F A L L - 2016 Inside this issue

WMRC Director’s Re-

search on Climate Change

Weather Station Network

along the Piute Creek

Drainage

Altitude Sickness Preven-

tion and Efficacy of Com-

parative Treatments

(ASPECT)

Retirement for WMRC’s

Daniel Pritchett

Cultural Exchange with

Big Pine Paiute Tribal

members, WMRC and

USFS

Student Opportunities

2015 WMRC Publications

WMRC Director’s Research on the Eastern Sierra

Gains National Press Attention

A study published in Nature.com/Scientific Research by WMRC Director

Glen MacDonald and an international team of scientists has gained na-

tional attention in the Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, San

Francisco Chronicle, the Los Angeles Times and many other print, radio

and television outlets.

The research, based on the analysis of the sediments from Kirman Lake

in Mono County near Bridgeport, shows that past prolonged episodes of global warm-

ing produced la Nina-like conditions in the Pacific Ocean and resulted in long periods of

drought in California. These arid episodes extended from decades to thousands of years,

depending on how long the warming persisted. “Radiative forcing in the past appears to

have had catastrophic effects in extending droughts,” said MacDonald, an international

authority on drought and climate change. “When you have arid periods that persist for

60 years, as we did in the 12th century, or for millennia, as we did from 6,000 to 1,000

B.C., that’s not really a ‘drought.’ That aridity is the new normal.” Read more below:

Nature.com: Prolonged California aridity linked to climate warming and Pacific sea surface

temperature

Los Angeles Daily News: Climate change could extend California’s drought

San Francisco Chronicle: History shows California drought could be here to stay

VICE: California’s drought could last for

centuries

Washington Post: Think California’s

current drought is bad? Past incarna-

tions have lasted hundreds of years

San Gabriel Valley Tribune:

Global warming could make the

drought last for a century, says UCLA

study

Kirman Lake, Mono County, California

White Mountain Research Center

Newsletter University of California

Weather Station Network along the Piute Creek Drainage

Story and photos courtesy of Douglas Alden, Senior Development Engineer, and Dan Cayan, PhD

Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), UC San Diego

S ince late 2006 we have maintained a network of seven weather stations in the White Mountains. The lowest

elevation site is located at Fish Slough in the Volcanic Tablelands north of Bishop and west of US Highway 6. The

remainder of the transect is laid out east of the highway along the Moulas Mine jeep trail in the Piute Creek Drainage

on the west slope of the White Mountains. Including Fish Slough, the sites span an elevational gradient from 1289 m

(4228 ft.) to 3121 m (10,240 ft.) in roughly 333 m (1000 ft.) increments (Figure 1). Most of the sites are located in a

desert ecosystem, and the upper two sites extend into a sparse conifer region.

A ccessing the stations via the jeep trail is a challenge as the rocks are particularly unforgiving and are adept at

cutting through the sidewalls of tires with ease. On a recent journey up the road a new field worker could not

understand why the truck was stopped so frequently to move seemingly arbitrary rocks off the trail since the trail was

covered with rocks. After getting a flat at just about the highest point traveled on the mountain, he became a believ-

er and was first out of the truck whenever trail maintenance was required. We average at least one flat tire per trip.

(Figure 2).

E ach of the weather stations measures air temperature, hu-

midity, wind, precipitation, solar radiation, barometric pres-

sure, soil moisture and soil temperature. The installations were

designed for durability, low power consumption, data storage

and transmission, and affordability. The meteorological instru-

ments are mounted on an aluminum pole (Figure 3) with soil

sensors buried below ground. The data sampling, storage and

wireless communications are managed by a DL4-Met data log-

ger that was developed in-house by Douglas Alden at SIO. The

logger records one minute averages of air temperature, humidi-

ty, barometric pressure, solar radiation, and winds. Precipitation

is recorded as a running sum while soil temperature and

Figure 2.

Figure 1.

soil moisture are sampled at one hour intervals. The stations are powered by a small 6A-hr battery recharged with a

5W solar panel. Data are stored locally on a SD memory card. Each logger transmits a subset of these data every 30

minutes to the White Mountain Research Center, Owens Valley

Lab, where they are forwarded via the internet to a server at SIO

for archiving.

