Adaptation Literature Review: January 2012

Provided below is a review of the latest literature on climate change and adaptation issues for January 2012.

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In the realm of oceans and coasts several articles highlight the effects that increased carbon dioxide and ocean temperatures are likely to have on marine organisms and the people that depend on them. 

 

Fisheries 

Early life stages of fish appear to be sensitive to increased levels of carbon dioxide showing decreased survival and growth (Baumann, Talmage & Gobler, 2012), and severe to lethal tissue damage (Frommel, et al., 2012).  High carbon dioxide levels also interfere with neurotransmitter function in marine fish which could lead to sensory and behavior changes and ultimately population and ecosystem effects (Nilsson et al., 2012).  A study by Nyugen et al. (2012) measured the effect of warming on 34 tropical marine ectotherms living in the inter- and subtidal zones. They found that the rate and duration of warming affected species differently and suggest that a warming of 2-3°C could impact the activity and survival of many tropical marine species. Donelson et al. (2012) found a different result by raising multiple generations of a tropical fish at higher temperatures. The fish were able to acclimate if the parents and offspring were raised in warmer waters.  Stramma et al. (2012) studied the effects of oxygen minimum zones on pelagic fish and found that expanding oxygen minimum zones in the tropical northeast Atlantic Ocean appear to be decreasing the habitat available for predatory fish. Claisse et al. (2012) used GIS mapping of near shore rocky reefs to estimate the abundance and reproductive output of 2 fish species in southern CA, and they discuss factors that could improve these fisheries.  Changes in marine ecosystems around Australia highlight the need to understand species range shifts and their consequences to socioeconomic issues and management/adaptation strategies (Madin et al. 2012).

 

Coastal Zones 

Newton, Carruthers, & Icely (2012) write about the degradation of the coasts and river systems around the world due to human influences with some areas severely affected (“hot  spots”- e.g. river deltas, megacities, low-lying coasts).  Climate change is expected to affect fisheries and coastal communities that are dependent on  fisheries, and Cinner et al. (2012) studied the vulnerability of coastal communities in 5 Western Indian Ocean countries to the impacts of coral bleaching on fisheries.  

 

Wetland Restoration  

A paper in PLoSBiology by Moreno-Mateos et al. (2012) presents results of a meta-analysis of 621 wetland sites throughout the world. They found that the biological structure and biogeochemical functioning of restored wetlands remain close to 25% lower than reference sites even a century after the restoration was done.

 

Plant and Animal Biodiversity/Conservation 

An analysis of plant biodiversity world-wide indicates that while native plant species are losing ground, overall plant biodiversity has increased in many landscapes due to increased species invasions (Ellis, Antill, & Kneft, 2012). A paper by Bergengren, Waliser, & Yung (2011) studied how ecosystems might change in the coming centuries using ecological sensitivity metrics. In their simulations they found that about half of Earth’s land surface area is undergoing plant community changes and over a third is undergoing biome-scale changes. They also identify ecological hotspots.  Martin & Maron (2012) studied the impacts of climate change (declining snowpack and increased elk herbivory in AZ) on songbird populations. They related declines in songbird populations to elk herbivory in the forest habitat and suggest that habitat quality is important to songbird recruitment.

 

Congo basin forest conservation policy 

Somorin et al. (2012) conducted an analysis of adaptation and mitigation policy in 3 Congo basin countries. They interviewed 103 “actors” involved in designing climate change adaptation and mitigation policies and found that the discourse around mitigation (REDD+) is stronger than around adaptation.

 

Dryland conservation 

A paper by Maestre et al. (2012) found that multiple ecosystem functions (e.g. carbon storage, productivity) are related to species richness and preserving plant biodiversity would help mitigate the effects of climate change and desertification on drylands. 

