Galliformes are one of the most rapidly declining groups of bird species in Europe. The black grouse belongs to species closely related to the types of habitats that are disappearing due to environmental changes caused by man, climate crisis, and an increase in the number of predator species. While the populations of this species in Northern and North-Eastern Europe are still relatively stable, in Central and Western Europe the black grouse is declining very quickly. For example, in Poland, there has been an approximately 100-fold decrease in its population over the last 50 years. However, there is a difference between the rate of decline in black grouse numbers in Central European lowlands and mountain refuges - e.g. the Alps and the Carpathians. The European mountains, still offering habitats shaped by relatively severe climate, may soon be the only type of habitat for this species to survive in this part of the continent. Our study aimed to indicate the main environmental factors determining the occurrence of the species in a mountain refuge, on the southwestern border of this species' continuous range. Based on a comprehensive model containing data on land cover by vegetation, topography, and human disturbance, we assessed environmental factors that shape the probability of black grouse occurrence in one of its last refuges in Europe. Our results reveal a trend for black grouse to prefer habitats of an early succession stage, and those can only persist in specific climatic conditions, or thanks to active protection. Detailed knowledge of the habitat choice of an endangered species is valuable data necessary to avoid the fragmentation of remaining patches of its habitat, to assess the state of the environment in times of climate crisis, and to protect its features that ensure and increase the survival of vulnerable species, such as black grouse.

Galliformes are one of the most rapidly declining groups of bird species in Europe. The black grouse belongs to species closely related to the types of habitats that are disappearing due to environmental changes caused by man, climate crisis, and an increase in the number of predator species. While the populations of this species in Northern and North-Eastern Europe are still relatively stable, in Central and Western Europe the black grouse is declining very quickly. For example, in Poland there has been an approximately 100-fold decrease in its population over the last 50 years. However, there is a difference between the rate of decline in black grouse numbers in Central European lowlands and mountain refuges - e.g. the Alps and the Carpathians. The European mountains, still offering habitats shaped by relatively severe climate, may soon be the only type of habitat for this species to survive in this part of the continent. Our study aimed to indicate the main environmental factors determining the occurrence of the species in a mountain refuge, on the southwestern border of this species' continuous range. Based on a comprehensive model containing data on land cover by vegetation, topography, and human disturbance, we assessed environmental factors that shape the probability of black grouse occurrence in one of its last refuges in Europe. Our results reveal a trend for black grouse to prefer habitats of an early succession stage, and those can only persist in specific climatic conditions, or thanks to active protection. Detailed knowledge of the habitat choice of an endangered species is valuable data necessary to avoid the fragmentation of remaining patches of its habitat, to assess the state of the environment in times of climate crisis, and to protect its features that ensure and increase the survival of vulnerable species, such as black grouse.

The science guiding the \EURECA campaign and its measurements are presented. \EURECA comprised roughly five weeks of measurements in the downstream winter trades of the North Atlantic — eastward and south-eastward of Barbados. Through its ability to characterize processes operating across a wide range of scales, \EURECA marked a turning point in our ability to observationally study factors influencing clouds in the trades, how they will respond to warming, and their link to other components of the earth system, such as upper-ocean processes or, or the life-cycle of particulate matter. This characterization was made possible by thousands (2500) of sondes distributed to measure circulations on meso (200 km) and larger (500 km) scales, roughly four hundred hours of flight time by four heavily instrumented research aircraft, four global-ocean class research vessels, an advanced ground-based cloud observatory, a flotilla of autonomous or tethered measurement devices operating in the upper ocean (nearly 10000 profiles), lower atmosphere (continuous profiling), and along the air-sea interface, a network of water stable isotopologue measurements, complemented by special programmes of satellite remote sensing and modeling with a new generation of weather/climate models. In addition to providing an outline of the novel measurements and their composition into a unified and coordinated campaign, the six distinct scientific facets that \EURECA explored — from Brazil Ring Current Eddies to turbulence induced clustering of cloud droplets and its influence on warm-rain formation — are presented along with an overview \EURECA’s outreach activities, environmental impact, and guidelines for scientific practice.