Download or read book Changing Precipitation Regimes and Terrestrial Ecosystems written by Jake F. Weltzin and published by University of Arizona Press. This book was released on 2003-01-01 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By the beginning of the twenty-first century, few people could deny the reality of global change. But while most alarm has been over increasing temperatures, other changes are occurring in precipitation patternsÑvariations that may be due in part to global warming but also to factors such as changes in atmospheric circulation and land surfaces. This volume provides a central source of information about this newly emerging area of global change research. It presents ongoing investigations into the responses of plant communities and ecosystems to the experimental manipulation of precipitation in a variety of field settingsÑparticularly in the western and central United States, where precipitation is already scarce or variable. By exploring methods that can be used to predict responses of ecosystems to changes in precipitation regimes, it demonstrates new approaches to global change research and highlights the importance of precipitation regimes in structuring ecosystems. The contributors first document the importance of precipitation, soil characteristics, and soil moisture to plant life. They then focus on the roles of precipitation amount, seasonality, and frequency in shaping varied terrestrial ecosystems: desert, sagebrush steppe, oak savanna, tall- and mixed-grass prairie, and eastern deciduous forest. These case studies illustrate many complex, tightly woven, interactive relationships among precipitation, soils, and plantsÑrelationships that will dictate the responses of ecosystems to changes in precipitation regimes. The approaches utilized in these chapters include spatial comparisons of vegetation structure and function across different ecosytems; analyses of changes in plant architecture and physiology in response to temporal variation in precipitation; experiments to manipulate water availability; and modeling approaches that characterize the relationships between climate variables and vegetation types. All seek to assess vegetation responses to major shifts in climate that appear to be occurring at present and may become the norm in the future. As the first volume to discuss and document current and cutting-edge concepts and approaches to research into changing precipitation regimes and terrestrial ecosystems, this book shows the importance of developing reliable predictions of the precipitation changes that may occur with global warming. These studies clearly demonstrate that patterns of environmental variation and the nature of vegetation responses are complex phenomena that are only beginning to be understood, and that these experimental approaches are critical for our understanding of future change.
Download or read book Potential Effects of Altered Precipitation Regimes on Primary Production in Terrestrial Ecosystems written by Joanna Su-Ting Hsu and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In addition to causing an increase in mean temperatures, climate change is also altering precipitation regimes across the globe. General circulation models project both latitude-dependent changes in precipitation mean and increases in precipitation variability. These changes in water availability will impact terrestrial primary productivity, the fixation of carbon dioxide into organic matter by plants. In my thesis, I addressed the following three questions: 1.) What will be the relative effect of changes in the mean and standard deviation of annual precipitation on mean annual primary production? 2.) Which ecosystems will be the most sensitive to changes in precipitation? 3.) Will increases in production variability be disproportionately greater than increases in precipitation variability? I gathered 58 time series of annual precipitation and aboveground net primary production (ANPP) from long-term ecological study sites across the globe. I quantified the sensitivity of ANPP at each site to changes in precipitation mean and variance. My results indicated that mean ANPP is about 40 times more sensitive to changes in precipitation mean than to changes in precipitation variance. I showed that semi-arid ecosystems such as shortgrass steppe in Colorado or typical steppe in Inner Mongolia may be the most sensitive to changes in precipitation mean. At these sites and several others, a 1% change in mean precipitation may result in a change in ANPP that is greater than 1%. To address how increases in interannual precipitation variability will impact the variability of ANPP, I perturbed the variability of observed precipitation time series and evaluated the impact of this perturbation on predicted ANPP variability. I found that different assumptions about the precipitation-ANPP relationship had different implications for how increases in precipitation variability will impact ANPP variability. Increases in ANPP variability were always directly proportional to increases in precipitation variability when ANPP was modeled as a simple linear or a lagged function of precipitation. However, when ANPP was modeled as a nonlinear, saturating function of precipitation, increases in ANPP variability were disproportionately low compared to increases in precipitation variability during wet years but disproportionately high during dry years. My thesis addresses an existing research gap regarding the long-term impact of increases in interannual precipitation variability on key ecosystem functioning. I showed that increases in precipitation variability will have negligible impacts on ANPP mean and have disproportionately large impacts on ANPP variability only when ANPP is a concave down, nonlinear function of precipitation. My work also demonstrates the importance of the precipitation-ANPP relationship in determining the magnitude of impacts to ANPP caused by changes in precipitation. Finally, my thesis highlights the potential for considerable changes in ANPP variability due to increases in precipitation variability.
Download or read book Effects of Atmospheric and Climate Change on Terrestrial Ecosystems written by B. H. Walker and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Climate Change Science written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2001-06-28 with total page 41 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The warming of the Earth has been the subject of intense debate and concern for many scientists, policy-makers, and citizens for at least the past decade. Climate Change Science: An Analysis of Some Key Questions, a new report by a committee of the National Research Council, characterizes the global warming trend over the last 100 years, and examines what may be in store for the 21st century and the extent to which warming may be attributable to human activity.
