LECTURE 10 Flashcards
Name the four kinds of ecosystem services.
Provisioning – water and food supply
Supporting - maintenance of other ecosystem services (nutrient recycling, primary production)
Regulating – maintenance of planetary processes (esp climate system)
Cultural – recreational or spiritual benefits
Five Examples of Ecosystem Provisioning Impacts
Food provisioning (from marine systems)
Food provisioning (from marine systems) • Marine fisheries
- Water temperature is correlated with fluctuations in population size for many species (mackerel, sardine, salmon)
- Catch size fluctuates with indices of atmospheric circulation and water temperatures
- More than 50% of fish caught in Pacific and Atlantic are influenced by indices
- Climate change affects atmospheric circulation and water temperature and affects catch size in the future
Food provisioning (from marine systems)
Warming oceans reshaping fisheries
Warming oceans reshaping fisheries
Subtropic and temperate oceans
• Shifts towards more warm-water species and fewer cool water species
Tropics
• Declines in warm-water species because there are not may species with high enough temperature preference
Food provisioning (from marine systems)
Patterns in sardine and anchovy catches
- The catches track: global temperature trends (g) and local atmospheric circulation indices (b-f)
- Species differ
o Cool periods saw an increase in Peruvian anchovy catch
o Warmer period saw an increase in sardine catch
Temperatures oscillate on a 25-year cycle (large scale climate changes)
Sardine-anchovy Cycle
- Changes in catch are linked to 25-year cycle
- Collapse of California sardine fishery = entire processing industry lost
- Changes in Peruvian anchovy fishery = thousands of jobs and millions of tons of food impacted
*Note: not all populations react in the same way
- In California, sardine catch increases in warm period / low productivity
- In Japan, sardine catch increases in cold periods / high productivity
- The mechanisms behind this are being studied
Five Examples of Ecosystem Provisioning Impacts
Water provisioning
Water stress – surface water used by humans (domestic, industrial, agricultural) is greater than 40% available water
Climate: rainfall and temperature
Decrease in rainfall = decreased stream flow
Increased temperature = increased need for water
~ 2 billion people = water stress conditions (2011)
2/3 of global population = water stress (2025)
What is water stress?
Water stress – surface water used by humans (domestic, industrial, agricultural) is greater than 40% available water
Climate change / population change = changes in water stress
Climate change / population change = changes in water stress
• Water stress calculated GCM & water basin model
- Many areas ↑ stress due to climate change
- Other places precipitation ↑
- Many areas ↑ stress due to ↑ population
- Overall trend of ↑ in stress globally
The third world war will be about _______
The third world war will be about water (fought over oil in the past)
We need to change our approach to managing this vital resource
Which water climates are at risk?
Mediterranean climates at risk
- California, Chile, SW Australia, cape of South Africa, areas around Mediterranean sea
• Where water is already naturally scarce
• Centres of wine production, good agricultural potential
• High human population, leading to water stress
Increased summer droughts and increased temperatures = increased aridity = increased water stress
Southern Europe – about 40% of Mediterranean populations increase water stress by 2050
Increased water use (for purpose of agriculture and tourism) as temperatures increase = further increase in water stress
What are the impacts of melting glaciers?
CHANGES IN WATER AVAILABILITY (STREAMFLOW!)
o Increased short term, decreased long term
o Increase in seasonality of water supply
POLAR / HIGH LATITUDE
o Increased impact on ecosystems
o Decrease impact on human populations due to water stress (few people live in these areas)
TROPICS
o Increased impact on ecosystems and human populations
Give an example of the impacts of melting glaciers.
Andean Altiplano
• In Andes, bofedales and paramo are extensive
o Bofedales – high altitude wetlands that absorb and retain water (compensate for glacier melt)
o Paramo – alpine grasslands, also retain water
- Major cities rely on water subsequently, they rely on glacial meltwater and bofedales/paramo reserves
- Manage ecosystems to maintain water reserves
What are bofedales?
Bofedales – high altitude wetlands that absorb and retain water (compensate for glacier melt)
What are paramo?
Paramo - alpine grasslands, also retain water
Why are bofedales and paramo important?
Bofedales – high altitude wetlands that absorb and retain water (compensate for glacier melt)
Alpine grasslands, also retain water
Major cities rely on water and subsequently, they rely on glacial meltwater and bofedales/paramo reserves
T or F: Himalayan glaciers are declining.
True - Himalayan glaciers are declining.
Lifting cloud base & cloud forests
• Cloud forests –> trap water (fog), runoff flows downstream
• If the cloud base lifts up, then the fog and forest intersection decreases and less water
• Less cloud forest coverage
• Increase water stress downstream
What impact do melting glaciers have on Snowpack-dependent Systems?
