Shrinking Violets

Subalpine Meadows are under threat due to shrinking snowpack.

Mt.Rainer (14,411ft), Washington State, USA, is in danger of losing it’s high mountain meadows according to U.S Forest Service research.

Global warming is being blamed for the lack of snowfall, which in turn means glaciers shrink.

Once the glaciers start to shrink, trees are given the chance of proliferating in areas in which they wouldn’t  normally be able to root.

Plant ecologist Mignonne Bivin, said: “Meadows stay open because of snowpack. That’s what restricts trees – temperature and water availability. As we get less snow and more rain, we get more trees.”

Normally, of course, this wouldn’t be a problem, although the trees, once they have developed, warm their surroundings and thus the snowpack isn’t able to settle.

Scientists have been studying the changes for over 15 years and see the problem continuing to gain momentum.