A winter twenty-four hour microclimate study in Carp Creek Gorge.

Abstract

A 24-hour microclimate study of the NW lobe of Carp Creek Gorge, one mile SW of UMBS, was undertaken on January 16 and 17, 1974. The study's purpose was to record the types and magnitudes of climatic variations occurring along the sharp topographic gradients found within this Gorge ecosystem. Carp Creek Gorge is a large three-lobed depression (elevation 700 ft. at top, 620 ft. at base) formed from erosion by several springs which emerge there and join further south to form Little Carp Creek, which empties into Burt Lake. A similar study was done on July 25 and 26, 1973 by the Plant Ecology and Ecosystem Analysis class at UMBS. Attempt was made to take our winter measurements at those same sites, to allow comparison of data. This paper will concentrate on winter measurements and trends, and will briefly mention summer trends, and how the two compare at its end.