Tag Archives: climate change

Trees responding to climate change: Being smart about water use

11 Jul

While the human species is struggling to collaborate on the best methods to combat climate change, trees are using their instincts to survive, a new study finds. 

Scientists with the U.S. Forest Service, Harvard University, The Ohio State University, Indiana University, and the Institute of Meteorology and Climate in Germany found that trees in the northern hemisphere have increased their water-use efficiency over the past two decades.

Water-use efficiency refers to the ratio of water loss to carbon gain during photosynthesis.

But, the increased efficiency has both positive and negative consequences.

“Our analysis suggests that rising atmospheric carbon dioxide is having a direct and unexpectedly strong influence on ecosystem processes and biosphere-atmosphere interactions in temperate and boreal forests,” Dave Hollinger, a plant physiologist with the U.S. Forest Service’s Northern Research Station, and one of the co-authors of the study said.

Hollinger explained that the change can result in more timber for building as well as a greater supply of available freshwater which could reduce the harshness of droughts in some parts of the world. However, high water-use efficiency also results in warmer temperatures and increased dryness in the air. In addition, the recycling of precipitation is hindered, therefore causing more freshwater runoff which could  increase the risk of droughts in places that rely on the water transpired in other areas.

The study, “Increase in forest water-use efficiency as atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations rise,” was published online today in the journal Nature.

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Possibility of worldwide coral bleaching by 2056, new model maps show

26 Feb
In a new article in Nature Climate Change scientists from NOAA's Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies show maps that illustrate how rising sea temperatures are likely to affect all coral reefs, including those in Polynesia, in the form of annual coral bleaching events under various different emission scenarios. Their results emphasize that without significant reductions in emissions most coral reefs on the planet are at risk for bleaching within the next several decades. Credit: Thomas Vignaud

In a new article in Nature Climate Change scientists from NOAA’s Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies show maps that illustrate how rising sea temperatures are likely to affect all coral reefs, including those in Polynesia, in the form of annual coral bleaching events under various different emission scenarios. Their results emphasize that without significant reductions in emissions most coral reefs on the planet are at risk for bleaching within the next several decades. Credit: Thomas Vignaud

Many coastal areas who have or once had pristine coral reefs, rely on ecotourism for part of their income. But, once the reefs start to die out, the fish move away and the once sought-after snorkeling spot becomes a skeletal reef for the history books.

Coral reefs aren’t only beneficial economically, they also act as important carbon sinks, and homes and food for marine life. Their value cannot be measured with a price tag since they are a crucial part of the Earth’s ecosystem.

A study published today in Nature Climate Change by University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science scientists shows how different levels of carbon emissions can cause coral bleaching. The study used recent data from the  Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to create climate models. Although some types of coral bleaching can be a localized seasonal event, coral bleaching in mass quantities is caused by water temperatures that are too warm. This is because the algae, or zooxanthellae, that live inside the coral skeleton and give it its color cannot tolerate the temperatures and become expelled from the coral. If too many zooxanthellae become expelled, the corals become malnourished and die. Continue reading →

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Indonesia model islands: Finding a balance between sustainability and development

8 Feb
WCS researchers for the Wildlife Conservation Society have found that co-management plans and incentives in Indonesia's Karimunjawa National Park help improve the livelihoods of communities and achieve conservation objectives. For instance, economic incentives to local fishers through assistance with fish mariculture techniques and equipment has helped improve acceptance of conservation strategies in the park. (Photo by: Ripanto/WCS Indonesia Program)

WCS researchers for the Wildlife Conservation Society have found that co-management plans and incentives in Indonesia’s Karimunjawa National Park help improve the livelihoods of communities and achieve conservation objectives. For instance, economic incentives to local fishers through assistance with fish mariculture techniques and equipment has helped improve acceptance of conservation strategies in the park. (Photo by: Ripanto/WCS Indonesia Program)

There is no question that the Earth is changing and that humans are the ones responsible. In the age of the humans, or Anthropocene era, biodiversity has declined, CO2 levels have risen and climate change has the potential to have dire consequences.

Research shows that coastal communities, especially small island countries are most at risk for these effects of climate change such as sea level rise and increased ocean acidity which can result in fishery decline.

But, with the right management, these communities can soften the blow of climate change and keep their fisheries sustainable for future generations. A new study by the Wildlife Conservation Society and the University of Western Australia shows that fishing communities in Indonesia have done just that, and their practices could serve as a potential model to other small island countries. Continue reading →

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Climate change may change the way we eat, study shows

2 Nov

A new study released Wednesday by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research Research (CGIAR) Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) shows that food and agriculture production accounts for almost 29 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, which are contributing to climate change. This number, 17,000 megatonnes of carbon dioxide annually, is alarming to scientists, who previously thought the number was much lower.

Food’s carbon “footprint” has major implications for the way food is produced and distributed, and developing countries are most at risk and may have to change the way they eat drastically.

In addition, as the earth starts to warm, key crops like maize, rice and wheat will decrease due to higher temperatures and rainfall becomes unpredictable. The researchers said this new finding shows how urgent climate change mitigation is, not only for the environment, but for food security. Continue reading →

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More people live in warm, dry areas study shows

26 Oct

Human population in the contingent U.S. has shifted to warmer and drier areas over the last century, a study shows.  Though environmental implications of this pattern cannot be proven without further research, scientists can speculate with some confidence.

Jason Samson an ecologist from the Department of Natural Resource Sciences at McGill University in Canada, and his fellow researchers used spatially explicit models to see how climate, income and biophysical factors were related to demographic change between the years 1900 and 2000. Continue reading →

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When it comes to climate change, uncertainty is the enemy

16 Oct

Uncertainty is a common word when it comes to scientific research and, in many cases, unavoidable. But, the public doesn’t like this word and in politics it poses an opportunity for debate and polarization. The science related to climate change demonstrates this perfectly.

According to new research at the University of Gothenberg and Columbia University, the current climate threshold that states an increase in global temperature should be below 2 degrees Celsius, is not helping combat the problem. In fact, it may be having an adverse effect.

The problem is that the threshold number doesn’t stem from pure science, but instead is determined by Nature.

The research showed that if this number was proven without any uncertainty, then negotiations would go smoothly and countries would be happy to participate in collective efforts toward a greener and cooler planet. The problem is however, that this “certain” number that is being looked for does not exist. There will always be uncertainty.

“Climate negotiations are more complex that the game played by the participants in our experiment. The basic incentive problem, however, is the same and our research shows that scientific uncertainty about the dangerous threshold changes behavior dramatically,” Astrid Dannenberg, Postdoc researcher at the Environmental Economics Unit, said in a press release.

It may be for this reason that the UN centered the negotiations around the 2 degree celsius mark, but according to Professor Scott Barrett, Columbia University, the outlook looks dim. He suggests alternatives for negotiations that do not depend on an uncertain threshold.

“We will not know until 2020 if the Copenhagen Accord pledges will be met, but if our results are a reliable guide, countries may end up emitting even more than they pledged – with potentially profound and possibly irreversible consequences. Our research suggests that negotiators should focus their attention on alternative strategies for collective action, such as trade restrictions or technology standards,” Barrett said in a press release.

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