Better understanding climate change vulnerabilities in parks and routinely incorporating climate change adaptation into NPS planning will best prepare NPS managers for continuous and uncertain changes to come. A scenario-based adaptation approach is often important to help managers and planners understand and work with the typically broad range of ways that climate may change. Within this context, NPS managers will need to consider when and where it is strategic to resist undesirable changes, when it may be prudent to accept changing conditions, and when it may be appropriate to actively direct change in valued systems and resources towards preferred new conditions.
Scroll down to learn more, or check out the Publications page to find more peer-reviewed adaptation science from the NPS Climate Change Response Program.
Dig deeper:
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Scenario-Based Adaptation ShowcaseWhat is scenario-based climate change adaptation, and why does the National Park Service do it?
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A RAD FrameworkResist-Accept-DirectHow does the RAD framework help park managers make more informed, strategic decisions?
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Managed RelocationWhen should humans step in and help a species threatened by climate change move to a more suitable habitat?
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Assess VulnerabilityA site's vulnerability relates to exposure, sensitivity, and potential impact. What does all this mean?
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Cultural Resources AdaptationLearn about the Cultural Resources Climate Change Strategy and more
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Coastal AdaptationThe National Park Service has developed tools and handbooks to help park staff adapt to coastal flooding
More adaptation research from around the NPS
Showing results 1-10 of 19
- Locations: Arches National Park, Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, more »
- Offices: Inventory and Monitoring Division, Northern Colorado Plateau Inventory & Monitoring Network
Birds of the desert southwest, a climate-change hotspot, are among the most vulnerable groups in the US. To help park managers plan for those changes, scientists evaluated the influence of water deficit on landbird communities at 11 national parks in Utah and Colorado. The results will help land managers to focus conservation efforts on places where certain species are most vulnerable to projected climate changes.
- Locations: Canyonlands National Park
- Offices: Inventory and Monitoring Division, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate, Northern Colorado Plateau Inventory & Monitoring Network
Long-term monitoring creates a record of the past—and a window into the future. Linking satellite observations of vegetation condition with climate data over time can help us understand what kinds of future changes may occur. The results can help park managers know what to expect over the next few decades, providing them with time and tools to plan for a range of scenarios.
- Locations: Tumacácori National Historical Park
- Offices: Inventory and Monitoring Division, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate, Sonoran Desert Inventory & Monitoring Network
A recent experiment sought to help National Park Service managers understand the possible effects of climate change on historic adobe structures. An interdisciplinary team built adobe brick test walls, then subjected them to rain simulations at different lengths and intensities. LiDAR scanning revealed specific, quantitative thresholds of rainfall at which we can expect major loss of abode materials.
- Locations: Capitol Reef National Park
- Offices: Inventory and Monitoring Division, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate, Northern Colorado Plateau Inventory & Monitoring Network
Long-term monitoring creates a record of the past—and a window into the future. Linking satellite observations of vegetation condition with climate data over time can help us understand what kinds of future changes may occur. The results can help park managers know what to expect over the next few decades, providing them with time and tools to plan for a range of scenarios.
- Locations: Colorado National Monument
- Offices: Inventory and Monitoring Division, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate, Northern Colorado Plateau Inventory & Monitoring Network
Long-term monitoring creates a record of the past—and a window into the future. Linking satellite observations of vegetation condition with climate data over time can help us understand what kinds of future changes may occur. The results can help park managers know what to expect over the next few decades, providing them with time and tools to plan for a range of scenarios.
- Locations: Arches National Park
- Offices: Inventory and Monitoring Division, Northern Colorado Plateau Inventory & Monitoring Network
At Arches National Park, scientists measured discharge at three springs less than a mile from each other over 14 years. The results identified spring types that may be more stable over time and have greater ability to make it through extended drought without drying. The study showed how having access to long-term ecological monitoring data can help park managers to maximize the potential success of conservation efforts.
- Locations: Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Curecanti National Recreation Area, Dinosaur National Monument
- Offices: Inventory and Monitoring Division, Northern Colorado Plateau Inventory & Monitoring Network
The results of a recent study may help land managers to prioritize grassland conservation and restoration efforts. Park managers can’t do much about climate, but with the right information, they can make choices based on how different grassland communities behave in different soil types. In this study, cool-season grasses showed more resilience to drought than warm-season grasses.
- Locations: Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Hovenweep National Monument, Natural Bridges National Monument, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park
In response to climate change, park managers are having to rethink how they plan for the future. Climate Smart Conservation is a process that can help managers achieve goals in the face of coming changes. Under this framework, scientists and managers use their collective knowledge to anticipate problems and be proactive, rather than reactive.
- Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
Water Balance Underlies Natural Resource Conditions at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
- Locations: Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
As climate change intensifies, land managers need to understand its multifaceted effects on the ground. We used an old tool—water balance—in new ways to better understand how vegetation, stream flow, and wildfire ignitions respond to climate across the range of elevations and vegetation types in Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Case studies like this highlight the value of using water balance analyses for climate change adaptation.
- Locations: Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Muir Woods National Monument
Birds are sensitive to environmental changes around them. They also are easy to identify and count, so there’s a wealth of data about where they live and their abundance. For this reason, scientists and park staff can focus on shifts in bird populations as a way to monitor the changing ecosystem.
Last updated: January 8, 2025
