Ecology; Climate change impacts Flashcards
Why are the climate change consequences on ecosystems so complex?
Several reasons:
- Climate change is not only temperature increase, but also increased storminess, changed precipitation patters, modified circulation, sea level rise, ocean acidification, increased hypoxia, increased frequency of extreme events (e.g. heat waves) etc, etc
- Climate interacts with other global changes:
* Urbanization
* overexploitation of natural resources
* fragmentation and habitat loss
* degradation of environmental quality / pollution
* invasive species - Climate change affects all levels of biological organisation, from genes to ecosystems..
- …and at a wide range of spatial and temporal scales
What are the multiple impacts of climate change on mangrove ecosystems? (graph)
Climate change and coral reefs (temperature effects) (picture)
Climate change and coral reefs (effects of storms and rainfall) (picture)
Climate change and coral reefs (effects of acidification) (picture)
Summary of vulnerability of coral reefs to key variables of climate change (table)
What is considered one of the major threats to coral reefs?
Ocean acidification
Example of human alterations of coral reefs (picture)
Coral reef degradation (picture)
Example of consequences from human impacts
Likelihood of fleshy macroalgae rising to dominance and outcompeting the calcified
taxa under future warming and acidification scenarios will depend upon the local impacts of
fishery (from Harley et al 2012)
Climate change affects all levels of biological
organisation, from genes to ecosystems… (graph)
Climate change effects at a wide range of spatial and temporal scales … (graph)
Overview of climate impacts on ecological processes (picture)
Ongoing habitat shifts in North Adriatic sea salt marshes (case study)
Perennial (blijvende) grasses to annual succulents (vetplanten)
Ongoing habitat shifts in North Adriatic sea salt marshes (case study)
Perennial (blijvende) grasses to annual succulents (vetplanten)
What are the climate stressors driving habitat shifts in North Adriatic saltmarshes? (case study)
Combined test of effects of:
- increased temperature
- decreased rainfall
- increased inundation
on Salicornia veneta and Spartina spp
What is the main driver of the regime shifts in North Adriatic salt marshes?
- Increasing heatwaves/droughts are shifting the system
- reducing its resilience to increased inundation (overstromingen)
Coastal squeeze and the loss of intertidal habitats
Intertidal habitats trapped in a “coastal squeeze” between:
- a coast “fixed” by human population from the
land - and the effects of global climate change from the sea
Illustration of the effects of rising sea levels on rocky shores
MHWS: mean high water spring
MLWS: mean low water spring
Worldwide retracting canopies
Documented widespread range retractions and declines since at least early 1900s in
* Europe,
* North and south America,
* Japan, Korea,
* South Africa,
* Australia and New Zealand
What habitats are canopies replaced by?
- Turfs
- Ephemeral algae
- Mussels
- Barren
How does the shift from canopy to turf accelerate?
Through climatic stressors
What other processes related to canopies are induced by climatic stressors?
- Delay population recovery
- Increase herbivorous fish pressure
Effect of climatic stressors on delay in population recovery
Effect of climatic stressors on the increase in herbivorous fish pressure
Effects of climate changes on coastal human societies
- Flood coastal erosion
- sea level rise
- cyclons
- Harmful algal blooms
- anoxia
- Fisheries
Inundation risks: vulnerability of coastal populations (map)
Inundation risks: vulnerability of assets
Vulnerability is a function of…
- exposure
- sensitivity
- adaptive capacity
linked social-ecological vulnerability
Climate as a risk factor for armed conflict
What is climate change mitigation?
Interventions aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing absorption (e.g. energy saving, reforestation)
What are climate change adaptations?
Initiatives and measures to reduce the impacts of climate change on natural and human systems or to exploit any opportunities
Adaptation vs mitigation
- Complementary strategies for reducing and managing the risks of climate change.
- Substantial emissions reductions over the next few decades can reduce climate risks in the 21st century and beyond.
-effective adaptation, reduces the costs and challenges of mitigation in the longer term, and contribute to climate-resilient pathways for sustainable development
- They often compete at national level for the
allocation of resources - Should be considered as two aspects of a single integrated response to climate change
Examples of ‘hard’ adaptations
- Building of dams or coastal defenses
- Replacement of species sensitive to temperature shocks with more resistant ones
- Open corridors that allow the migration of
species - Building criteria that take into account future
environmental conditions and increase in
extreme events
Examples of ‘soft’ adaptations
- Education
- Optimisation of use of resources (e.g. water)
- Setup of risk prevention systems
- Protection of environment and population healt-social-economic welfare
Nature based solution (e.g. the Scheldt in Belgium)
Ocean based solutions to climate change
How can MPA’s help in mitigation and adaptation?
