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The role of stomata in sensing and driving environmental change
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Stomata, the small pores on the surfaces of leaves and stalks, regulate the flow of gases in and out of leaves and thus plants as a whole. They adapt to local and global changes on all timescales from minutes to millennia. Recent data from diverse fields are establishing their central importance to plant physiology, evolution and global ecology. Stomatal morphology, distribution and behaviour respond to a spectrum of signals, from intracellular signalling to global climatic change. Such concerted adaptation results from a web of control systems, reminiscent of a ‘scale-free’ network, whose untangling requires integrated approaches beyond those currently used.
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The role of terrestrial plants in limiting atmospheric CO2 decline over the past 24 million years
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Environmental conditions during the past 24 million years are thought to have been favourable for enhanced rates of atmospheric carbon dioxide drawdown by silicate chemical weathering1–7. Proxy records indicate, however, that the Earth’s atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations did not fall below about 200–250 parts per million during this period8. The stabilization of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations near this minimum value suggests that strong negative feedback mechanisms inhibited further drawdown of atmospheric carbon dioxide by high rates of global silicate rock weathering. Here we investigate one possible negative feedback mechanism, occurring under relatively low carbon dioxide concentrations and in warm climates, that is related to terrestrial plant productivity and its role in the decomposition of silicate minerals9–11. We use simulations of terrestrial and geochemical carbon cycles and available experimental evidence to show that vegetation activity in upland regions of active orogens was severely limited by near-starvation of carbon dioxide in combination with global warmth over this period. These conditions diminished biotic-driven silicate rock weathering and thereby attenuated an important long-term carbon dioxide sink. Although our modelling results are semi-quantitative and do not capture the full range of biogeochemical feedbacks that could influence the climate, our analysis indicates that the dynamic equilibrium between plants, climate and the geosphere probably buffered the minimum atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations over the past 24 million years.
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The search for unknown biodiversity
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1st paragraph: in a world being rapidly transformed by human activities, an alarming possibility is that many species might disappear before we have a chance to study or even scientifically describe them. This possibility goes beyond a simple desire to document biodiversity, because unknown species could have important benefits for humanity. For instance, who might have imagined that an obscure herb endemic to Madagascar, the rosy periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus), would yield the only known treatment for childhood leukemia (1)?
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The South Carolina Bobwhite Initiative YouTube Channel
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Bobwhite Quail Seminar Series
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The Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center's Global Change Fellows present: Disaster Recovery During a Global Pandemic
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The Global Change Fellows of the Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center have congregated a multi-disciplinary panel to address how COVID-19 has affected disaster recovery and community resilience strategies. The seminar will be structured as a panel discussion among scientists and professionals from the Eastern and Western regions of the United States, and the Caribbean. They will bring their expertise and experience as they answer questions provided by the Fellows and audience members. Our panelists will explore the changes and adjustments to disaster recovery due to COVID-19 and discuss the implications for future actions on disaster recovery and community resilience.
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THE SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL VARIABILITY OF RAIN-ON-SNOW
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Snow melt during rainfall causes large-scale flooding and avalanching. These rain-on- snow events are most well-documented in the coastal mountain ranges of western North America. To determine what role they play in interior mountains, we analyzed flood frequencies in the Columbia River basin and modeled rain-on-snow potential from daily temperature and precipitation data. Applying the model with geographically distributed weather data allowed maps of rain-on-snow potential at 2km spatial resolution to be generated for characteristic climate years of 1982 (cold and wet), 1988 (warm and dry), and 1989 (average). It was found that rain-on-snow events are more likely during cool, wet years (such as 1982). A greater number of events and more widespread distribution of events occur during this type of climate. The cool temperatures allow low-elevation snow to accumulate and frequent storms bring the possibility of mid-winter rain. Warm, dry years (1988) are less likely to experience rain-on-snow events. There is little low-elevation snow at these times and only occasional precipitation. During all years, areas most susceptible to rain-on-snow are those where topography allows incursion of relatively warm, moist marine air that flows from the Pacific Ocean into the Columbia Plateau and up the Snake River Valley. These areas include the Cascade mountains; northern Idaho, northeastern Washington, and northwestern Montana where valleys open into the Columbia plateau; the Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon; and western Wyoming and central Idaho adjacent to the Snake River.
KEYWORDS: snow, avalanches, rain-on-snow, floods
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The State of Greenhouse Gases in the Atmosphere Based on Global Observations through 2013
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The WMO Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) coordinates observations of the most important contributors to climate change: long-lived greenhouse gases(LLGHG). In the figure, their radiative forcing (RF) is plotted along with a simple illustration of the impacts on future RF of different emission reduction scenarios. Analysis of GAW observations shows that a reduction in RF from its current level (2.92 W·m–2 in
2013)[1] requires significant reductions in anthropogenic emissions of all major greenhouse gases (GHGs).
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The Status of the World's Land and Marine Mammals: Diversity, Threat, and Knowledge
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Knowledge of mammalian diversity is still surprisingly disparate, both regionally and taxonomically. Here, we present a comprehensive assessment of the conservation status and distribution of the world’s mammals. Data, compiled by 1700+ experts, cover all 5487 species, including marine mammals. Global macroecological patterns are very different for land and marine species but suggest common mechanisms driving diversity and endemism across systems. Compared with land species, threat levels are higher among marine mammals, driven by different processes (accidental mortality and pollution, rather than habitat loss), and are spatially distinct (peaking in northern oceans, rather than in Southeast Asia). Marine mammals are also disproportionately poorly known. These data are made freely available to support further scientific developments and conservation action.
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The subnivium: a deteriorating seasonal refugium
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For many terrestrial organisms in the Northern Hemisphere, winter is a period of resource scarcity and energy deficits, survivable only because a seasonal refugium – the “subnivium” – exists beneath the snow. The warmer and more stable conditions within the subnivium are principally driven by snow duration, density, and depth. In temperate regions, the subnivium is important for the overwintering success of plants and animals, yet winter conditions are changing rapidly worldwide. Throughout the Northern Hemisphere, the impacts of climate change are predicted to be most prominent during the winter months, resulting in a shorter snow season and decreased snow depth. These climatic changes will likely modify the defining qualities of the subnivium, resulting in broad-scale shifts in distributions of species that are dependent on these refugia. Resultant changes to the subnivium, however, will be spatially and temporally variable. We believe that ecologists and managers are overlooking this widespread, crucial, and vulnerable seasonal refugium, which is rapidly deteriorating due to global climate change.
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The Technology Path to Deep Greenhouse Gas Emissions Cuts by 2050: The Pivotal Role of Electricity
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Several states and countries have adopted targets for deep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, but there has been little physically realistic modeling of the energy and economic transformations required. We analyzed the infrastructure and technology path required to meet California’s goal of an 80% reduction below 1990 levels, using detailed modeling of infrastructure stocks, resource constraints, and electricity system operability. We found that technically feasible levels of energy efficiency and decarbonized energy supply alone are not sufficient; widespread electrification of transportation and other sectors is required. Decarbonized electricity would become the dominant form of energy supply, posing challenges and opportunities for economic growth and climate policy. This transformation demands technologies that are not yet commercialized, as well as coordination of investment, technology development, and infrastructure deployment.
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