth but here in Shenandoah National Park,
is threatened by a changing climate. These small,
lung-less salamanders depend on the highest mountain peaks
where it's cool and moist throughout the year for their survival.
As our environment warms and, in some cases, dries
there's some question as to whether they'll survive into the future.
The loss of one species
like the Shenandoah salamander, an animal that most people
never see, might seem like a small thing,
but the Shenandoah salamander, like every species of plant and animal
in the park, plays an integral role in the ecosystem.
They're predators of small insects and in turn
are food for other larger predators. They, along with
all the other plants and animals that occupy the park, provide valuable
ecosystem services like clean air, clean water,
food, and pollination; many things that we as humans depend on for our daily lives.
The National Park Service is currently working with a variety of research
partners to learn more about the habitat for the Shenandoah Salamander.
We're studying moisture and temperature and also competition with the Red-backed salamander.
The more we know about this species and the environment in which it lives,
the better we'll be able to manage for the future
to hopefully help ensure its survival.
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