 

Policy/Management  

Science-Management partnerships and their efforts to develop climate change adaptation strategies for Olympic and Tahoe National Forests are described in a paper by Littell, et al. (2012).  In a 2012 paper by Huntjens et al. the authors looked at water governance systems in the Netherlands, Australia, and South Africa and propose institutional design propositions for governing adaptation to climate change in the water sector. They support adaptation tuned to specific features of local ecology, geology, economies, and cultures.  Davidson et al. (2012) developed methods to assess regional protected area networks in the southwestern US to identify lands that may be important to increasing their adaptive capacity.

 

Extreme weather 

Orlowsky & Seneviratne (2012) compare global climate model simulations with respect to changes in extreme events comparing present day with the end of the 21^st century. They find general agreement for temperature-related extremes, less agreement for precipitation and dryness extremes, and they find that a seasonal time scale is important for extremes.  Hansen, Sato, & Ruedy (2012) discuss the increased likelihood of extreme temperatures with climate change and how temperature anomalies are changing.  A paper by Swann, Fung & Chaing (2012) used climate model experiments to show that large-scale afforestation in mid latitudes warms the northern hemisphere and alters global circulation patterns. 

 

• Baumann, Talmage & Gobler 2012: Reduced early life growth and survival in a fish in direct response to increased carbon dioxide : Nature Climate Change : Nature Publishing Group
• Bergengren, Waliser, & Yung 2012: Climatic Change, Volume 107, Numbers 3-4 - SpringerLink
• Cinner et al. 2012: Vulnerability of coastal communities to key impacts of climate change on coral reef fisheries 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2011.09.018 : Global Environmental Change | ScienceDirect.com
• Claisse et al. 2012: PLoS ONE: Using GIS Mapping of the Extent of Nearshore Rocky Reefs to Estimate the Abundance and Reproductive Output of Important Fishery Species
• Davison et al. 2012: Leveraging modern climatology to increase adaptive capacity across protected area networks 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2011.10.002 : Global Environmental Change | ScienceDirect.com
• Donelson et al. 2012: Rapid transgenerational acclimation of a tropical reef fish to climate change : Nature Climate Change : Nature Publishing Group
• Ellis, Antill, Kreft 2012: PLoS ONE: All Is Not Loss: Plant Biodiversity in the Anthropocene
• Frommel et al. 2012: Severe tissue damage in Atlantic cod larvae under increasing ocean acidification : Nature Climate Change : Nature Publishing Group
• Hansen, Sato, & Ruedy 2012: http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2011/20111110_NewClimateDice.pdf
• Huntjens et al. 2012: Institutional design propositions for the governance of adaptation to climate change in the water sector 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2011.09.015 : Global Environmental Change | ScienceDirect.com
• Littell et al. 2012: Climatic Change, Volume 110, Numbers 1-2 - SpringerLink
• Madin et al. 2012: Socio-economic and management implications of range-shifting species in marine systems 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2011.10.008 : Global Environmental Change | ScienceDirect.com
• Maestre et al. 2012: Plant Species Richness and Ecosystem Multifunctionality in Global Drylands
• Martin & Maron 2012: Climate impacts on bird and plant communities from altered animal-plant interactions : Nature Climate Change : Nature Publishing Group
• Moreno-Mateos et al. 2012: PLoS Biology: Structural and Functional Loss in Restored Wetland Ecosystems
• Nguyen et al. 2012: PLoS ONE: Upper Temperature Limits of Tropical Marine Ectotherms: Global Warming Implications
• Nilsson et al. 202: Near-future carbon dioxide levels alter fish behaviour by interfering with neurotransmitter function : Nature Climate Change : Nature Publishing Group
• Orlowsky & Seneviratne 2012: Global changes in extreme events: regional and seasonal dimension
• Somerin et al. 2012: The Congo Basin forests in a changing climate: Policy discourses on adaptation and mitigation (REDD+) 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2011.08.001 : Global Environmental Change | ScienceDirect.com
• Stramma et al. 2012: Expansion of oxygen minimum zones may reduce available habitat for tropical pelagic fishes : Nature Climate Change : Nature Publishing Group
• Swann Fung & Chaing. 2012: Mid-latitude afforestation shifts general circulation and tropical precipitation

 

 

 

 

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