In Water Canyon, New Mexico, there is a small, 18-mile-long, high-elevation area called the Magdalena Mountains, surrounded by desert. The isolated peaks host a scrubby collection of plants, including a tiny cluster of about 20 cottonwood trees. They are trapped, as if on an island, unable to escape by migration or pollen flow across the surrounding inhospitable lowland to any faraway, or even nearby, high-elevation area.
It is one of the hottest and driest “sky island” sites that we study, far hotter than any adjacent large mountain chain, and a great place to look for climate-adapted traits.
Hunting sky islands for genetic clues to climate
In Steve’s backyard.
What is the hill in back?
The reason we began investigating mesas is their shape. By definition, a mesa is an isolated flat-topped landform, elevated from its surrounding landscape by steep sides. The Spanish word “mesa” translates to “table” in English, reflecting their distinctive shape. But don’t be confused—a mesa is different to a tableland such as the Atherton Tablelands in northern Queensland. A mesa is generally smaller and stands alone.
We theorized the steep, largely vegetation-free sides of a mesa could act as natural barriers, slowing down fox and cat incursions. Better still, the isolation of these landforms might give extra protection to species vulnerable to fire.
Islands in the sky: Could steep-sided hilltops offer safe haven to threatened species?
Mesas as wildlife refugees.
Hickman Natural Bridge, a rock formation spanning 133 feet, is seen in Capitol Reef National Park in south-central Utah, Sept. 18, 2020. Credit: AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum
Humans have dramatically changed the vibration landscape within the last century, he said, and more arches could soon fall as a result.
“This is a really rapid change in the lifespan of an arch,” Moore said. “Geology moves slowly. Humans have arrived quickly and, in some places, are making dramatic changes in the environment.”
For Richard Beckman, president of the Natural Arch and Bridge Society, knowing that some of the world’s most iconic arches might fall in his lifetime adds a sense of urgency to visit them before they’re gone.
The collapse of an iconic arch in Utah has some wondering if other famous arches are also at risk
Is there anything humans can’t trash?
I saw this fresh video on Sat and it was very well done. Does anyone know where it is? Not a sky island but still cool.
The guy that did it is a good editor. Some of his commentary is uninformed but it was still a good video.
He took a lot of heat online for his claims on this one.
I didn’t realize the scale of what was there until seeing some of this.
Another good one. These places were made for drones. The drone gives such a different view vs ground level video or pix.