The Rocky Mountain National park in is Colorado. The elevation differences are vast and vary between 8,000 to 14,259 feet. The park is open year round. One of the most popular activities in the park is to observe the vast number of species. The park was created in 1915 and its area is 415 square miles.
Carbon Cycle:
The carbon cycle is the processes by which carbon is transferred throughout an ecosystem.
In a typical carbon cycle, carbon is released in the form of carbon dioxide through both plant and animal respiration. Carbon is released into the ground in animal waste products and when organisms die, which can create fossils which contain a large amount of carbon. Auto and factory emissions also contribute carbon to the cycle. When fossil fuels are burned in …show more content…
Global Warming:
Global warming is the slow increase in temperatures caused by greenhouse gases. Global warming has many affects on the Rocky mountain national park. The average temperature rise is 3.4 degrees Fahrenheit per year. This creates new challenges to preserve the park because many of the organisms need a stable climate to survive.
Climate change also allows for invasive species who are better adapted to the climate to become new competitors. A new invasive species to rise is cheat grass which is new competition for the plant cover. Another effect global warming has on the park is the snow on the mountain peaks to melt earlier and this causes less water for animals and plants in the summer. The warmer temperature in the summer allow more organisms to survive during the winter causing for a much greater population. A recent case of this in the park is the mountain pine beetles who with the current outbreak because of the warmer temperatures are changing the landscape, trails, and campgrounds. The rise in temperatures in the Rocky mountain national park in the 20th