A new global focus on mountain research For those of us who live in the mountains of the West, we usually think of our rugged landscapes as sources of economic prosperity, scenic amenities or sites for recreation. Increasingly, however, mountains are taking on a new importance as sites for scientific research. Arguably, mountain regions should be studied for their own sake.
Mountains occupy about one-fifth of the Earth's surface.
Clearly, research aimed at sustaining mountain ecosystems and economies is important to those of us who live and work in such regions. New research initiatives increasingly recognize mountains as significant, not only at regional scales, but also as a component of global change research. Mountain regions often provide unique and, sometimes, the best opportunities to detect and analyze global change processes. For example, due to strong altitudinal gradients, climate, hydrology, and vegetation change rapidly over short distances. Characteristic boundaries found in mountain regions, such as upper treeline or glacier margins, experience shifts due to environmental change and thus can be used as indicators of changing climate.