Snowpack-dependent Systems
Increased temperatures = less snow
- Earlier spring earliet snow melt
- Later fall later first snowfall
Impact to streamflow for downstream ecosystems
- Increased in peak flow and earlier peak flow
- Decrease in water availability later in the water year
Impacts rich agricultural lands in USA
14-fold increase in USA counties with extreme water stress by 2050
Other temperature regions at risk (arid and semi-arid areas)
Increased in water stress increased risk of fires
Five Examples of Ecosystem Provisioning Impacts
Carbon sequestration is a ______ service
Carbon sequestration is a regulating service
Ecosystems store \_\_\_\_\_\_ especially in (2)
Ecosystems store CARBON
• Plants (especially trees!)
• Wetlands and peat soils
Climate change impacts C sequestration.
• One biome converted into another change in C storage potential per unit area
• Decrease plant growth or plant size = decrease in carbon pool
o Smaller trees store less carbon than larger trees
• Also feedback on plants increase C storage
o i.e. high latitude forests in Europe and North America have high productivity
• Changes in land use can impact this service as well
o Largest impact: forests that are converted to annual croplands where lots of C is released
♣ Deforestation releases C into atmosphere
o Europe and N. America: farmland converted to forests = net carbon sinks
♣ Carbon sinks help us to adapt to climate change
• i.e. increased absorption by land and ocean sinks has ensured that atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations have not risen more
Five Examples of Ecosystem Provisioning Impacts
Fire Effects
Global changes in fire and probability due to climate
Snowpack fire index with USA
o decreased snowpack = increased large fires
o 1970 – present, increased large fired linked to climate change
o increased temperature earlier snowmelt drier forests
o 6 X increase in large fires in warm years
o Montane forests most at risk because they are most reliant on snowpack
Five Examples of Ecosystem Provisioning Impacts
Tourism + Coral Bleaching
Coral Bleaching
o Shift in food webs, loss or coral fishes
o Loss of tourism, esp dive tourism
o Dive sites already being impacted globally
i.e. Thailand where dive sites are closed due to bleaching
o loss in tourism revenue
Five Examples of Ecosystem Provisioning Impacts
Tourism + snowpack melt
Snowpack melt
o forest composition, birding, hunting, all impacted by changes in streamflow from snowpack melt
o earlier snowmelt leads to less days to ski in resort areas
o impacting tourism revenue and jobs
o ski industry and forest recreation in fire-prone areas also of major concern
i.e. Europe
o snowlines are rising
o 1/3 of ski resorts because of insufficient snow
o artificial snow making is costly and decreases profitability
o seasons will be shorter in areas with adequate snow
o other areas will see increased snowfall
o mixed impact to industry careful planning needed
Five Examples of Ecosystem Provisioning Impacts
Tourism + forest recreation
Forest recreation
o backpacking, birding, camping are all large sources of revenue
o 2/3 of tropical endemics at risk (birding)
o forest dieback (drought, bark beetles) loss of forests for hiking and camping
o loss of revenue
USING ECOSYSTEMS TO ADAPT TO FUTURE CLIMATE CHANGE
Three key terms
Mitigation
Adaptation
Ecosystem-based Adaptation
What is mitigation?
Mitigation – reduce GG emissions through human action (reducing carbon footprint)
What is adaptation?
Adaptation – ecosystems can also mitigate climate changes so this can help humans adapt to it
What does EbA stand for and what is it?
Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) – mechanisms for ecosystems to help in adaptation to climate change
EbA includes (3):
EbA includes:
o management of ecosystem services to reduce human impacts (fire, coral bleaching)
o management of ecosystems to reduce impacts of climate change (rising sea levels)
o adaptation of conservation strategies to conserve biodiversity in face of climate change
What are Four Examples of EbA?
o coastal protection
o water supply protection
o food production
o disaster risk reduction
EbA: CORAL PROTECTION
Healthy corals and wetlands offer flood protection
Mangroves/coastal vegetation reduce power of storm surges
Climate change has caused increased storm severity and frequency
EbA goal: maintain and restore these areas for future protection
EbA: CORAL PROTECTION
Give an example of this in SE Asia.
i.e. South East Asia
o abundant mangroves and large costal populations
o mangroves cleared for aquaculture ponds
o large storms coastal towns and lands flooded
EbA Goal: mangrove restoration in Philippines and Indonesia
Added benefit mangroves are large carbon pools
EbA: CORAL PROTECTION
Give an example of this in North America.
i.e. Albemarle Sound
o large estuary, North Carolina coast
o Peat soils are large carbon pools!
o Drained for 100 years to improve agriculture
o Increased sea levels cause peat soils to dissolve and increase seawater intrusions (threatening farms/towns)
EbA goal:
o Convert unusable cropland into estuary habitat
o Wetlands regenerate, less carbon dioxide is released from peat and coastal lands protected from flooding
o Nature conservancy doing this
EbA: CORAL PROTECTION
Give an example of this in South America.
