Long Term Monitoring of Land Cover Change of the Monarch

Long Term Monitoring of Land Cover Change of the Monarch

Local climate of the monarch butterfly habitat in Mexico: seven years of hourly recording
M. Isabel.
1
Ramírez ,
Lincoln
2
Brower ,
2
Fink ,
Linda
Diego
3
Pérez-Salicrup ,
Dan
4
Slayback ,
Raúl
5
Zubieta
isabelrr@ciga.unam.mx, brower@sbc.edu, lfink@sbc.edu, diego@oikos.unam.mx, dan.slayback@nasa.gov, rrzubieta@yahoo.com.mx
Centro de Investigaciones en Geografía Ambiental, UNAM. Morelia, Mich. MX - 2 Sweet Briar College. Sweet Briar, VA, USA - 3 Centro de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas, UNAM. Morelia, Mich. MX
4 Science Systems and Applications, Inc. Greenbelt, MD, USA - 5 Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, CIECO-UNAM. Morelia, Mich. MX
Introduction
Since the 1980's it has been known that the climate of the fir forests of central
Mexico is a determining factor for the establishment and survival of the monarch
butterfly overwintering colonies. We also know that extreme weather events, such
as frost, drought, or disturbance to other essential components of this ecosystem
can cause mortality in the colonies.
However, it was not until December 2004 that a team led by Dr. Lincoln Brower
placed two weather stations in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve to record
the main meteorological variables hourly: temperature, precipitation, relative
humidity, evapotranspiration, solar radiation and wind speed and direction. Here
we present the first local weather characterization, from 7 years of continuous
data, as well as some specific applications for which they have served to date.
Methods
Weather stations
We used hourly data from two WeatherHawk
232 Weather Stations set up during the last
week of November 2004. They were
preconfigured to measure wind speed, wind
direction, air temperature, relative humidity,
barometric pressure, solar radiation and rainfall.
WS Chincua
19°39'42"N,
100°16‘6“W
(3170m)
Location
WS Chincua
WS Pelon
WS Pelon
19°21'42“N,
100°17'36“W
(2430 m)
After reviewing the integrity of the database we
used Excel’s dynamic tables to calculate climate
normals and Systat v.11 to identify winter extreme temperatures. We identified the
number of hour events with temperatures ≤-3 °C and the number of events with
temperatures ≤-7 0C. We analyzed a total of 63696 hour records for the period
between November 28, 2004, and March 4, 2012.
Statistical
Analyses
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Extreme events
Results
Climate normals
CHINCUA
WEATHER STATION
TEMPERATURE
Highest temperature
Year
Month highest average
Average high
Average
Average low
Month lowest average
Lowest temperature
Year
Highest temperature oscillation
Average temperature oscillation
Lowes temperature oscillation
PRECIPITATION
Average monthly total
Greatest rainfall in one month
Year
Greatest rainfall in one day
Year
EVAPOTRANSPIRATION
Average monthly total
Greatest ETo in one day
Year
FREQ. ESPECIAL PHENOMENA
Temperature < 0°C
Temperature < -3°C
Temperature < -7°C
Precipitation > 0 mm
Precipitation > 5mm
Precipitation > 10mm
