Sierra Nevada Network (SIEN)

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Parks in this Network

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Sierra Nevada Network

Glacial polish on top of Devils Postpile columnar basalt formation

Paintbrush flowers at Devils Postpile NM

Black bear in the river at Sequoia & Kings Canyon

Bullock's Oriole, Sequoia & Kings Canyon

Giant sequoia trees at Sequoia & Kings Canyon

Great gray owl at Yosemite National Park

Hydrologist working at Yosemite National Park

Scientists studying lichens at Yosemite National Park

Half Dome and Merced River, Yosemite National Park

Quick Links

The Sierra Nevada Network Inventory & Monitoring Program is one of 32 National Park Service Inventory & Monitoring (I&M) networks across the country established to facilitate collaboration, information sharing, and economies of scale in natural resource monitoring. The Sierra Nevada Network (SIEN) comprises four national park units located on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California.

These parks have a striking elevation gradient, from 1,370 feet (418 meters) in the foothills to 14,494 feet (4,421 meters) at the top of Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48 states. This elevation gradient and topographic variability result in a high diversity of plants and animals.

SIEN works closely with each park's natural resources program to develop and implement long-term monitoring and provide sound scientific information to park managers. Learn more about specific topics by exploring the links on the left or visit the park units pages to discover the particular resources found at each of these special places.

Featured Information

SIEN Climate Change Brief (2013)

Climate—particularly precipitation and temperature—is a primary ecosystem driver in the Sierra Nevada. It ultimately controls plant and animal distributions, and strongly influences physical drivers and resources such as fire regimes, nutrient cycling, and water availability. Atmospheric warming is resulting in an increase in the fraction of rain to snow, decreasing the maximum snowpack water content, and causing earlier melt of the snowpack.The SIEN is monitoring several vital signs that will likely reflect consequences of climate change...
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