T he network seeks to inform issues relating to weather, cli-

mate variability and climate change that arise along the west

slope of the White Mountains. The White Mountain network is

an extension of a large-scale network in the Sierra that we main-

tain in cooperation with the California Snow Surveys unit of the

California Department of Water Resources. The network runs

along the highway 120 corridor from Priest Reservoir in the west,

across Yosemite National Park, over Tioga Pass and down

through the Inyo National Forest to Lee Vining, California. The

combined network seeks to understand how climate and its fluc-

tuations change within the air masses that move across the Sier-

ra Nevada and up into the White Mountains.

Figure 3. Annotated view of meteorological instruments

on weather station. Douglas Alden of UC Scripps Institute of Oceanography

working onsite at Glider Port.

UC Santa Cruz Students enjoy a visit to Crooked Creek Station during an Open House. Pictured L-R are: Desiree Loggins, Tina Fay,

Eileen Arneson, Sarah Broderick, (visiting from Ireland), Mickie Tang and Cinthya Mendoza. Photo: Denise Waterbury

Altitude Sickness Prevention and Efficacy of Comparative

Treatments (ASPECT)

Story and photos courtesy of Dr. Grant Lipman, MD, Stanford University

H uman beings are getting smarter about traveling to high altitude. The incidence of acute mountain sickness

(AMS) is now half of historical norms at the most popular trekking routes on the Everest approach and on the

Annapurna circuit, researchers at the Himalayan Rescue Association

are seeing one case of AMS every other day. The distressing con-

stellation of symptoms that comprise AMS (headache, sleep dis-

turbance, fatigue, dizziness, and gastrointestinal distress) often re-

solve within 1 to 2 days after arrival at high altitude. However, the

disease can be debilitating, ruin an adventure, and, if left unrecog-

nized or untreated, can progress to potentially fatal high altitude

cerebral edema.

W hile the decreasing rates of AMS is great news for trekkers,

the lower incidence of AMS negatively affects power calcula-

tions and makes it nearly unfeasible to run large clinical trials. So

where in the world can one go to study altitude illness? Certainly a

trip to Mt Kilimanjaro with over 50,000 annual visitors and a terrify-

ing 40 fatalities a year is ripe for education and interventions, but

the lack of infrastructure and logistical challenges of Tanzania

makes it a daunting venue. Colorado is a great option complete

with a drive-up 14er, but baseline acclimation of Denverites and the

lack of high altitude lodging have made things difficult. Alternative-

ly, the White Mountain Research Center (WMRC) in California has

been serving up an approachable and comfortable option for high

altitude research for nearly 60 years. Established in 1950 just outside

of Bishop, California, WMRC has stations at 4,100’, 10,200’,

and 12,500’ and located on the flanks of White Mountain; the

3rd highest peak in California at 14,252’ with a gorgeous

ascent path.

W ith the generous support of the American Alpine

Club’s 2015 Research Grant, Wilderness Medical Socie-

ty’s Herbert N. Hultgren Grant, and the Institute for Altitude

Medicine, in August 2016 we studied the inhaled asthma

medication budesonide for AMS prevention compared to the

standard AMS prophylactic acetazolamide (diamox) versus

placebo. This was a dou-

ble blind and random-

ized, placebo controlled

trial. Considered the

most rigorous type of research

methodology, the trial was run by Stanford Wilderness Medicine.

A SPECT enrolled 103 participants, resulting in the largest North American

AMS prevention trial to date. We witnessed AMS rates from 56% to 72%,

with severe AMS of 46%. Imagine the worst hangover of your life replete with

Dr. Lipman and a study participant suffering from AMS at

White Mountain Summit (14,252’)

Checking oxygen levels on White Mountain Summit.

Low oxygen (71%) and rapid resting heart rate

(108/minute) are hallmarks of severe AMS.

pounding headache, stupefying nausea, and

a rapid resting heart rate with low oxygen

levels that would set off alarm bells in a sea

level emergency room. That is severe AMS .

