What is G.L.O.R.I.A.?
The Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments (GLORIA) is a worldwide network of long-term research sites established to assess the impacts of climate change in sensitive native alpine communities.
There are more than 60 GLORIA target regions in mountain ranges worldwide, including several relatively new regions in North America.
Many alpine species face habitat fragmentation and loss, and even extinction because they are adapted to cold temperatures and very limited in their geographic distribution. Alpine communities are also limited to the extent that they can migrate to higher altitudes or latitudes due to the island nature of mountain tops.
Upward movement of alpine flora with recent warming has already been observed in the European Alps and climate change models predict more rapid and larger climate change at high elevations.