Published in Ecosphere!

The bat team published a new paper “Linking surface and subterranean climate: implications for the study of hibernating bats and other cave dwellers” in Ecosphere, lead by CO-PI Dr. Meredith McClure of Conservation Science Partners. This manuscript compiled subterranean temperatures from caves and mines across the western United States and Canada to (1) quantify the hypothesized relationship between mean annual surface temperature (MAST) and subterranean temperature and how it is influenced by measurable site attributes, and (2) use readily available gridded data to predict and continuously map the range of temperatures that may be available in caves and mines. Our results offer researchers and managers improved broad‐scale estimates of the geographic distribution of potential hibernaculum conditions compared to reliance on MAST alone. You can access the article here.