W hile budesonide did not appear to

work any better than a placebo, dia-

mox worked wonders, especially on prevent-

ing severe disease. This was significant both

statistically and clinically with a 20 – 30%

reduction of disease over both placebo and

budesonide. The laboratory space, off-grid

infrastructure, and broadband internet ac-

cess at 12,500’ Barcroft Station, allowed us

to run ultrasound testing and pulmonary

function tests to analyze the physiologic

changes seen with rapid ascent to high altitude. Having study participants provide forced expiratory tests in a low

oxygen state made all the researchers profoundly appreciative of the volunteer’s time and effort! The initial analyses

point to increased total body water in those suffering

from AMS, findings that may provide greater insight

into causation of the disease itself.

D iamox (125mg twice / day) is usually ingested the

night prior to ascent to allow time for maximal

effect. Interestingly, ASPECT was one of the few studies

to examine diamox beginning the morning of ascent, in

a rapid ascent profile (4,100’ to 12,500’) that is common

for most hikers, climbers, as well as tactical and search

& rescue personnel. The robust protective effect of dia-

mox in this setting is generalizable to ascents found in

the continental US and Western Europe, which may al-

low diamox to be utilized in a new manner. Further-

more, diamox appeared to work as well as ibuprofen

(600mg taken three times a day, started morning of as-

cent), at the same altitudes which was the subject of our

prior study at WMRC; the Prevention of Altitude Illness with Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory Study (PAINS).

W hile the potential for a new pre-

vention in budesonide appears to

be a non-starter, we were able to confirm

the rates of AMS at WMRC that perhaps

will make this an epicenter of future high

altitude clinical trials. Every study often

poses more questions than answers, and

future work may find us comparing dia-

mox to ibuprofen to make definitive con-

clusions of the efficacy of these two popu-

lar drugs.

The study team at the beginning of the hike to the WMRC Barcroft Station.

Researcher and study participant exerting maximum effort to gather

insight as to how the lungs function at altitude.

The beautiful trail to the summit

of White Mountain Peak.

Daniel Pritchett, long-time WMRC staff member, Retires

Daniel Pritchett, WMRC’s longest serving staff member, is retiring after almost 20 years as the

Center’s information technology specialist and historian. He began work at the Center as a vol-

unteer in 1996 and was hired the following year. Daniel developed the WMRC computer labora-

tory in the early 2000s and has maintained individual work stations for staff during his time here.

He has been instrumental in developing and maintaining internet capabilities, particularly at the

high elevation laboratories. One of his greatest accomplishments at WMRC was designing the

new telecommunications system to the upper stations, in collaboration with Noley Baker, and

Jeremiah Eanes; a daunting and very challenging task.

When asked about a memorable experience he reflected on a snowmobile adventure to the Bar-

croft Station in the late 1990’s with then WMRS manager, David Trydahl. After having to dig out

the machines from deep snow, having engine difficulties and getting disoriented, they made it

to the Barcroft Station. Daniel was so smitten (or hypoxic) with himself making it that far, he

thought he would quit his new job to become a professional snowmobiler! However, once back

down to Sierra View the reality of being coated with exhaust and ringing in the ears from engine

noise changed his mind. He ended up working at WMRS/WMRC for over 19 years instead.

Daniel has a strong interest in the history of WMRC, the White Mountains, and our surrounding

high desert environs. His column, ’From the Archives’ in the spring newsletters are often historical

accounts of WMRS (now WMRC). Fortunately, for WMRC, Daniel plans to volunteer in working with the WMRC archives. He

comments, “There is a lot of interesting WMRS history that cries out for publication.” He would like to see the holdings of the

WMRC archives described in a standard digital format so they could be searchable through the Online Archive of California. He

will continue to work with a consultant to do an evaluation of WMRC facilities for eligibility for listing on the National Register of

Historic Places. Last but not least, WMRC will be receiving Doug Powell’s papers and photos and this material will need to be

described and organized. Everyone at WMRC wishes Daniel a fulfilling and adventurous retirement!

Big Pine Paiute Tribe, USFS and WMRC

share a Cultural Exchange Day

The Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley invited WMRC staff

to attend a field trip into the White Mountains in early August.

