DYNAMICS OF SUBNIVEAN TEMPERATURE AND WIND-SPEED IN SUB-ALPINE FORESTS OF THE ROCKY-MOUNTAINS

1. We investigated temperature and wind speed regimes in the subnivean resting sites of American martens (Martes americana) in coniferous fo rests of the Rocky Mountains. 2. Air exchange between subnivean spaces and outside air was the major determinant of differences between subn ivean and ambient temperature and wind speed. 3. Increasing snow depth decreased the linkage between the subnivean environment and that abov e the snow. 4. Using artificial subnivean cavities, we experimentally confirmed the importance of the number of tunnels connecting the resti ng site to surface air in coupling the subnivean environment to that a bove the snow. 5. In montane environments with complex physical struct ure near the ground and frequent high winds, the subnivean environment is more coupled to that above the snow than is the case in taiga fore sts, where wind speeds and physical structure near the ground generall y are lower. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd