57: Impact on Ecosystems Flashcards
What have global temperatures risen to?
rose about 1.1°C (2°F) from 1901
What is the goal of the Paris Agreement?
aims to limit warming to 1.5 to 2°C by 2100
What are we on track to?
an increase of 2-3°C by 2100
What environmental changes are happening according to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)?
- sea levels are rising in an accelerated pace
- glaciers are shrinking
- area covered by sea ice in the Arctic at the end of summer has shrunk
- amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has risen
- snow is melting earlier compared to long-term averages
- changes in seasonal weather patterns
What are environment predictions for the future?
- sea level will rise 1-8 feet
- extreme weather events (hurricanes, heat waves) will happen more often
- changes in rainfall (more droughts, more floods)
- the Ocean will be warmer and more acidic
What are the two factors that determine what biome is found at a specific place?
temperature and precipitation
How will climate change affect biomes?
certain biomes will be changing due to changes in temperature and precipitation (shift in biomes)
- ex: taiga –> tundra
- ex: in MN, forest compatible biomes will be smaller, more prairie biome
What will happen if the planet warms by another 1.5°?
up to 10% of species will be at high risk of extinction
- species that live close to the sea (polar bears) will be more vulnerable
- extinction goes up as global temperature rises
What is the lemuroid ringtail possum?
in Australia, is vulnerable at temperatures above 30°C and cannot survive at temperatures above this for more than 4 or 5 hours
What is happening to habitats on Earth?
already about 47% of the species lost some of their populations due to climate change
- ex: Pika
What is occurring to the Pika species?
pika: small mammal limited to cold areas near the tops of mountains
- more than 1/3 of the 25 pika populations have gone extinct in recent decades
What is occurring with species distribution?
half of all species have migrated toward the poles or up the mountain
Ex: mackerel is migrating north
What is occurring to the farmland?
a warming of 1.5°C will make 8% of today’s farmland unsuitable which is bad because there are there going to be more people to feed
- threats to varieties of coffee and chocolate
What is happening to fisheries?
populations of fish are moving North
What is affecting forest composition?
More fires, migration of trees to the pole and higher altitudes, droughts and more pests
