Understanding Multiple Environmental Stresses Report of a Workshop (2007) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
1 Introduction
Pages 5-14
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From page 5... ...
The term "multiple stresses" is simply a shorthand way of referring to scenarios where multiple environmental influences are at work with various multidimensional interactions among them. Understanding the net impact of a suite of simultaneously occurring environmental modifications (e.g., elevated carbon dioxide; increased oxidants, reactive nitrogen, and acid deposition; decreased stratospheric ozone; increased ultraviolet radiation; higher mean temperature; changes in timing and availability of water; loss of biodiversity, increases in invasive species, rising sea level; coastal development and habitat fragmentation)
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From page 6... ...
New data and information systems may be necessary to enable scientists to integrate knowledge across these disciplines. Further, it appears likely that focusing on natural, managed, and socioeconomic systems on a regional scale may provide a tractable approach to bringing together the diverse researchers and knowledge needed to improve understanding of multiple environmental stresses.
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We find the strongest intersection between human activity, environmental stresses, earth system interactions, and human decision making in regional analysis coupled to larger spatial scales.
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The driving forces that alter environmental quality and integrity are often well known, but most regions experience multiple simultaneous environmental changes, and the combined effects of these changes are much more difficult to understand and manage than the discrete issues that most research, analysis, and policy focus on. This lack of appreciation for, and understanding of, multiple stresses limits our ability to assess the impacts of specific human perturbations, to assess advantages and risks, and to enhance economic and societal well-being in the context of global, national, and regional stewardship.
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From page 9... ...
The first case study selected for examination was drought, a complex environmental condition that both is driven by multiple environmental stresses and leads to multiple stresses across a wide range of time and spatial scales. Drought is a normal climate variation that can vary in magnitude and intensity, and while it is not the only climate-induced generator of multiple stresses, it is a significant one and one that provides clear illustration of the feedbacks involved.
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From page 10... ...
Workshop participants addressed how global/climate change drivers affect atmospheric composition and dynamics and subsequent atmosphere-ecosystem interactions, as well as the socioeconomic impacts of climate change on agriculture and carbon cycling, capture, and sequestration as regards agriculture and forestry. For both case studies the steering committee asked participants to explore the historical record and identify unexpected findings that raise concern about future responses to multiple stresses.
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From page 11... ...
In addition, once drought mitigation actions have been implemented and specific impacts avoided or reduced, serious attention needs to be paid to lessons learned. This learning can then be fed back into the planning and early warning subsystems.
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UNdERStANdINg ANd RESPONdINg tO MUltIPlE ENVIRONMENtAl StRESSES Nature Societal response to living with risk Factors contributing to vulnerability Consequences, reinforcement A FIGURE 1-1 Illustration of the difference between drought-vulnerable societies (A) and drought-resilient societies (B)
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Nature Consequences, Societal response to B reinforcement living with risk INtROdUCtION 1-1b
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From page 14... ...
The effect may be direct (e.g., a change in crop yield in response to a change in the mean, range, or variability of tempera ture) or indirect (e.g., damages caused by an increase in the frequency of coastal flooding due to sea level rise)
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