Ecological Impacts of Climate Change (2008) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
3 Examples of Ecological Impacts of Climate Change in the United States
3 Examples of Ecological Impacts of Climate Change in the United States
Pages 22-35
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 22... ...
The case of the Quino checkerspot has resulted in the first habitat recovery plan to list climate change not only as a current threat but also as a factor that should be considered in designing habitat reserves and recovery management (Anderson et al.
|
From page 23... ...
Some of what we have learned about how changes in climate affect marine ecosystems comes from what has been observed during periodic climate cycles, such as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, and the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation, natural climatic fluctuations generated by ocean-atmosphere interactions over the Pacific that can have important effects on weather conditions globally For example, some species' distributions change with El Niño cycles. Other ecosystem changes, however, appear to be unlinked to those cycles, and instead seem to have arisen as novel, unexpected perturbations.
|
From page 24... ...
. 2020-2049 2070-2099 1961-1990 PCM model HadCM3 model PCM model HadCM3 model Wine lower higher lower r higher lower higher lower higher Grape emissions emissions emissions emissions emissions emissions emissions emissions growing B1 A1fi B1 A1fi B1 A1fi B1 A1fi region Wine Optimal Optimal Optimal Optimal Optimal Impaired Impaired Marginal Impaired Country (mid)
|
From page 25... ...
Late summer stream flow in seven Montana rivers has dropped an average of 30 percent since 1950 as a result of increasing irrigation demand, earlier snowmelt, and warmer summer temperatures. State officials have had to temporarily close recreational trout fishing during August in recent years on certain streams because of low stream flow and high water temperatures.
|
From page 26... ...
in 1999 than in 1976, apparently in response to warmer late-winter temperatures. This unfortunately means they are present and active when snow still covers their normal food; in this Rocky Mountain location warmer temperatures were not, by 1999, associated with earlier melting of the winter snowpack.
|
From page 27... ...
Projecting crop growth in a changing climate is further complicated by the fact that for most plant species, growth increases in response to an increase in the CO2 concentration of the atmosphere. Plants grow by combining CO2 from the atmosphere with water, using energy from light, to make carbohydrates, in the process called photosynthesis.
|
From page 28... ...
Cod could survive in cooler pockets north of Cape Cod and the cooler, historically rich waters of Georges Bank. Lobsters tolerate a wider range of water temperatures, however in warmer water lobsters need more oxygen to survive, and warmer water holds less oxygen.
|
From page 29... ...
border. The observed northward movement of species also has such potentially negative implications as new arrivals competing with local species for scarce resources, bringing with them new diseases, or crowding out native species.
|
From page 30... ...
Not only are the corals themselves in jeopardy but so is the survival of the myriad species found only on coral reefs, which make coral reefs one of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth. The Southwestern Deserts Wildfire and invasive species Until recently the Mojave and Sonoran deserts of the southwestern United States were generally fireproof.
|
From page 31... ...
Alaska and the Arctic The Arctic is warming about twice as rapidly as the rest of the planet. Warming at high latitudes causes the sea ice and seasonal snow cover to melt more rapidly (Figure 11)
|
From page 32... ...
32 Examples of Ecological Impacts of Climate Changein the United States FIGURE 11 Average arctic sea ice area for the month of September 2007 (in white) and the average from 1979 to 2000 (pink outline)
|
From page 33... ...
Warmer summer temperatures tend to increase food availability and, as a consequence, survival of calves. But these advantages are countered by more frequent thaw events in winter, which tend to produce a layer of ice on top of the snow, making it difficult for caribou to reach the underlying foliage.
|
From page 34... ...
2001. Ice-dependent animals: Walrus and polar bear Climate change is having a major impact on the extent of sea ice, and therefore on the animals that depend on it, including walruses and polar bears.
|
From page 35... ...
This reduces the organic matter that falls to the seafloor as sediments, reducing the productivity of the seafloor ecosystem on which walrus, crabs, and other species feed. As sea ice continues to retreat this entire ice-dependent ecosystem, including coastal indigenous communities that depend on marine mammals both culturally and nutritionally, will be substantially restructured (Grebmeier et al.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.