Ecosystems and Biodiversity

Ecosystems and BiodiversityPublished by: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/effects/eco.html                                                

The overwhelming majority of studies of regional climate effects on terrestrial species reveal consistent responses to warming trends, including poleward and elevational range shifts of flora and fauna. Responses of terrestrial species to warming across the Northern Hemisphere are well documented by changes in the timing of growth stages (i.e., phenological changes), especially the earlier onset of spring events, migration, and lengthening of the growing season (IPCC, 2007).      read more

Coastal Zones and Sea Level Rise

 

     Coastal Zones and Sea Level Rise

Coastal zones are particularly vulnerable to climate variability and change. Key concerns include sea level rise, land loss, changes in maritime storms and flooding, responses to sea level rise and implications for water resources.

Sea level is rising along most of the U.S. coast, and around the world. In the last century, sea level rose 5 to 6 inches more than the global average along the Mid-Atlantic and Gulf Coasts , because coastal lands there are subsiding. Published by: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/effects/coastal/index.html read more  

 

Global Warming and Weather Extremes

 

Global Warming and Weather Extremes

  Climate is defined not simply as average temperature and precipitation but also by the type, frequency and intensity of weather events. Human-induced climate change has the potential to alter the prevalence and severity of extremes such as heat waves, cold waves, storms, floods and droughts. Though predicting changes in these types of events under a changing climate is difficult, understanding vulnerabilities to such changes is a critical part of estimating vulnerabilities and future climate change impacts on human health, society and the environment.

  read more Published By: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/effects/extreme.html

 

Allergies Getting Worse Due to Global Warming

 

Allergies Getting Worse Due to Global Warming

By Sara Goudarzi, Special to LiveScience

Sea levels are rising, polar ice caps are melting, hurricanes are getting stronger, and thanks to climate change, people are sneezing more.

The rapid rise in occurrence of allergic symptoms over the past few decades may be due to environmental changes such as mounting carbon dioxide and a warmer atmosphere, a new study finds.                                        read more                               Published by: http://www.livescience.com

The Irony of Global Warming: More Rain, Less Water

 

The Irony of Global Warming: More Rain, Less Water

By Robert Roy Britt, LiveScience Managing Editor

Even though a warmer planet is expected to bring more precipitation, we humans may not be able to capture enough of it.

As the climate warms, more water will fall in the form of rain rather than snow, studies have shown. New modeling details how reservoirs will fill earlier than normal, and how snow will melt earlier in the year, altering the timing of runoff that water officials count on in many major reservoir systems. read more                                                                    Published by: http://www.livescience.com 

 

Global Warming Fuels U.S. Forest Fires

 

Global Warming Fuels U.S. Forest Fires

By Sara Goudarzi, LiveScience Staff Writer                                       

A recent increase in wildfire activity has been correlated with rising seasonal temperatures and the earlier arrival of spring, a new study concludes.

Looking at a database of 1,166 forest wildfires from 1970 to 2003 in the western United States , researchers compared the number and potency of wildfires to spring and summer temperatures and the timing of snowmelts.

Wildfire season and potency increased “suddenly and dramatically” in the late 1980’s, the scientists say.

“The increase in large wildfires appears to be another part of a chain of reactions to climate warming,” read more Published by: http://www.livescience.com

More Large Forest Fires Linked to Climate Change

 

More Large Forest Fires Linked to Climate Change
by Mari N. Jensen, UA Communications

  Large forest fires have occurred more frequently in the western United States since the mid-1980s as spring temperatures increased, mountain snows melted earlier and summers got hotter, according to new research.

Almost seven times more forested federal land burned during the 1987-2003 period than during the prior 17 years. In addition, large fires occurred about four times more often during the latter period.

The research is the most systematic analysis to date of recent changes in forest fire activity in the western United States. read more Published by:

California Wildfires and Global Warming

 

 

Wildfires are More Frequent and Intense Due to Climate Change  

Photo: Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo

The wildfires consuming Southern California are extraordinary: Extraordinary because they have claimed so many homes. extraordinary because they started so quickly and have burned so intensely. Extraordinary because they are exhausting the formidable firefighting resources in a region used to wildfire.

But in the years to come, they may become ordinary. Published by: http://www.thedailygreen.com/read more