Climate Monitoring
Norris J. Climate Monitoring. 2006. National Park Service
The Southern Colorado Plateau lies in a zone of arid temperate climate, characterized by periods of drought and variable precipitation, warm to hot growing seasons, and long winters with extended periods of freezing temperatures. Many of the Southern Colorado Plateau Network (SCPN) parks experience a bi-modal precipitation pattern, with most precipitation occurring during the summer monsoon season and the winter months. However, much of the moisture is lost through evaporation, due to high noontime solar radiation, clear skies, and dry, thin, high-elevation air. The northern boundary of the network roughly aligns with the northwestern extent of summer monsoonal precipitation. The amount of summer precipitation generally weakens from southeast to northwest. This may contribute to the high inter-seasonal and inter-annual variability in precipitation on the Southern Colorado Plateau.
- Type
- Project
- Authors
- Norris, Jodi
- Publisher
- National Park Service
Program
Products
- Disproportionate magnitude of climate change in United States national parks
- Climate change is advancing spring onset across the U.S. national park system
- Evaluation of the sensitivity of inventory and monitoring national parks to acidification effects from atmospheric sulfur and nitrogen deposition: Southern Colorado Plateau Network (SCPN)
- Weather and Climate Inventory, National Park Service, Southern Colorado Plateau Network