EbA man-made marshes for flood control
i.e. Coral reefs, Discovery Coast, Brazil
o Reefs protect premier beaches (tourism)
o Beaches are low-lying reefs protect against erosion
o Severe reef damage due to overfishing, sedimentation, pollution
o Climate change increased sea levels increased flooding/erosion
EbA goal:
o Reefs rebuild after disturbances (outcompeted by algae)
o Blue parrotfish (Budiao) eat algae so corals can rebuild
o Protect Parrotfish (fishing pressure) to allow reefs to recover and prevent coastal erosion
EbA: WATER SUPPLY PROTECTION
Cloud Forests
Cloud Forests
o Convert moisture in fog into water
o Streamflow that supplies lower elevation ecosystems
o Lifting cloud bases = decreased streamflow
o Lowland forest agricultural fields (contributing less evapotranspiration to clouds)
o Cloud formation reduced, warming leads to clouds forming higher up
o Stress on cloud forests
EbA goal:
o Regional strategies to reduce lowland forest loss
o Helps to maintain cloud forests and streamflow
EbA: WATER SUPPLY PROTECTION
Montane Forests
Montane Forests
o As spring advances, earlier snowmelt, less water later in the year
o Forests slow snow melt (shade snow and retain it)
EbA goal:
o Strategies to maintain forest where there is high snowpack
o Reduces impact of climate change on seasonality of runoff
EbA: WATER SUPPLY PROTECTION
Glacier Melt
Glacier Melt
o Glacier melt impacts streamflow
o Downslope tundra/paramo soils
o Maintain seasonal water supply for downstream ecosystems
EbA goal
o Strategies to maintain tundra/paramo habitats (reduced grazing)
o Replaces some of water lost by glacier melt
EbA: FOOD PRODUCTION
Climate-smart agriculture includes these two things.
Using natural soil ecosystems for crop growth
Agroforestry
EbA: FOOD PRODUCTION
Climate-smart agriculture includes these two things.
Using natural soil ecosystems for crop growth
What is the benefit of this?
o Soil moisture/productivity benefits crops
o Agricultural lands that maintain natural soil processes and reduce climate change impacts
o More organic matter/richer microbes
♣ More water retention than over-fertilized soils
EbA: FOOD PRODUCTION
Climate-smart agriculture includes these two things.
What is the benefit of agroforestry?
o Combining natural forest with tree crops or tree with row crops
o Cools crops and soils
o Maintains crop productivity
o Agroforestry – cultivation and incorporation of trees
EbA: FOOD PRODUCTION
What is the goal of climate-smart agriculture?
EbA goal:
o encourage farming practices that promote agroforestry and soil organic material (climate-smart agriculture)
o More water available to crops as water stress increases
o Crops also protected from increase in temperatures (shade trees)
EbA: FOOD PRODUCTION
Give two examples of climate-smart agriculture?
i.e. Shade coffee plantations
o Less vulnerable to temperature increases
o Maintains natural ecosystems (protects wildlife)
i.e. Humba, Ethiopia
o Farmers allowed trees to regrow from stumps or seedbanks
o Protects soils from erosion and improves soil moisture-holding capacity and shades crops
o Farmers ecosystem services provided by forests without needing to replant anything
EbA: DISASTER RISK
Forests on steep slopes prevent disasters
o They help hold onto soil and prevent landslides
o Holding on to water = prevents flooding
Warmer temperatures
o Increased hydrological cycle
o Increased storm frequency/intensity
o Increased risk of landslides or floods
In landslide/flood prone areas
o Reforestation and prevent deforestation
o Laws passed in Chile, Brazil, and Thailand after major disasters
EbA goals:
o Restore forests on slopes (landslide prone areas)
o Protect upstream forests (flood prone areas)
o Protect downstream forests (to help slow advancing floodwaters)
ECOSYSTEMS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
o Many services likely to be impacted by climate change (some increase and other decrease)
o Climate change can be mediated by reducing GG emissions (goal of Paris accord)
o Climate change can also be faced by adapting to take advantage of ecosystem services