In attendance were: about twenty Tribal representatives, includ-

ing youth and elders; Paiute Tribe Environmental Director, Sally

Manning; USFS Archeologist Jacqueline Beidl; Assistant Forest

Archeologist Ashley Blythe; Archeological Technician Krystal Kis-

singer; and WMRC staff members Daniel Pritchett and Denise

Waterbury. Manning said, “The purpose of the trip was to share

perspectives on the long-term relationship between humans and

the White Mountain range while exploring as a group, some of

the beautiful places in the White Mountains.” We visited the cul-

turally significant pinyon-juniper woodland and Schulman Grove.

Forest Service archeologists spoke about geography and human

use of the range, and Daniel Pritchett shared a brief history of

WMRC and discussed some of the important research performed

at the research station. After lunch at the Crooked Creek Sta-

tion, everyone took a walk. Tribal Elder, Ross Stone, shared sto-

ries, and along with Tribal youth, sang two traditional songs of

the mountains. Everyone enjoyed sharing camaraderie,

knowledge, and being outdoors in the White Mountains.

Group at Crooked Creek Station. Photo Courtesy of the Big Pine Paiute Tribe

Ross Stone, Paiute Elder, shares traditional stories of the Paiute People. Photo: Denise Waterbury

WMRC Student Opportunities

WMRC Mini-Grant Program — WMRC offers modest mini-grants to several graduate students each year to help with their the-

sis-related research. The grants are awarded to both UC and non-UC students. Typically, the funds are granted to help with room

& board while staying at one of the stations and conducting research. The 2017 applications are due by January 15, 2017. For

more information see WMRC website: http://www.wmrc.edu/student/student-minigrant/default.html

Mildred E. Mathais Graduate Student Research Grant — The Natural Reserve System provides grants to support graduate

students at all UC campuses except UCSF, for their independent and field science studies at NRS reserves. Additional information

can be found at: http://www.ucnrs.org/grants/mathias-grant.html

Other Grant Opportunities — Occasionally, a variety of other grants are posted on the WMRC website. For more information,

check this link frequently: http://www.wmrc.edu/student/default.html

David R. Cordie awarded Clem Nelson Graduate Student Fellowship (Geology) — WMRC congratulates David R. Cordie of

the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. David is the recipient of the Clem Nelson Fellowship Award in Geology. This $3,500.00

award may be used for WMRC room and board, research supplies, and travel. The title of David’s project is: Microbial-

Archaeocyathan Reef Evolution and Extinction in the Early Cambrian of the Western Basin and Range. David is working on Cam-

brian reef paleoecology and evolution for his Ph.D. dissertation at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, with field work

planned in California, Nevada, and western Mongolia.

Support White Mountain Research Center

White Mountain Research Center sends thanks to all donors, past and present, for their generosity in support of the Center.

These donations help support research, education, and other public service events and activities at WMRC. Donations large and

small to WMRC (in-kind or monetary) are very much appreciated. If you would like your donation to be used for a specific loca-

tion within WMRC (Owens Valley Station, Crooked Creek Station or Barcroft Station), please indicate this information on the

memo line of your check. All donations are tax-deductible.

To donate online: https://giving.ucla.edu/Campaign/Donate.aspx?SiteNum=13

Or please make your check payable to, “UC Regents” and send to: White Mountain Research Center

3000 East Line Street

Bishop, CA 93514

www.wmrc.edu

Oregon State University Geology Field Class —September 2016

2015 WMRC Publications

Journal Articles

Blum-Johnston, C., R. B. Thorpe, et al. (2015). "Developmental acceleration of bradykinin-dependent relaxation by prenatal chronic hypoxia im-

pedes normal development after birth." Am. J. Physiol. Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology 310(3): L271-L278.

Boychuk, E. C., J. T. Smiley, et al. (2015). "Cold tolerance of the montane Sierra leaf beetle, Chrysomela aeneicollis." Journal of Insect Physiology

81: 157-166.

Chapman, A. D., W. G. Ernst, et al. (2015). "Detrital zircon geochronology of Neoproterozoic–Lower Cambrian passive-margin strata of the

White-Inyo Range, east-central California: Implications for the Mojave–Snow Lake fault hypothesis." Bulletin of the Geological Society

of America.

Driscoll, C. C., J. G. Driscoll, et al. (2015). "A tale of two markers: Population genetics of colorado rocky mountain bighorn sheep estimated from

microsatellite and mitochondrial data." Journal of Wildlife Management 79(5): 819-831.