Download or read book Global Environmental Change written by Bill Freedman and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-08-22 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The handbook Global Environmental Change is intended to serve as a reliable and comprehensive resource to attend the needs of researchers, teachers, students, and professionals working in science and policy aspects relevant to environment and sustainability. Entries in the handbook are arranged by major section, and are extensively cross-referenced to allow users to find related titles in a user-friendly way. The handbook is available as a printed volume and as an on-line reference work.
Download or read book Climate Change Impacts on Freshwater Ecosystems written by Martin Kernan and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-02-14 with total page 470 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This text examines the impact of climate change on freshwater ecosystems, past, present and future. It especially considers the interactions between climate change and other drivers of change including hydromorphological modification, nutrient loading, acid deposition and contamination by toxic substances using evidence from palaeolimnology, time-series analysis, space-for-time substitution, laboratory and field experiments and process modelling. The book evaluates these processes in relation to extreme events, seasonal changes in ecosystems, trends over decadal-scale time periods, mitigation strategies and ecosystem recovery. The book is also concerned with how aspects of hydrophysical, hydrochemical and ecological change can be used as early indicators of climate change in aquatic ecosystems and it addresses the implications of future climate change for freshwater ecosystem management at the catchment scale. This is an ideal book for the scientific research community, but is also accessible to Masters and senior undergraduate students.
Download or read book Ecological Impacts of Climate Change written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2008-12-07 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The world's climate is changing, and it will continue to change throughout the 21st century and beyond. Rising temperatures, new precipitation patterns, and other changes are already affecting many aspects of human society and the natural world. In this book, the National Research Council provides a broad overview of the ecological impacts of climate change, and a series of examples of impacts of different kinds. The book was written as a basis for a forthcoming illustrated booklet, designed to provide the public with accurate scientific information on this important subject.
Download or read book Global Climate Change and Freshwater Ecosystems written by Penelope Firth and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Global climate change is a certainty. The Earth's climate has never remained static for long and the prospect for human-accelerated climate change in the near future appears likely. Freshwater systems are intimately connected to climate in several ways: they may influence global atmospheric processes affecting climate; they may be sensitive early indicators of climate change because they integrate the atmospheric and terrestrial events occurring in their catchments; and, of course, they will be affected by climate change. An improved predictive understanding of environmental effects on pattern and process in freshwater ecosystems will be invaluable as a baseline upon which to build sound protection and management policies for fresh waters. This book represents an early step towards this improved understanding. The contributors accepted the challenge to assume global warming of 2-5oC in the next century. They then explored the implications of this scenario on various freshwater ecosystems and processes. To provide a broader perspective, Firth and Fisher included several chapters which do not deal expressly with freshwater ecosystems, but rather discuss climate change in terms of causes and mechanisms, implications for water resources, and the use of remote sensing as a tool for expanding studies from local to global scale.
Download or read book Carbon Dioxide and Terrestrial Ecosystems written by George W. Koch and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 1995-12-21 with total page 463 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The importance of carbon dioxide extends from cellular to global levels of organization and potential ecological deterioration may be the result of increased CO2 in our atmosphere. Recently, the research emphasis shifted from studies of photosynthesis pathways and plant growth to ground-breaking studies of carbon dioxide balances in ecosystems, regions, and even the entire globe. Carbon Dioxide and Terrestrial Ecosystems addresses these new areas of research. Economically important woody ecosystems are emphasized because they have substantial influence on global carbon dioxide balances. Herbaceous ecosystems (e.g., grasslands, prairies, wetlands) and crop ecosystems are also covered. The interactions among organisms, communities, and ecosystems are modeled, and the book closes with an important synthesis of this growing nexus of research. Carbon Dioxide and Terrestrial Ecosystems is a compilation of detailed scientific studies that reveal how ecosystems generally, and particular plants specifically, respond to changed levels of carbon dioxide. Contributions from an international team of experts Empirical examination of the actual effects of carbon dioxide Variety of terrestrial habitats investigated Specific plants and whole ecosystems offered as studies
Download or read book Advancing the Science of Climate Change written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2011-01-10 with total page 526 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for-and in many cases is already affecting-a broad range of human and natural systems. The compelling case for these conclusions is provided in Advancing the Science of Climate Change, part of a congressionally requested suite of studies known as America's Climate Choices. While noting that there is always more to learn and that the scientific process is never closed, the book shows that hypotheses about climate change are supported by multiple lines of evidence and have stood firm in the face of serious debate and careful evaluation of alternative explanations. As decision makers respond to these risks, the nation's scientific enterprise can contribute through research that improves understanding of the causes and consequences of climate change and also is useful to decision makers at the local, regional, national, and international levels. The book identifies decisions being made in 12 sectors, ranging from agriculture to transportation, to identify decisions being made in response to climate change. Advancing the Science of Climate Change calls for a single federal entity or program to coordinate a national, multidisciplinary research effort aimed at improving both understanding and responses to climate change. Seven cross-cutting research themes are identified to support this scientific enterprise. In addition, leaders of federal climate research should redouble efforts to deploy a comprehensive climate observing system, improve climate models and other analytical tools, invest in human capital, and improve linkages between research and decisions by forming partnerships with action-oriented programs.
