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Person

Clint C Muhlfeld

Research Ecologist

Email: cmuhlfeld@usgs.gov
Office Phone: 406-888-7926
Fax: 406-888-7923
ORCID: 0000-0002-4599-4059

Location
USGS Building
Park Headquarters
West Glacier , MT 59936-0128
US
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Project Overview: Native Yellowstone cutthroat trout and mountain whitefish in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYA) are ecologically and socio-economically important species, but are threatened by drought, rising water temperatures, habitat loss, and non-native species. Researchers supported by this North Central CASC project will use climate data and extensive population records to assess the various threats to the species and to create a data visualization tool to help managers prioritize conservation actions for these vulnerable and valuable fish populations. Project Summary: In the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA), drought, rising water temperatures, habitat loss, and non-native species are threatening the...
Climate change may facilitate the expansion of non-native invasive species (NIS) in aquatic and terrestrial systems. However, empirical evidence remains scarce and poorly synthesized at scales necessary for effective management. We conducted a literature synthesis to assess the state of research on the observed and predicted effects of climate change on a suite of 398 aquatic and terrestrial NIS now present in or a major threat to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest (PNW), USA and British Columbia. Surprisingly, very few studies (n = 15) have investigated the observed effects of climate change on the distribution, abundance, spread, or impact of the focal NIS, with only five studies focusing...
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To determine minimum coverage of perennial snow and ice cover for Glacier National Park, the minimum extent of glaciers and multi-year snow features were digitized from satellite imagery (10-meter NAPP 2003, NAIP 2005, and NAIP 2013, and 30-cm resolution, multispectral, pansharpened Digital Globe WorldView satellite imagery collected in late summer and fall 2015). Features were digitized in ArcGIS version 10.2 using a Wacom Intuos 4 digitizing tablet. Snow and ice features were classified as glacier, large ice mass, or perennial snow/ice. Glaciers were based on current, named glaciers. Remnant ice features not large enough to be classified as glaciers, but showing evidence of crevasses, were classified as large...
Global climate change is likely to dramatically impact the structure and function of freshwater systems, yet no studies have comprehensively assessed the potential effects of climate change on aquatic ecosystems in the Great Northern Landscape. The continued research described herein aims to build on an existing climate change and transboundary research program to assess the potential hydrologic, geomorphic, and thermal effects on foodwebs (rare and endemic macroinvertebrates), native salmonids (threatened bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout), and lotic habitats in the transboundary (US and Canada) Flathead River system. The project will apply new and existing techniques for combining downscaled and regionalized...
Didymosphenia geminata (didymo) is a freshwater alga native to North America, including Glacier National Park, Montana. It has long been considered a cold-water species, but has recently spread to lower latitudes and warmer waters, and increasingly forms large blooms that cover streambeds. We used a comprehensive monitoring data set from the National Park Service (NPS) and USGS models of stream temperatures to explore the drivers of didymo abundance in Glacier National Park. We estimate that approximately 64% of the stream length in the park contains didymo, with around 5% in a bloom state. Results suggest that didymo abundance likely increased over the study period (2007–2009), with blooms becoming more common....
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