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Arctic Report Card 2012
ssued annually since 2006, the Arctic Report Card (hereafter the Report Card) is a timely and peer-reviewed source for clear, reliable and concise environmental information on the current state of the Arctic relative to historical records. The Report Card is intended for a wide audience, including scientists, teachers, students, decision-makers and the general public interested in the Arctic environment and science.
Comprising 20 essays on different topics in the physical and biological sciences, the Report Card is organized into five sections: Atmosphere; Sea Ice & Ocean; Marin ...
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Helping to Better Manage the World’s Oceans : the World Bank and the Drive for ‘Blue Growth’
World Bank, 2012A healthy ocean is a valuable natural asset that, if maintained and nurtured, can provide ‘ecosystem services’ that contribute to economic expansion – or ‘blue growth’ – in developing coastal and island countries. World Bank investments in the oceans between 2007 and 2011 have supported developing coastal and island countries in improving the health of their ocean environments, enhancing the value of the ecosystem services they provide to the local and global economy. In particular, these investments supported countries to manage the transition to more sustainable fisheries, establish coastal ...
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On the impacts of phytoplankton-derived organic matter on the properties of the primary marine aerosol – Part 2: Composition, hygroscopicity and cloud condensation activity
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP), Vol. 11. N° 3. Fuentes E.; Coe H.; Green D.; et al. - Copernicus GmbH, 2011The effect of nanogel colloidal and dissolved organic matter <0.2 μm, secreted by marine biota, on the hygroscopic growth and droplet activation behaviour of the primary marine aerosol was studied. Seawater proxies were prepared by the combination of artificial seawater devoid of marine organics and natural seawater enriched in organic exudate released by laboratory-grown phytoplankton cultures, as described in a companion paper. The primary aerosol was produced by bubble bursting, using a plunging multijet system as an aerosol generator.
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The role of interactions in a world implementing adaptation and mitigation solutions to climate change
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Vol. 369. N° 1934. Warren Rachel - The Royal Society, 2011The papers in this volume discuss projections of climate change impacts upon humans and ecosystems under a global mean temperature rise of 4°C above preindustrial levels. Like most studies, they are mainly single-sector or single-region-based assessments. Even the multi-sector or multi-region approaches generally consider impacts in sectors and regions independently, ignoring interactions. Extreme weather and adaptation processes are often poorly represented and losses of ecosystem services induced by climate change or human adaptation are generally omitted. This paper addresses this gap by re ...
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Climate change's famous cousin
Global Change magazine, Issue 76. IGBP, 2011Ocean acidification has transitioned from a littleknown phenomenon to a buzzword within a span of five years. The concomitant explosion of research on this topic has provided many general insights into its effects. But as Sarah Cooley reminds us, many of the specifics regarding its consequences for
humans and ecosystems await elaboration.
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Sustainable Development of the World’s Large Marine Ecosystems during Climate Change : A commemorative volume to advance sustainable development on the occasion of the presentation of the 2010 Göteborg Award
Conroy Hector; International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN; United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) - UNDP, 2011This report features papers that cover a range of key issues, from the impacts of climate change on Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs), to new policy and institutional tools for LME governance, to new policy and institutional tools for LME governance. The UNDP welcomes this volume on the sustainability of the world’s Large Marine Ecosystems as a key contribution to advancing the needed paradigm shift in LME management in a changing climate.
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Informing Decisions on Ecosystem-Based Approaches for the Adaptation of People in Asia and the Pacific Region
This brief discusses research into awareness and information needs related to Ecosystem-Based Approaches (EBA) to climate change adaptation in the Asia and Pacific region. EBA refers to approaches that recognize the potential of ecosystem services to reduce the impact of climate change on people. This study was undertaken to inform the design of a decision-support tool for development, adaptation and disaster risk reduction stakeholders. It examines climate change impacts and adaptation options in the region. Research found that key stakeholder groups are generally aware of ecosystem-based ada ...
Wildlife in a Changing Climate
FAO, 2011The world already faces a biodiversity extinction crisis, and it is likely to be made worse by climate change. This paper examines the likely ecosystem and landscape changes that will occur in forests, mountains, wetlands, coastal areas, savannahs, grasslands and steppes. Impacts include changes in physical conditions, weather patterns and ecosystem functioning. As a consequence, terrestrial, freshwater and marine wildlife will be severely affected unless we manage to cope with climate changes through decisive planning and action. The main focus is on tropical terrestrial wildlife and its habi ...
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Mitigating Climate Change through Restoration and Management of Coastal Wetlands and Near-shore Marine Ecosystems : Challenges and Opportunities
The technical report, prepared by Stephen Crooks, Dorothee Herr, Jerker Tamelander, Dan Laffoley and Justin Vandever, consolidates information from the literature and provides analysis on the climate change mitigation potential of seagrasses and coastal wetlands, including coastal peats, tidal freshwater wetlands, salt marshes and mangroves (see Annex 2). The numbers in this full technical report have been adjusted since the synthesis note, produced while the study was in progress, was released in Cancun. The calculations of emissions are ballpark, but reasonable, and represent an order of mag ...
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Reefs at Risk Revisited | World Resources Institute
This report provides a detailed assessment of the status of and threats to the world’s coral reefs. It evaluates threats to coral reefs from a wide range of human activities, and includes an assessment of climate-related threats to reefs. It also contains a global assessment of the vulnerability of nations and territories to coral reef degradation.
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Sundarbans: future imperfect climate adaptation report
"The eco-region of Sundarbans is unique and fragile because it is one of the most extensive mangrove forests in the world. This report describes the Sundarbans region and the impacts of climate change using evidence from the people who live there, scientific data, and efforts to address the problems of the imminent threats and vulnerabilities to this fragile ecosystem."
Source: eldis.org
Air pollution — SOER 2010 thematic assessment
European Commission, 2010Emissions of air pollutants derive from almost all economic and societal activities. They result in clear risks to human health and ecosystems. In Europe, policies and actions at all levels have greatly reduced anthropogenic emissions and exposure but some air pollutants still harm human health. Similarly, as emissions of acidifying pollutants have reduced, the situation for Europe's rivers and lakes has improved but atmospheric nitrogen oversupply still threatens biodiversity in sensitive terrestrial and water ecosystems. The movement of atmospheric pollution between continents attracts incre ...
Land use — SOER 2010 thematic assessment
European Commission, 2010Land use shapes our environment in positive and negative ways. Productive land is a critical resource for food and biomass production and land use strongly influences soil erosion and soil functions such as carbon storage. Land management largely determines the beauty of Europe's landscapes. It is important therefore to monitor land cover and land-use change through tools such as Corine land cover. Data on land-cover change in Europe from 2000–2006 show that growth in built-up areas and forest land leads to a continued loss of agricultural land. In turn, global economic and environmental chang ...
Soil - SOER 2010 thematic assessment
European Commission, 2010Nearly all of the food and fibres used by humans are produced on soil. Soil is also essential for water and ecosystem health. It is second only to the oceans as a global carbon sink, with an important role in the potential slowing of climate change. Soil functions depend on a multitude of soil organisms which makes it an important part of our biodiversity. Nevertheless, soil in many parts of Europe is being over-exploited, degraded and irreversibly lost due to impacts from industrial activities and land use change, leading to soil sealing, contamination, erosion and loss of organic carbon. Due ...
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Developing the science, economics and governance of ecosystem service payments: a contribution to Norway’s support of REDD
This document reports on a workshop, hosted by Sokoine University in Tanzania and commissioned by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad). The workshop tackled the issue of developing ecosystem service payments in Africa in the context of Norway’s support of REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation) initiatives.
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