Download or read book Decade to Century Scale Climate Variability and Change written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1998-12-24 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Society today may be more vulnerable to global-scale, long-term, climate change than ever before. Even without any human influence, past records show that climate can be expected to continue to undergo considerable change over decades to centuries. Measures for adaption and mitigation will call for policy decisions based on a sound scientific foundation. Better understanding and prediction of climate variations can be achieved most efficiently through a nationally recognized "dec-cen" science plan. This book articulates the scientific issues that must be addressed to advance us efficiently toward that understanding and outlines the data collection and modeling needed.
Download or read book Abrupt Climate Change written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2002-04-23 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The climate record for the past 100,000 years clearly indicates that the climate system has undergone periodic-and often extreme-shifts, sometimes in as little as a decade or less. The causes of abrupt climate changes have not been clearly established, but the triggering of events is likely to be the result of multiple natural processes. Abrupt climate changes of the magnitude seen in the past would have far-reaching implications for human society and ecosystems, including major impacts on energy consumption and water supply demands. Could such a change happen again? Are human activities exacerbating the likelihood of abrupt climate change? What are the potential societal consequences of such a change? Abrupt Climate Change: Inevitable Surprises looks at the current scientific evidence and theoretical understanding to describe what is currently known about abrupt climate change, including patterns and magnitudes, mechanisms, and probability of occurrence. It identifies critical knowledge gaps concerning the potential for future abrupt changes, including those aspects of change most important to society and economies, and outlines a research strategy to close those gaps. Based on the best and most current research available, this book surveys the history of climate change and makes a series of specific recommendations for the future.
Download or read book Riverine Ecosystem Management written by Stefan Schmutz and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-05-08 with total page 562 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book surveys the frontier of scientific river research and provides examples to guide management towards a sustainable future of riverine ecosystems. Principal structures and functions of the biogeosphere of rivers are explained; key threats are identified, and effective solutions for restoration and mitigation are provided. Rivers are among the most threatened ecosystems of the world. They increasingly suffer from pollution, water abstraction, river channelisation and damming. Fundamental knowledge of ecosystem structure and function is necessary to understand how human acitivities interfere with natural processes and which interventions are feasible to rectify this. Modern water legislation strives for sustainable water resource management and protection of important habitats and species. However, decision makers would benefit from more profound understanding of ecosystem degradation processes and of innovative methodologies and tools for efficient mitigation and restoration. The book provides best-practice examples of sustainable river management from on-site studies, European-wide analyses and case studies from other parts of the world. This book will be of interest to researchers in the field of aquatic ecology, river system functioning, conservation and restoration, to postgraduate students, to institutions involved in water management, and to water related industries.
Download or read book Biodiversity and Environmental Change written by Emma Burns and published by CSIRO PUBLISHING. This book was released on 2014-02-06 with total page 624 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Annotation Long-term ecological data are critical for informing long-term trends in biodiversity and trends in environmental change. The Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) is a major initiative of the Australian Government and one of its key areas of investment is to provide funding for a network of long-term ecological research plots around Australia (LTERN). This book highlights some of the temporal changes in the environment and/or in biodiversity that have occurred in different ecosystems, ranging from tropical rainforests, wet eucalypt forests and alpine regions through to rangelands and deserts. Many important trends and changes are documented and they often provide new insights that were previously poorly understood or unknown. These data are precisely the kinds of data so desperately needed to better quantify the temporal trajectories in the environment and biodiversity in Australia.
Download or read book Ecosystem Dynamics written by Richard H. W. Bradshaw and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2014-03-21 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ecosystem Dynamics focuses on long-term terrestrial ecosystems and their changing relationships with human societies. The unique aspect of this text is the long-time scale under consideration as data and insights from the last 10,000 years are used to place present-day ecosystem status into a temporal perspective and to test models that generate forecasts of future conditions. Descriptions and assessments of some of the current modelling tools that are used, along with their uncertainties and assumptions, are an important feature of this book. An overarching theme explores the dynamic interactions between human societies and ecosystem functioning and services. This book is authoritative but accessible and provides a useful background for all students, practitioners, and researchers interested in the subject.
Download or read book Stream Ecosystems in a Changing Environment written by Jeremy B. Jones and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2016-07-07 with total page 566 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Stream Ecosystems in a Changing Environment synthesizes the current understanding of stream ecosystem ecology, emphasizing nutrient cycling and carbon dynamics, and providing a forward-looking perspective regarding the response of stream ecosystems to environmental change. Each chapter includes a section focusing on anticipated and ongoing dynamics in stream ecosystems in a changing environment, along with hypotheses regarding controls on stream ecosystem functioning. The book, with its innovative sections, provides a bridge between papers published in peer-reviewed scientific journals and the findings of researchers in new areas of study. Presents a forward-looking perspective regarding the response of stream ecosystems to environmental change Provides a synthesis of the latest findings on stream ecosystems ecology in one concise volume Includes thought exercises and discussion activities throughout, providing valuable tools for learning Offers conceptual models and hypotheses to stimulate conversation and advance research
Download or read book Alterations in Ecosystem Water Cycle Associated with Land use Changes Under Different Precipitation Regimes written by Shani Rohatyn and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
