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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Burns, Oregon » Range and Meadow Forage Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #182018
Title: LARGE-SCALE THERMAL MAPPING OF TWO MOUNTAINOUS ENVIRONMENTS

Author
item Ganskopp, David
item HARRIS, N. - UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA
item JOHNSON, M. - UNIVERSITY OF S. CAL
item SMITH, K. - OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
item CAO, D. - UNIVERSITY OF S. CAL
item JOHNSON, D. - OREGON STATE UNIVSITY

Submitted to: Ecology Management and Restoration of Intermountain Symposium
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/18/2005
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The temperature dynamics of two mountainous environments were monitored by placing approximately 100 recording thermistors in a grid pattern across a landscape. The Oregon site was on the Northern Great Basin Experimental Range located 56 km west of Burns and consisted of 1213 ha with elevations between 1395 m and 1674 m. The California site was on the San Joaquin Experimental Range located 35 km north of Fresno with elevations between 213 m and 518 m. Temperature was collected every 15 minutes over the study period with recording thermistors encased in a waterproof enclosure mounted on fiberglass fence post at 1 m height above the ground. Thermistors had a resolution of plus/minus 0.7'C at 21'C. Geographic position of each thermistor was determined with a DGPS unit to within 2 m. Data were interpolated for each time-step to create GIS themes. The temperature on our study landscapes can vary by more than 10'C on clear nights when radiative cooling was greatest. Temperatures varied least during cloudy or cloudy/rainy periods. Both lapse and inversion patterns were observed. We suggest that thermal maps, when coupled with maps of other ecosystem-driving environmental parameters, can lead to better understanding of animal movement and plant community patterns on the landscape.