Frankel, K. L., L. A. Owen, et al. (2015). "Timing and rates of Holocene normal faulting along the Black Mountains fault zone, Death Valley, USA."

Lithosphere 8(1): 3-22.

Galicia, D., P. M. Leunda, et al. (2015). "Morphometric Contribution to the Detection of Introgressive Hybridization in the Endangered Owens Tui

Chub in California." Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 144(2): 431-442.

Goyal, R. and L. D. Longo (2015). "Metabolic Profiles in Ovine Carotid Arteries with Developmental Maturation and Long-Term Hypoxia." PLoS

One 10(6): e0130739.

Holmquist, J. G., J. Schmidt-Gengenbach, et al. (2015). "Stream Macroinvertebrates and Habitat Below and Above Two Wilderness Fords Used

by Mules, Horses, and Hikers in Yosemite National Park." Western No. Am. Natur. 75(3): 311-324.

Kanaan, N. C., G. S. Lipman, et al. (2015). "Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter Increase on Ascent to High Altitude Correlation With Acute Mountain

Sickness." Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine 34(9): 1677-1682.

Kopp, C. W. and E. E. Cleland (2015). "A Range-Expanding Shrub Species Alters Plant Phenological Response to Experimental Warming." PLoS

ONE 10(9).

Maher, C. T., A. L. Barber, et al. (2015). "Shelter provided by wood, facilitation, and density-dependent herbivory influence Great Basin bristle-

cone pine seedling survival." Forest Ecology and Management 342: 76-83.

Malaney, J. L., C. R. Feldman, et al. (2015). "Translocated to the fringe: genetic and niche variation in bighorn sheep of the Great Basin and

northern Mojave deserts." Diversity and Distributions 21: 1063-1074.

Millar, C. I., R. D. Westfall, et al. (2015). "Potential climatic refugia in semi-arid, temperate mountains: Plant and arthropod assemblages associ-

ated with rock glaciers, talus slopes, and their forefield wetlands, Sierra Nevada, California, USA." Quaternary International 387: 106-

121.

Natarajan, C., F. G. Hoffmann, et al. (2015). "Intraspecific Polymorphism, Interspecific Divergence, and the Origins of Function-Altering Muta-

tions in Deer Mouse Hemoglobin." Molecular Biology and Evolution 10.1093/mo1bev/msu 403.

Newby, E. A., K. M. Kaushal, et al. (2015). "Adrenocorticotropic Hormone and PI3K/Akt Inhibition Reduce eNOS Phosphorylation and Increase

Cortisol Biosynthesis in Long-Term Hypoxic Ovine Fetal Adrenal Cortical Cells." Reproductive Science. 22(8): 932-941.

Ravikumar, P., D. J. Bellotto, et al. (2015). "Persistent structural adaptation in the lungs of guinea pigs raised at high altitude." Respiratory Physi-

ology & Neurobiology 208: 37-44.

Tao, X., M. T. Lin, et al. (2015). "Long-term hypoxia increases calcium affinity of BK channels in ovine fetal and adult cerebral artery smooth mus-

cle." American Journal of Physiology Heart and Circulatory Physiology 308(7): H707-H722.

Reports

Chapline, G., A. Glenn, et al. (2015). Time-Correlated Particles Produced by Cosmic Rays. Livermore, CA, Lawrence Livermore National Lab.

Dissertations and Theses

Gardner, K. V. (2015) Interactions between chemical, physical, and biological processes during desertification of groundwater-dependent semi-

arid grasslands University of Maryland. College Park, Maryland. PhD.

Haddon, E. K. (2015) Surface Slip during Large Owens Valley Earthquakes. Western Washington University. Bellingham, Washington. MS.

Marerrero, J. E. (2015) Characterization of Volatile Organic Compounds from Oil and Natural Gas Emissions in North America. University of Cali-

fornia. Irvine, California. PhD.

Tao, X. (2015) Acclimatization to High-Altitude, Long-Term Hypoxia Alters BK Channel Structure and Function Loma Linda University, Loma

Linda, California. PhD.

To search the WMRC Publications Database, go to:

http://www.wmrc.edu/