yellowstone

In the interest of increasing the timeliness of posts to A Closer Look, and posting more regularly, I am going to move away from the longer posts, with many links, and towards more, shorter posts.  The goal, however, remain the same: to inform on science relating to the interactions and impacts among climate, people, and wildlands in the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Rockies regions.
Now, on with our post...
The New York Times recently ran an article highlighting newer, noninvasive research techniques for studying wildlife.  Speaking to a wide range of researchers in Montana and around the Greater Yellowstone region, the article touches on the remarkable innovations occurring in wildlife biology research, and the remaining importance of more standard research techniques.
NY Times Article:  "Tools That Leave Wildlife Unbothered Widen Research Horizons", from March 9th, 2009.

A recent article in Discover News looks at the precipitous decline of amphibians in Yellowstone National Park since 1992/93. Using Yellowstone as a field site allows researchers to rule out non-climate factors that might normally be a factor in these ecosystem changes. Instead, research points toward a significant climate change impact, with entire amphibian populations lost as ponds dry up and temperature averages increase.

Read the complete Discover News article here.

Journal Article: Original research article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science