Climate change is something we have all heard about in the news, but it is not a topic that should be left on the top shelf. It is seriously harming the environment by degrading its biodiversity. Of course, there are other factors that contribute to biodiversity degradation. These include overexploitation, invasive species, and destruction. Climate change reigns supreme as a harmful factor to our world.
To observe the different landscapes and environments on this planet, scientists studied the Global 200, a collection of ecoregions representing earth’s 30 biomes. They provide biodiversity, rare species, and taxonomic uniqueness. Unfortunately, they are threatened by habitat loss due to an increase in temperature. According to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 147 of 185 terrestrial/freshwater ecoregions are classified as vulnerable or critically endangered (CE). The increase in climate temperature is not conducive to the conservation of the Global 200. 132 terrestrial and 53 freshwater ecoregions were tested by measuring the effects of increases and decreases in precipitation and temperature.
Based on the experiment, the scientists made several predictions. They predicted that within the next 20 years, earth’s most important terrestrial and freshwater ecoregions will face temperatures increased beyond those in the 20th century. This includes regions of rich and unique biodiversity like Chocó-Darién, an ecoregion in South America high in biological resources. Additionally, regions of high-altitude will be more vulnerable than tropical regions due to their faster rate of change, meaning their current increase in temperature will further expand. Although 26 terrestrial ecoregions will be stable for the next 40 years, they predict all but two ecoregions will exceed current average monthly temperatures by the year 2070. The boreal forests, temperate grasslands, savannas/shrublands and forests, and tundra biomes in the northern hemisphere are predicted to have at least average monthly temperatures until 2070.
The freshwater ecoregions with the most extreme average monthly temperatures are the river systems in Central Africa. These include the Congo River, Flooded Forests, Upper Guinea Rivers, and Streams. The Volga River Basin will be the only freshwater ecoregion with average monthly temperatures below the baseline of temperature increases.
In terms of precipitation levels, there is no evidence of extremities across the Global 200 until at least 2070. However, other changes in precipitation will cause effects on the environment. For example, changes in rainfall will highly effect organisms that are dependent on a regular supply of water.
A multiclimate model was used to show the temperature and precipitation increases over a twelve month period. Follow this link to access the model: http://www.pnas.org/content/108/6/2306.full.pdf .The model is a series of world maps, showing results for different ecoregions. By looking at the maps, it was concluded that certain ecoregions would experience precipitation extremities in June, July, and August during the 12 month period. These eight ecoregions are the Indochina Dry Forests, Eastern Himalayan Broadleaf and Conifer Forests, Altai-Sayan Montane Forests, Sudanian Savannas, Mongolian Steppe, Tibetan Plateau Steppe, Mekong River, and Salween River.
In general, temperature and precipitation are predicted to change with each season, especially across the Amazon River and Flooded Forests. In contrast, all ecoregions within the Tropical and Subtropical Coniferous Forests, Grasslands/Savannas/Shrublands, and Large Lake biomes are projected to undergo only minor changes.
Tropical and Subtropical ecoregions in Africa and South America are the most vulnerable to the temperature increase. This is largely due to the fact that developing countries’ are unable to address these issues. An increase in temperature will result in evaporation deficits, which will decrease the availability of water necessary for plant growth.
Climate change will largely impact the survival of biologically important ecoregions across the world. Over the next 60 years, nearly all of the global 200 will experience monthly temperatures higher than those in the 20th century. In addition to social threats, climate change will prevent the conservation of these natural habitats.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, humans can alleviate the world’s environmental issues with simple acts. These include recycling, properly inflating tires, changing light bulbs, and growing your own food. The EPA (http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/index.html) offers copious amounts of information for those who are interested in this topic and wanting to give Mother Nature a nice cool down.
Works Cited :
Beaumont, Linda J, et al. "Impacts of Climate Change on the World's Most
Exceptional Ecoregions." Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
108 (Feb. 2011): 2306-2311. Web. 18 Mar. 2011.
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