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Climate change



Advancing glaciers leave behind moraines and other features that often have datable material in them, recording the time when a glacier advanced and deposited a feature. Similarly, by tephrochronological techniques, the lack of glacier cover can be identified by the presence of datable soil or volcanic tephra horizons. Glaciers are considered one of the most sensitive climate indicators by the IPCC, and their recent observed variations provide a global signal of climate change. See Retreat of glaciers since 1850.

Examples of climate change

Climate change has continued throughout the entire history of Earth. The field of paleoclimatology has provided information of climate change in the ancient past, supplementing modern observations of climate.

  1. Climate of the deep past
  2. Climate of the last 500 million years
  3. Climate of recent glaciations
  4. Recent climate

Climate change and biodiversity

The life cycles of many wild plants and animals are closely linked to the passing of the seasons; climatic changes can lead to interdependent pairs of species (e.g. a wild flower and its pollinating insect) losing synchronization, if, for example, one has a cycle dependent on day length and the other on temperature or precipitation. In principle, at least, this could lead to extinctions or changes in the distribution and abundance of species. One phenomenon is the movement of species northwards in Europe. A recent study by Butterfly Conservation in the UK[20], has shown that relatively common species with a southerly distribution have moved north, whilst scarce upland species have become rarer and lost territory towards the south. This picture has been mirrored across several invertebrate groups. Drier summers could lead to more periods of drought[21], potentially affecting many species of animal and plant. For example, in the UK during the drought year of 2006 significant numbers of trees died or showed dieback on light sandy soils. In Australia, since the early 90s, tens of thousands of flying foxes (Pteropus) have died as a direct result of extreme heat[22]. Wetter, milder winters might affect temperate mammals or insects by preventing them hibernating or entering torpor during periods when food is scarce. One predicted change is the ascendancy of 'weedy' or opportunistic species at the expense of scarcer species with narrower or more specialized ecological requirements. One example could be the expanses of bluebell seen in many woodlands in the UK. These have an early growing and flowering season before competing weeds can develop and the tree canopy closes. Milder winters can allow weeds to overwinter as adult plants or germinate sooner, whilst trees leaf earlier, reducing the length of the window for bluebells to complete their life cycle. Organisations such as Wildlife Trust, World Wide Fund for Nature, Birdlife International and the Audubon Society are actively monitoring and research the effects of climate change on biodiversity and advance policies in areas such as landscape scale conservation to promote adaptation to climate change[23].

See also

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Notes

  • Emanuel, K. A. (2005) Increasing destructiveness of tropical cyclones over the past 30 years., Nature, 436; 686-688 ftp://texmex.mit.edu/pub/emanuel/PAPERS/NATURE03906.pdfPDF
  • IPCC. (2007) Climate change 2007: the physical science basis (summary for policy makers), IPCC.
  • Miller, C. and Edwards, P. N. (ed.)(2001) Changing the Atmosphere: Expert Knowledge and Environmental Governance, MIT Press
  • Ruddiman, W. F. (2003) The anthropogenic greenhouse era began thousands of years ago, Climate Change 61 (3): 261-293
  • Ruddiman, W. F. (2005) Plows, Plagues and Petroleum: How Humans Took Control of Climate, Princeton University Press
  • Ruddiman, W. F., Vavrus, S. J. and Kutzbach, J. E. (2005) A test of the overdue-glaciation hypothesis, Quaternary Science Review, 24:11
  • Schmidt, G. A., Shindel, D. T. and Harder, S. (2004) A note of the relationship between ice core methane concentrations and insolation GRL v31 L23206