Storms (> 10mm, >10 m/s)
CERRO PELON
WEATHER STATION
TEMPERATURE
Highest temperature
Year
Month highest average
Average high
Average
Average low
Month lowest average
Lowest temperature
Year
Highest temperature oscillation
Average temperature oscillation
Lowes temperature oscillation
PRECIPITATION
Average monthly total
Greatest rainfall in one month
Year
Greatest rainfall in one day
Year
EVAPOTRANSPIRATION
Average monthly total
Greatest ETo in one day
Year
FREQ. ESPECIAL PHENOMENA
Temperature < 0°C
Temperature < -3°C
Precipitation > 0 mm
Precipitation > 5mm
Precipitation > 10mm
Storms (> 10mm, >10 m/s)
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Annual
23.4
2008
21.4
16.9
7.8
-1.3
-5.6
-8.6
2006
27.5
18.2
3.1
27.9
2006
24.1
18.6
9.0
-0.7
-4.3
-6.0
2010
28.8
19.3
1.4
30.1
2006
25.2
21.3
10.6
-0.2
-3.6
-5.0
2008
30.8
21.5
2.4
32.5
2008
27.3
23.7
12.9
2.1
-1.2
-2.7
2007
30.8
21.6
11.3
31.0
2008
27.6
23.5
13.6
3.6
-0.3
-2.1
2006
29.8
19.8
9.2
30.4
2005
25.9
21.2
13.0
4.9
0.1
-1.4
2006
28.9
16.3
2.7
24.9
2005
22.9
19.4
12.8
6.1
2.3
1.5
2008
21.1
13.2
2.6
23.8
2006
22.6
19.5
12.7
6.0
2.3
1.5
2007
21.5
13.6
4.1
24.2
2006
22.2
18.9
12.3
5.7
-0.2
-3.9
2011
22.9
13.3
2.6
24.4
2006
21.4
18.3
10.8
3.2
-1.8
-5.1
2011
24.3
15.1
3.4
22.7
2007
20.3
17.6
8.6
-0.4
-5.9
-7.9
2010
26.1
17.9
7.4
22.8
2007
21.1
16.8
7.7
-1.5
-5.7
-7.4
2008
26.1
18.3
2.2
32.5
2008
27.0
19.6
10.9
2.2
-2.0
-8.6
2006
30.8
17.4
1.4
33
122
2010
39
2010
80
426
2010
168
2010
2
4
2006
4
2006
25
67
2007
61
2007
69
134
2006
35
2009
156
192
2011
44
2011
273
397
2010
105
2010
245
315
2006
47
2007
196
342
2009
59
2009
82
157
2006
35
2011
22
105
2006
29
2006
6
18
2009
7
2009
1192
426
2010
168
2010
76
4
2011
83
5
2011
114
5
2005
119
6
2010
113
6
2008
89
77
6
5
2008 2005/11
78
74
5
5
2010 2010/11
80
5
2010
78
8
2005
75
4
2006
1059
8
2005
23.4
6.5
0.3
4.0
2.3
1.0
0.3
18.1
3.4
0.0
3.7
2.0
1.6
0.3
16.9
2.3
0.0
1.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
4.0
0.0
0.0
4.5
1.2
0.3
0.0
1.7
0.0
0.0
10.0
4.0
2.3
0.0
0.9
0.0
0.0
17.0
9.2
5.7
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
24.2
13.8
9.2
0.0
4.7
0.3
0.0
10.7
5.3
2.2
0.0
16.4
4.7
0.4
3.9
1.1
0.7
0.0
22.4
7.6
0.8
1.9
0.4
0.0
0.0
111.4
25.1
1.6
124.5
66.8
40.0
0.0
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
0.0
0.0
0.0
25.7
16.5
10.0
0.0
Jul
Aug
1.0
0.1
0.0
18.7
11.2
7.2
0.0
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Annual
27.9
2011
24.9
21.1
13.4
5.8
2.9
1.4
2006
23.0
15.3
2.8
30.5
2009
26.7
22.1
14.2
6.3
3.4
0.5
2010
22.0
15.8
2.0
29.0
2008
27.0
24.4
15.7
6.9
4.3
2.1
2008
21.1
17.5
3.2
30.4
2006
28.8
26.6
17.8
8.9
6.5
4.2
2007
21.7
17.6
12.5
30.9
2005
30.1
26.8
18.4
10.0
7.4
5.7
2008
21.8
16.8
9.5
30.3
2005
28.2
23.7
17.0
10.4
8.5
6.7
2006
20.0
13.2
5.6
27.2
2008
25.7
22.0
16.3
10.6
8.2
6.9
2007
18.8
11.4
2.9
27.2
2007
25.3
22.1
16.2
10.4
8.3
6.4
2009
17.9
11.8
6.1
25.9
2005
24.9
21.7
16.0
10.2
7.4
4.9
2007
20.0
11.5
3.9
26.8
2010
25.4
21.9
15.4
8.8
5.6
3.8
2007
20.7
13.1
5.2
27.8
2011
24.4
21.5
14.1
6.7
2.9
0.2
2010
20.1
14.8
9.3
27.4
2011
25.0
21.1
13.5
5.8
2.8
-0.3
2006
21.4
15.3
3.7
30.9
2005
26.4
22.9
15.7
8.4
5.7
-0.3
2006
23.0
14.5
2.0
19
84
