Download Pacific Region Climate Change Science and Learning Opportunities

Pacific Region Climate Change Science and Learning Opportunities Digest
July 2014 Issue
A monthly e-newsletter aimed at helping you stay connected to climate change science that is relevant and
integral to our conservation work. Do you have a new published article you would like to share? Please send it
our way. And many thanks to those who have provided material for this edition!
The Region One Climate Change Science Digest consists of two versions, targeting emails accordingly for the
Pacific Northwest and the Pacific Islands. FWS employees can find both Digests and past issues on the Climate
Change Sharepoint site, or can request copies via email. [Learning opportunities are also now provided
separately.] A national level FWS climate change e-newsletter is also available—you must register with Kate
Freund to be added to the mailing list.
David Patte
Climate Change Coordinator (Senior Advisor on Ecosystem Change)
US Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Region, Portland, Oregon
(503) 231-6210
Quick Links (Abstracts and Weblinks are Below)
New Guide: Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment for Natural Resources Management: Toolbox of
Methods with Case Studies (version 2.0)
National Park Service Report Confirms Climate Change in National Parks
LCC Network Update
Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples: A Primer & Traditional Knowledge Guidelines
One-Year Anniversary of the Climate Action Plan / July 16 Announcement
Conserving the Stage: Identifying a Resilient Network of Conservation Lands in the Northwest
Risky Business: The Economic Risks of Climate Change in the United States
Launched June 25: Climate Justice in Action Blog Series
Biodiversity/Species and Ecosystem Response
Conservation blueprint completed for Columbia Plateau Ecoregion
The subtle role of climate change on population genetic structure in Canada lynx
Snowshoe hares display limited phenotypic plasticity to mismatch in seasonal camouflage
Land management trumps the effects of climate change and elevated CO2 on grassland functioning
Amphibians in the climate vise: loss and restoration of resilience of montane wetland ecosystems in the
western US
Climate warming mediates negative impacts of rapid pond drying for three amphibian species
Precipitation, not warming temperatures, may be key in bird adaptation to climate change
Exotic plant invasions under enhanced rainfall are constrained by soil nutrients and competition
Change is coming to the northern oceans
Changing climate and the altitudinal range of avian malaria in the Hawaiian Islands – an ongoing
conservation crisis on the island of Kaua'i
Mechanisms underpinning climatic impacts on natural populations: altered species interactions are more
important than direct effects
Forests/Fire
Climate effects on Western U.S. Forests
Wildland fire emissions, carbon, and climate: Wildfire–climate interactions
Blue Mountains Adaptation Partnership
Northern Rockies Adaptation Partnership
Aquatic and Water Resources
Climate warming contributes to native and invasive trout hybridization
Report: Next Steps for Managing Freshwater Resources in a Changing Climate
Climate-Aquatics Blog #57: Identifying & protecting climate refuge lakes for coldwater fishes
Rangeland Vegetation
The effects of precipitation and soil type on three invasive annual grasses in the western United States
Annual Changes in Bluebunch Wheatgrass Biomass and Nutrients Related to Climate and Wildfire
Drought and Ecological Site Interaction on Plant Composition of a Semi-Arid Rangeland
Coastal/Marine Ecosystems/Ocean Acidification/Sea Level Rise
For Corals Adapting to Climate Change, It’s Survival of the Fattest—and Most Flexible
Key Lessons for Incorporating Natural (Coastal) Infrastructure into Regional Climate Adaptation Planning
Snow/Rain/Streamflow in the Western U.S.
Extent of the rain-snow transition zone in the western U.S. under historic and projected climate
Study Demonstrates Shift from Snow to Rain Leads to Decrease in Streamflow
Seasonal snowpack characteristics influence soil temperature and water content at multiple scales in
interior western U.S. mountain ecosystems
Climate Change Journal Articles/Publications/News
Recent increases in extreme temperature occurrence over land
Preindustrial land use change caused 0.73°C of global warming
NASA's new satellite, OCO-2, launched July 2
Another Drop in Water Vapor
Taking Action
Interactive Tool Lets You Decide How to Reduce Emissions
What are the greenhouse gas emissions for your diet?
Connect with the American Society of Adaptation Professionals
Climate and Weather Reports and Services
New Hawaii Climate Information
Links to online climate services and newsletters (multiple entries)
List Servers and FWS Tools (Multiple Entries)
___________________________________________________
New Guide: Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment for Natural Resources Management: Toolbox of
Methods with Case Studies (version 2.0)
FWS has issued a toolbox of methods for climate change vulnerability assessment (CCVA) for natural
resources—from individual species to habitats to places (e.g., protected areas, watersheds, landscapes)—
continues to grow as new approaches are developed, tested, and applied. The purpose of this document is
to provide a non-comprehensive survey of some of the principal CCVA methods in use today for: (1) species;
(2) habitats; (3) places (protected areas, watersheds, landscapes); (4) ecosystem processes; (5) ecosystem
services; (6) water resources; and (7) coastal resources. Case study examples are presented for as many of
the methods as possible. Most of the text is taken directly from the abstract or methods section of the
article/report cited.
