Climate Change Connections: South Dakota (Badlands National Park)

Climate change is impacting all regions and sectors of the United States. The State and Regional Climate Change Connections resource highlights climate change connections to culturally, ecologically, or economically important features of each state and territory. The content on this page provides an illustrative example. As climate change will affect each state and territory in diverse ways, this resource only describes a small portion of these risks. For more comprehensive information about regional climate impacts, please visit the Fifth National Climate Assessment and Climate Change Impacts by Sector.

On this page:

• Key Messages
• Introduction
• Climate Impacts
• Taking Action
• Related Resources
• References

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Introduction: Badlands National Park Has Major Cultural and Economic Importance

Lying amid the rugged landscapes of South Dakota, Badlands National Park is known for its striking rock formations, abundant fossils, deep canyons, and diverse wildlife. The park’s unique landscapes and archaeological sites also offer a glimpse into the region’s rich cultural heritage, attracting visitors and researchers from near and far.¹ In recent decades, an average of around 1 million people have visited Badlands National Park each year.²

Indigenous Peoples have inhabited the land that is now Badlands National Park for more than 12,000 years.³ More than 20 Tribes are associated with the park today. Like all national parks, Badlands National Park has a trust responsibility to federally recognized Tribes due to their unique sovereign status.⁴ Obligations under this trust responsibility include recognizing the South Unit of the park as tribal trust land for the benefit and use of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, honoring historical treaties that prioritize Indigenous Nations, and consulting all Tribes who have ties to the park before making any major decisions.⁴

Climate Impacts: Warming Temperatures and Periods of Drought Impact Wildlife

South Dakota has experienced a rise in temperatures of nearly 2°F since the beginning of the 20th century, and the period from 2000 to 2020 was exceptionally warm.⁵ These rising temperatures can intensify droughts and impact the park’s biodiversity.⁵ As average temperatures rise, the Earth’s water cycle has sped up due to an increase in the rate of evaporation from soil and transpiration from plants. Increasing evaporation can leave less moisture in the soil. Drought and high temperatures can negatively impact native vegetation and lead to less water and forage available for the park’s wildlife.⁶

Bison, a species of central importance to the region’s Indigenous Peoples and ecosystems, can be impacted by warming temperatures and drought. The stress of extreme heat can limit bison growth.⁷ Warmer air temperatures and drought can also alter the movement patterns of bison herds.⁸ Changes in herd movement could affect the park’s biodiversity, as bison grazing and wallowing (rolling in the dirt that creates depressions) can influence plant growth and diversity.⁹

Climate Impacts: Extreme Precipitation Can Impact Vegetation and Increase Erosion in the Park

Extreme precipitation events are projected to increase statewide in South Dakota.⁵ Climate change can impact precipitation frequency and intensity. As average temperatures at the Earth’s surface rise, more evaporation and transpiration occur and add more moisture to the air, which in turn increases overall precipitation. In recent decades, more rainfall has been occurring as intense heavy precipitation events.¹⁰ The number of extreme precipitation events in South Dakota has already increased considerably over the past 30 years.⁵

While more rain can sometimes be beneficial, such as by increasing soil moisture, too much rain over a short period of time can reduce the amount of nutrients in soil and affect vegetation growth.⁵ Extreme precipitation events in Badlands can also put the park’s archeological sites and fossil records at risk. Runoff can cause excavation sites to erode and fossils to become exposed.⁶ Extreme rainfall can create flood risks, which can cause damage to roads and other infrastructure and increase the likelihood of geological hazards, such as landslides.⁶

Taking Action: Protecting Biodiversity and History in a Changing Climate

Addressing climate change requires reducing greenhouse gas emissions while preparing for and protecting against current and future climate impacts. Communities, public officials, and individuals in every part of the United States can continue to explore and implement climate adaptation and mitigation measures. In South Dakota, park officials at Badlands National Park are implementing conservation and preservation strategies to prepare for climate change, including:

