MiReAlp - Finding Microclimatic Refugia in the Alps
Due to their high complex topography, mountains exhibit sharp microclimatic gradients over very short distances. Species, and especially the smallest ones, will then experiment different climatic conditions to those predicted using macro-scale environmental data.
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The main goal of this project is to identify microclimatic refugia at a fine scale (25 m). These are areas with favourable and stable climatic conditions compared to the surrounding areas, where species could survive longer against climate change.
​So far, 306 loggers have been placed in the French Alps to record the temperature and the relative humidity at the ground level during the 2025 growing season.
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Combining microclimatic models with the species distribution of bryophytes will help us to identify potential microclimatic refugia useful for alpine bryophytes.​
Bryophytes, which are small organisms highly present in alpine meadows and sensitive to fine climatic changes, were also sampled within a 2 m² area around each logger.
This project is a collaboration with the Mercantour, Ecrins and Vanoise National Parks, the Ristolas, Passy and Aiguilles Rouges Nature Reserves, and the Lautaret Botanical Garden, and is led by Kelly Theunissen, a PhD student in this lab.