Field of Science

No escaping upward

Talk about timely; no sooner does the Phactor mention that global warming will cause the extinction of alpine species who cannot migrate any higher to escape the increasing warmth and an article on that topic appears in the NYTimes. As the article highlights this will be particularly a problem in the tropics. My colleagues, the Clarks, have established new study plots in cloud forests atop some of Costa Rica's highest peaks for the very depressing purpose of recording their demise. And atop some of Thailand's highest peaks are very temperate looking "oak" forests, and again they got no where to go to. Sad.

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