Annual Report

Annual Report
Author: United States. National Park Service. Water Resources Division
Publisher:
Total Pages: 104
Release: 2000
Genre: National parks and reserves
ISBN:

Air Pollution and Its Impacts on U.S. National Parks

Air Pollution and Its Impacts on U.S. National Parks
Author: Timothy J. Sullivan
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 565
Release: 2017-02-03
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1351671928

A variety of air pollutants are emitted into the atmosphere from human-caused and natural emissions sources throughout the United States and elsewhere. These contaminants impact sensitive natural resources in wilderness, including the national parks. The system of national parks in the United States is among our greatest assets. This book provides a compilation and synthesis of current scientific understanding regarding the causes and effects of these pollutants within national park lands. It describes pollutant emissions, deposition, and exposures; it identifies the critical (tipping point) loads of pollutant deposition at which adverse impacts are manifested.

Ecological Dynamics on Yellowstone's Northern Range

Ecological Dynamics on Yellowstone's Northern Range
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 199
Release: 2002-02-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309083451

Ecological Dynamics on Yellowstone's Northern Range discusses the complex management challenges in Yellowstone National Park. Controversy over the National Park Service's approach of "natural regulation" has heightened in recent years because of changes in vegetation and other ecosystem components in Yellowstone's northern range. Natural regulation minimizes human impacts, including management intervention by the National Park Service, on the park ecosystem. Many have attributed these changes to increased size of elk and other ungulate herds. This report examines the evidence that increased ungulate populations are responsible for the changes in vegetation and that the changes represent a major and serious change in the Yellowstone ecosystem. According to the authors, any human intervention to protect species such as the aspen and those that depend on them should be prudently localized rather than ecosystem-wide. An ecosystem-wide approach, such as reducing ungulate populations, could be more disruptive. The report concludes that although dramatic ecological change does not appear to be imminent, approaches to dealing with potential human-caused changes in the ecosystem, including those related to climate change, should be considered now. The need for research and public education is also compelling.