• Biodiversity monitoring and management. Vegetation management planning, increased monitoring of individual plant species, and increased invasive species controls are all examples of management strategies that can help protect the park’s biodiversity in a changing climate. Badlands National Park also collaborates with Tribes and the Intertribal Buffalo Council on a regional bison management plan to better understand bison breeding and genetics. The park is continuing to monitor population size, disease spread, and movement patterns of individual animal species to better understand changes.⁶
• Enhanced preservation of archaeological and paleontological sites. Fossil preservation is integral to maintaining park history and supporting ongoing research.¹¹ In its resource, “Implications of Climate Scenarios for Badlands National Park Resource Management,” the park highlights opportunities for improving visitor education and increasing its capacity for collecting and storing specimens.⁶ Further data collection can help the park prioritize sites for stabilization and fossil preservation in changing conditions.

To learn more about climate change impacts in South Dakota and the northern Great Plains region, see Chapter 25 of the Fifth National Climate Assessment.

Related Resources

• EPA Climate Change Indicators: Heavy Precipitation
• South Dakota State Climate Summary 2022 (NOAA)
• Implications of Climate Scenarios for Badlands National Park (National Park Service)

References

¹ National Park Service. (n.d.). Badlands National Park. Retrieved November 8, 2023, from https://www.nps.gov/badl/index.htm

² National Park Service. (n.d.). Park Reports. NPS Stats. Retrieved November 13, 2023, from https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/Reports/Park/BADL

³ National Park Service. (n.d.). Archaeology: Ancient People of the Badlands. History & Culture in the Badlands. Retrieved November 14, 2023, from https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/archaeology-badl.htm

⁴ National Park Service. (n.d.). Associated Tribes of Badlands National Park. Badlands National Park. Retrieved November 13, 2023, from https://www.nps.gov/badl/associated-tribes.htm

⁵ Frankson, R., Kunkel, K. E., Champion, S. M., Easterling, D. R., Umphlett, N. A., & Stiles, C. J. (2022). South Dakota state climate summary 2022 (NOAA Technical Report NESDIS 150-SD). NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service. https://statesummaries.ncics.org/chapter/sd/

⁶ National Park Service & U.S. Geological Survey. (n.d.). Implications of climate scenarios for Badlands National Park resource management. U.S. Department of the Interior. https://www.nps.gov/badl/upload/BADL_Climate_Scenarios_Brief.pdf

⁷ Martin, J. M., Mead, J. I., & Barboza, P. S. (2018). Bison body size and climate change. Ecology and Evolution, 8(9), 4564–4574. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.4019

⁸ McMillan, N. A., Fuhlendorf, S. D., Luttbeg, B., Goodman, L. E., Davis, C. A., Allred, B. W., & Hamilton, R. G. (2022). Bison movements change with weather: Implications for their continued conservation in the Anthropocene. Ecology and Evolution, 12(12), e9586. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9586

⁹ U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). (n.d.). Ecology of Badlands National Park. Geology and Ecology of National Parks. Retrieved November 29, 2023, from https://www.usgs.gov/geology-and-ecology-of-national-parks/ecology-badlands-national-park

¹⁰ Marvel, K., Su, W., Delgado, R., Aarons, S., Chatterjee, A., Garcia, M. E., Hausfather, Z., Hayhoe, K., Hence, D. A., Jewett, E. B., Robel, A., Singh, D., Tripati, A., & Vose, R. S. (2023). Ch. 2. Climate trends. In A. R. Crimmins, C. W. Avery, D. R. Easterling, K. E. Kunkel, B. C. Stewart, & T. K. Maycock (Eds.), Fifth National Climate Assessment. U.S. Global Change Research Program. https://doi.org/10.7930/NCA5.2023.CH2

¹¹ National Park Service. (2020, October 19). Fossil Lab: Current Projects. Retrieved February 20, 2024, from https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/badl-fossil-lab-current-projects.htm