Climate change and its biological consequences

Author(s)

• Gates, David Murray

Bibliographic Information

Climate change and its biological consequences

David M. Gates

Sinauer Associates, c1993

• : pbk.

Note

Includes bibliographical references (p. 258-269) and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

Describes the forces that shape the earth's climate and how climate change, particularly greenhouse warming, may impact ecosystems and agriculture. Past climates and past ecosystem changes are reviewed in order to best understand the future. Scientists are predicting a 3 C increase in the Earth's climate within 75 to 100 years. This rate of temperature change and the warmer conditions will stress many organisms and probably realign some ecosystems. Special events, such as El Nino and the stratospheric ozone hole, are significant features of global change considered.

Table of Contents

• CHAPTER ONE Climate Change: Cause and Evidence: Evidence for Global Warming
• The Earth's Energy Balance
• Greenhouse Gases
• Climate Forcing Factors and Feedbacks
• Global Chmate Models
• Future Climate Projections: Evidence to Date
• The Rest of the Story. CHAPTER TWO Past Climates: Proxy Thermometry and Age
• Sun-Earth Geometry and Climate
• Ancient Climates
• The Younger Dryas Event
• The Little Ice Age
• Changing Communities. CHAPTER THREE Plant Physiognomy and Physiology: Plant Demand for Water and Energy
• Plant Physiognomy
• Plant Physiology
• Causes of Forest Decline
• Fire
• Phenology
• Once and Future Vegetation Patterns. CHAPTER FOUR Past Vegetational Changes: Vegetation Migration in North America
• Vegetation Responses to the Younger Dryas Event
• Plant-Climate Response
• Boreal Forest Movement
• Rates for Individual Species
• Lessons for the Future. CHAPTER FIVE Forest Models and the Future: Forest Modeling Simulated Forest Futures
• Other Forest Gap Modeling
• Forest Sensitivity to Temperature Change
• Empirical Modeling
• Forests and Other Organisms. CHAPTER SIX Ecosystems: Ecosystems
• Ecosystem Responses to Climate
• Loss of Species Diversity
• Birds
• Mammals
• Reptiles
• Amphibians
• Fish
• Insects
• The Great Lakes Ecosystems
• Lakes of the Central Boreal Forest
• Sea Level Rise and Wetland Loss
• Ozone Depletion, Ultraviolet Radiation, and Life
• The Antarctic Ecosystems. CHAPTER SEVEN Agriculture, Droughts, and El Nino: Crop Modeling
• Climate Change Scenarios
• Crop Model Results
• Wheat Production in North America
• Irrigation Water Requirements in the Great Plains
• Caiifomia Agriculture Yields and Climate Change
• The MINK Region
• Climate Impacts on Pest-Plant Interactions
• Livestock and Climate Change
• Drought. CHAPTER EIGHT What to Do: Strategies
• Technological Fixes
• Into the Future.

by "Nielsen BookData"

• NCID: BA20952566
• ISBN:
  • 0878932240
• LCCN: 92036886
• Country Code: us
• Title Language Code: eng
• Text Language Code: eng
• Place of Publication: Sunderland, Mass.
• Pages/Volumes: 280 p.
• Size: 23 cm
• Classification:
  • LCC : QH545.T4
  • DC20 : 574.5/222
• Subject Headings:
  • LCSH : Global temperature changes -- Environmental aspects -- North America
  • LCSH : Climatic changes -- Environmental aspects -- North America
  • LCSH : Global warming -- Environmental aspects -- North America