2010
33
2010
56
348
2010
168
2010
8
53
2005
41
2005
8
30
2008
12
2008
53
209
2009
51
2009
241
335
2006
54
2006
382
507
2010
88
2010
441
540
2007
77
2007
351
444
2007
72
2007
169
303
2006
64
2005
18
54
2011
22
2011
3
16
2007
8
2007
1738
540
2007
168
2010
88.4
4.4
2008
98.6
135.4
10.5
5.6
2011 2005/11
145.7
6.1
2005
137.7
6.2
2005
91.0
6.3
2011
74.1
5.5
2006
72.6
4.4
2006
66.9
4.9
2011
81.2
4.9
2010
83.9
7.9
2005
84.6
3.8
2010
1163
10.5
2011
0.0
0.0
1.9
0.4
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.0
6.9
2.9
1.9
0.0
0.0
0.0
18.7
12.7
8.7
0.4
0.0
0.0
26.3
17.3
13.2
0.4
0.0
0.0
28.0
21.0
15.7
0.0
0.0
0.0
22.0
15.0
11.2
0.0
0.0
0.0
12.8
8.5
5.2
0.1
0.0
0.0
3.0
1.2
0.3
0.0
0.1
0.0
0.9
0.3
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.0
112.0
73.0
51.0
0.1
0.0
0.0
2.5
1.1
0.6
0.0
0.0
0.0
2.6
1.5
0.9
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.7
0.1
0.1
0.0
Applications
Comparison of temperature records on
the Sierra Chincua measured on four clear
days in a clearing, inside an oyamel
forest, and on the bark of a large oyamel
inside
the
forest.
Microclimate
moderation is enhanced both by forest
cover and by the heat capacity of the tree
trunk.
Records of (a) temperature and (b) relative
humidity from within the colony (average of
three ambient hygrochrons) and from a
clearing at the MBBR Field Station on the
Llano de las Papas, Sierra Chincua,
Michoacan, Mexico. The records from the
clearing are given as recorded by both the
WeatherHawk
weather
station
(WH;
temperature only) and by a hygrocron
attached to the weather station (HY). Data
were recorded 5-7 Feb 2008 during three
clear days.
Rainfall (mm)
1
The data presented support the arguments in favor to
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXpreserve the integrity of this temperate ecosystem. The
data series available have a great potential to contribute in the explanation of
other hydrometeorological phenomena. Without reliable data like these, is not
possible to understand atypical events, as high mortality in the butterfly colonies,
and catastrophical events. Climatic data should be recorded in the long term in
order to monitor the conservation status of the reserve, the environmental
services it provides and the effects of the global climate change.
Conclusions
References
Brower, L.P., E.H. Williams, D.A. Slayback, L.S. Fink, M.I. Ramírez, R.R. Zubieta, M. I. Limon-Garcia, P. Gier, J.A. Lear, T. Van Hook (2009). Oyamel fir forest
trunks provide thermal advantages for overwintering monarch butterflies in Mexico. Insect Conservation and Diversity 2 (3). pp 163-177.
Brower, Lincoln.P., Ernest H. Williams, Linda S. Fink, Raul R. Zubieta, M.Isabel Ramírez (2008). Monarch butterfly clusters provide microclimatic
advantages during the verwintering season in Mexico. Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society 62( 4). Pp 177-188.
Carranza, J., I. Paniagua, K.A. Oceguera, L. Ruiz (2010). Análisis del impacto por la 5ª tormenta invernal del 2010 en la Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa
Monarca. Informe inédito. Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas. México