Crawford Path, Mt. Washington, Presidential Range, White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire. Photo by Corey David Photography.
What was going for a hike in the White Mountains like 50 years ago? According to data from decades ago, it…wasn’t great. It was hazy from pollution most days in summer, so the view from even the highest peaks wasn’t always visible.
Fortunately, environmental quality has improved greatly in the White Mountains and across the country in recent years. This is mostly due to the passage of environmental legislation like the Clean Air Act of 1970, and its amendments in 1977 and 1990. The Clean Air Act set limits for fine particulate matter and ozone pollution, addressed sources of haze and acid rain, and reduced air pollution levels harmful to both human and environmental health – and cleaned up our views.
But how do we know all this? Who’s been measuring climate conditions and our environmental quality over all this time? How are we supposed to enforce limits on pollution?
Don’t worry: AMC and our partners have those answers and more.
Long-Term Environmental Monitoring
Scientists, researchers, and government officials track the quality of our environmental resources like air, water, snowfall, and populations of important species. But collecting all this data is a lot of work. Often government agencies and other environmental groups need partners to help with data collection and monitoring. That’s where AMC comes in.
“Long-term monitoring” means collecting scientific data for a place or project over a long period of time. Rather than a “snapshot” of a moment, like one summer, you go back to the same place over the course of years to collect measurements. Long-term monitoring is important because over time you collect a data set, and you can begin to observe trends or changes in the data.
AMC has been monitoring the Whites for nearly 100 years, collecting temperature and weather data with various partners. Now we do air quality, soil science, snow monitoring, and plant phenology (life cycle) work as well, and have recently expanded our research to other regions like Maine and New York. We can track so many changes and see them reflected in the historical record, which is especially useful as we see where and how climate change impacts the places we love.
Current projects
AMC is conducting a variety of long-term monitoring projects. We monitor air quality in the Presidential Range of New Hampshire at Lakes of the Clouds hut by sampling stream water and “catching” clouds. AMC researchers monitor the alpine zone and the way mountain treeline advances or retreats in response to climate change. Dr. Sarah Nelson, AMC’s Director of Research, leads the Merrimack Dragonfly Mercury Project, part of a nation-wide monitoring program in National Park and Forest waterways, she co-founded in the early 2000s. AMC partners with mountain clubs, state parks, and community scientists to use iNaturalist to track phenology changes along the Appalachian Trail, an extension of the AMC’s Mountain Watch program which started in 2004. AMC’s Policy Team advocates for sustained investment in the agencies responsible for monitoring the health of our environmental resources.
AMC research team members collecting alpine plant seeds in the Pemigewasset Wilderness. These seeds will be used to continue long-term work on understanding the impacts of climate change on alpine plant communities. Photo by Kyler Phillips.
Challenges
Maintaining a long-term monitoring project takes time and commitment, so it’s no wonder that it comes with its own set of challenges. One of the biggest challenges is that long-term monitoring needs to occur over a long period before any conclusions or observations can be drawn from the research. This means the project needs continuous funding, personnel, and interest over a long period of time. The funding process for research can be challenging. Personnel come and go as they join new projects or continue their career paths. Public and private interest can wane since results take time.
Another challenge for long-term research is support over time. Elections matter. Who we choose to represent us in federal, state, and local offices often has a huge impact on the funding available for environmental monitoring. Long-term monitoring is only effective if scientists can continue collecting data, and without continuous support for environmental monitoring, the data can become difficult to use or even obsolete.
Keeping the Momentum
AMC Naturalist monitoring the cloud catcher at Lakes of the Clouds, Presidential Range, White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire. Photo by Dennise Welsh.
By actively monitoring and advocating for long-term research, AMC fills a gap where government and private agencies can’t always reach. Our longevity and infrastructure uniquely position us to maintain long-term monitoring in critical landscapes. Supporting long-term monitoring, especially now when the impacts of climate change are being seen and felt on a daily basis, is more important than ever. Long-term monitoring provides a window into the state of the environment, which is critical to our ability to advocate for the outdoors. Without research, we would not know how close we are to achieving climate goals, or if our air and water meets the standards set in the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. In other words, without long-term monitoring, we lack the science to back our efforts to protect critical landscapes for the well-being of people and the outdoors, one of AMC’s strategic priorities.
You can support AMC’s long-term monitoring efforts in a variety of ways. You can become a member of AMC to support our mission and research. Voting is always critical, as you can vote for officials who will work to ensure government funding for research. In addition, you can stay educated and up-to-date on local science that impacts your environment and how you recreate by following or regularly checking the pages of your favorite preserves, state, and national parks.
Long-term research helps us track changes in our environment, but it also helps us advocate to keep the places we love clean and healthy for ourselves and the natural world. This makes it a long-term win-win.