Article published Jul 8, 2007

Lewis and Clark: Climate specialist compares now, then

By RICHARD PETERSON

Tribune Staff Writer

The views of prairie grasslands, hills and rivers the Lewis and Clark Expedition had as it trekked through northcentral Montana hasn't changed much in the 201 years since its journey.

But the exploration team would probably take note in 2007 of the differences caused by man, says Steve Running, one of the nation's top climatologists.

"They noted 10,000 bison at a glance. You don't see that today. That's human impact. There's not a shockingly different landscape," said Running, director of the University of Montana's Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group and co-author of last April's international report on climate change.

Running spoke to an audience Saturday night at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in conjunction with the 18th annual Lewis and Clark Festival. His presentation, "The Environment of Lewis and Clark," gave those in attendance a glimpse of what the expedition experienced on its trail to the Pacific Ocean. He also led a group of floaters along the Missouri River on Friday and Saturday for a close-up view of the landscape.

When Lewis and Clark traveled through Montana, their party experienced extreme winds, hail and dramatic thunderstorms.

"For kids from Virginia, that was amazing straightaway," Running said.

If the explorers came back to the region this summer, they'd probably notice warmer weather and its biggest impact: a much smaller and faster-melting snowpack in the mountains.

"In our lifetimes, we see the visible difference in the snowpack," Running said. "It doesn't sink in but that incremental temperature change really adds up."

The change can be seen in pictures of Montana's mountains, taken 30 years ago, versus pictures taken this summer, he said.

"It's melting at a faster rate," Running said.

The state's decision to curtail fishing on some of Montana's streams and rivers this week because of hot weather is a tell-tale sign that temperatures are rising and impacts are currently being felt, he added.

"My God, it's only July 7, not August 20," Running said. "Most of our rivers are carried by snowfall, not summer rainfall."

The recent impacts of insect and disease in Montana's forests are also a manifestation of what's really going on with the world's climate, he said.

Running is also involved in a national study funded by NASA that uses two satellites that have recorded the earth's landscapes daily since 1999 and 2002, the years they were launched. Both satellites are still functioning and Running recently applied for additional funding from the government to continue the study.

One of the biggest findings of the study is the impact climate change is having on the Arctic and surrounding tundra, Running said.

"It's getting more green and more productive than 40 years ago," he said. "We're also starting to see evidence of mid-latitude areas getting more stress."

The European heat wave of 2003, which killed hundreds, is a prime example of that stress, he said.

"It was the hottest summer there in 500 years, and the satellite showed dramatic changes in the landscape," he said.