1IMPACTS OF CLIMATE EXTREMES ON BIODIVERSITY IN THE AMERICAS
ABSTRACT: Since 1970, climate extremes have been impacting biodiversity in the Americas with greater frequency, duration and severity than ever previously recorded. There is widespread evidence of longer droughts, more frequent wildfires, higher temperatures and more intense storms, hurricanes and p...
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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2009
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| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.475.746 http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2011/ec/En57-41-15-2009-eng.pdf |
| Summary: | ABSTRACT: Since 1970, climate extremes have been impacting biodiversity in the Americas with greater frequency, duration and severity than ever previously recorded. There is widespread evidence of longer droughts, more frequent wildfires, higher temperatures and more intense storms, hurricanes and precipitation events. As well as greater variability of El Niño Southern Oscillation events, the total area impacted by flooding, glacier retreat and permafrost melt, desertification, landslides and avalanches has grown. Further, concurrent extreme events- such as flooding and high temperatures, droughts and high winds, and droughts and flooding- are becoming increasingly common. Extreme events are not only emerging as a critical factor in climate change; they also have a greater correlation to predicted changes in biodiversity than climate change alone. Although ecosystems show high resilience to hurricanes, ice storms and other extreme events, significant impacts on biodiversity may occur once certain thresholds in duration, intensity and severity are exceeded. The resulting losses in biodiversity can reduce ecological resilience and adaptive capacity to climate change. To manage for potential biodiversity loss and to provide adaptation options for ecosystems to become more resilient to climate hazards, researchers and policymakers require a baseline monitoring database. The current database, the forest biodiversity observing network |
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