Topographic Heterogeneity (Modoc)

Topographic heterogeneity is an aspect of adaptive capacity due to potential microclimate buffering of climate change exposure impacts. A species that exists in an area of high topographic heterogeneity has less distance to travel to find suitable climate than a species that exists in a homogenous landscape. The topographic index calculates the range in elevation values from a center cell and the three cell radius immediately surrounding it using a 90m digital elevation model (DEM). These values were then converted to a 0-1 scale using the standard deviation of the range of values across the study area.


Natureserve has these data fro the entire US, but it is a huge file. They sent this but John could not download the whole thing, so she instead sent just the western states and Nevada. John has this medium extent in his Bechtel folder.