References

  1. ^ Royer DL, Berner RA, Park J (2007). "Climate sensitivity constrained by CO2 concentrations over the past 420 million years". Nature 446 (7135): 530–2. doi:10.1038/nature05699. 
  2. ^ Volcanic Gases and Their Effects. U.S. Department of the Interior (2006-01-10). Retrieved on 2008-01-21.
  3. ^ a b Steinfeld, H.; P. Gerber, T. Wassenaar, V. Castel, M. Rosales, C. de Haan (2006). Livestock’s long shadow. 
  4. ^ Amos, Jonathan. "Deep ice tells long climate story", BBC, 2006-09-04. Retrieved on 2008-01-21. 
  5. ^ Charlson, R. J.; S. E. SCHWARTZ, J. M. HALES, R. D. CESS, J. A. COAKLEY JR., J. E. HANSEN, and D. J. HOFMANN (1992-01-24). "Climate Forcing by Anthropogenic Aerosols". Science 255 (5043): 423-430. doi:10.1126/science.255.5043.423. 
  6. ^ Why cement-making produces carbon dioxide
  7. ^ Ruddiman, William (2005-12-05). Debate over the Early Anthropogenic Hypothesis. RealClimate. Retrieved on 2008-01-21.
  8. ^ California Warming Attributed to Growth by Mandalit del Barco. Day to Day, National Public Radio. 30 Mar 2007.
  9. ^ Ahlenius, Hugo (June 2007). Climate feedbacks. United Nations Environment Programme/GRID-Arendal. Retrieved on 2008-01-21.
  10. ^ Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis
  11. ^ For additional discussion of feedbacks relevant to ongoing climate change, see http://www.grida.no/climate/ipcc_tar/wg1/260.htm
  12. ^ Arctic Change Indicators
  13. ^ Bering Sea Climate and Ecosystem Indicators
  14. ^ How scientists study climate change: Some important research concepts used by scientists to study climate variations
  15. ^ Baxter, JM & Buckley PJ and Wallace CJ, eds. (2008), Marine Climate Change Impacts Annual Report Card 2007–2008, Lowestoft: Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership, <http://www.mccip.org.uk/arc/2007/default.htm> 
  16. ^ Petit, J. R.; J. Jouzel, D. Raynaud, N. I. Barkov, J.-M. Barnola, I. Basile, M. Bender, J. Chappellaz, M. Davis, G. Delaygue, M. Delmotte, V. M. Kotlyakov, M. Legrand, V. Y. Lipenkov, C. Lorius, L. PÉpin, C. Ritz, E. Saltzman and M. Stievenard (1999-06-03). "Climate and atmospheric history of the past 420,000 years from the Vostok ice core, Antarctica". Nature 399: 429-436. doi:10.1038/20859. 
  17. ^ Langdon, PG; Barber KE, Lomas-Clarke SH (August 2004). "Reconstructing climate and environmental change in northern England through chironomid and pollen analyses: evidence from Talkin Tarn, Cumbria". Journal of Paleolimnology 32 (2): 197-213. doi:10.1023/B:JOPL.0000029433.85764.a5. 
  18. ^ Birks, HH (March 2003). "The importance of plant macrofossils in the reconstruction of Lateglacial vegetation and climate: examples from Scotland, western Norway, and Minnesota, USA". Quarternary Science Reviews 22 (5-7): 453-473. doi:10.1016/S0277-3791(02)00248-2. 
  19. ^ Coope, G.R.; Lemdahl, G.; Lowe, J.J.; Walkling, A. (1999-05-04). "Temperature gradients in northern Europe during the last glacial--Holocene transition(14--9 14 C kyr BP) interpreted from coleopteran assemblages". Journal of Quaternary Science 13 (5): 419-433. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.. 
  20. ^ Fox, R.; Warren, M.S., Asher, J., Brereton, T.M. and Roy (2007). The state of Britain’s butterflies 2007. Butterfly Conservation and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wareham, Dorset. Retrieved on 2008-01-21.
  21. ^ McGuirk, Rod; Bernard Lagan, Joseph Kerr (2007-01-30). Australian Drought. Retrieved on 2008-01-21.
  22. ^ Welbergen, J. A.; Klose, S. M., Markus, N. & Eby, P. (2008-02-22). "Climate change and the effects of temperature extremes on Australian flying-foxes". Proceedings of the Royal Society B 275 (1633): 419-425. Royal Society Publishing. doi:10.1098/rspb.2007.1385. 
  23. ^ Biodiversity and climate change. United Nations Environment Programme. UNEP-WCMC. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.




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