Available at: http://www.fws.gov/home/climatechange/pdf/Guide-to-VulnerabilityAssessment%20Methods-Version-2-0.pdf
If you would like to provide comments or contribute case studies for the next version, contact: Kurt Johnson,
FWS Science Aplications, [email protected]
____________________________________________________
New Guide Helps Conservationists Address Uncertain Futures
A new publication by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) aims to
help natural resource managers plan for a variety of long-term threats to America’s wildlife and habitats.
The publication, Considering Multiple Futures: Scenario Planning to Address Uncertainty in Natural Resource
Conservation, addresses a host of unprecedented challenges to wildlife, from climate change to invasive
species, habitat fragmentation to wildfires and more. All of these stand to impose significant changes on the
American landscape. The publication helps managers understand the core elements of scenario planning
and how it differs from other decision-support frameworks, identify approaches that fit their needs, and get
started on their own scenario planning effort. It also includes 12 case studies representing a range of
scenario planning approaches for natural resource and conservation issues across the country. Download
the full report here: http://www.fws.gov/home/feature/2014/pdf/Final Scenario Planning Document.pdf
____________________________________________________
National Park Service Report Confirms Climate Change in National Parks
A new report authored by the National Park Service confirms that climate change is happening in America’s
national parks, and in some cases in rapid and concerning ways. These changes will have implications for
what visitors see and experience in national parks and will require new approaches to the protection of
natural and historic resources within parks.
“Studies like this are critical to inform national park managers and visitors alike about their local climate
impacts so they can take proactive steps to address climate change,” Jarvis said. “Although the National Park
Service alone cannot reverse the climate changes highlighted in this report, communicating these impacts
with our 275 million annual visitors can make a difference.” More from the press release
From the report's abstract: US national parks are challenged by climate and other forms of broad-scale
environmental change that operate beyond administrative boundaries and in some instances are occurring
at especially rapid rates. Here, we evaluate the climate change exposure of 289 natural resource parks
administered by the US National Park Service, and ask which are presently (past 10 to 30 years) experiencing
extreme (<5th percentile or >95th percentile) climates relative to their 1901–2012 historical range of
variability… Results show that parks are overwhelmingly at the extreme warm end of historical temperature
distributions and this is true for several variables (e.g., annual mean temperature, minimum temperature of
the coldest month, mean temperature of the warmest quarter).
____________________________________________________
LCC Network Update: LCC Council holds its first meeting / National Academy of Sciences launches study
LCC Council: A Council of interagency, tribal and non-governmental representatives has been formed to
provide national-level coordination and support for Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCC). The Council
met June 18/19, approved its charter and started undertaking priority activities. Read more at:
http://lccnetwork.org/Council
The National Academy of Sciences: At the request of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the NRC's Board on
Atmospheric Sciences and Climate and Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources are convening an ad hoc
committee to assess the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCC) program. The study will evaluate the
purpose, goals, and scientific merits of the program and progress to date. Reviewers will have a broad range
of relevant expertise including conservation biology, ecology, wildlife management and conservation,
habitat restoration, program management and evaluation, natural and cultural resource management, and
developing decision-support tools. Efforts will be made to balance the committee with representation from
academia and private, non-profit sector as well as with experience in state, tribal, and federal
governments.” More info at: http://nas-sites.org/americasclimatechoices/studies-in-progress/evaluationof-the-landscape-conservation-cooperatives-call-for-nominations/
____________________________________________________
Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples: A Primer & Traditional Knowledge
Guidelines
A Primer and Traditional Knowledge Guidelines documents have been produced to
provide foundational information to the Advisory Committee on Climate Change
and Natural Resources Science (ACCCNRS) on intergovernmental relationships and
science when engaging Tribal and Indigenous Peoples in federal climate change
initiatives. Click here to learn more.
____________________________________________________
One-Year Anniversary of the Climate Action Plan / July 16 Announcement
June 25 marked the one-year anniversary of the launch of President Obama's Climate Action Plan. In the last
year, the Obama administration has made unprecedented progress in putting forward policies to reduce our
carbon emissions, prepare the United States for the impacts of climate change, and lead international
efforts to combat global climate change.
To mark the anniversary, the White House released a new report detailing progress toward cutting carbon
pollution and protecting our communities and public health. See:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/cap_progress_report_update_062514_final.pdf
On July 16, the White House announced a series of actions under Taking Action to Support State, Local, and
Tribal Leaders as They Prepare Communities for the Impacts of Climate Change. This includes (among
others):
>Helping tribes prepare for climate impacts. The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs
launched a new $10 million Federal-Tribal Climate Resilience Partnership and Technical Assistance Program
that will help tribes prepare for climate change by developing and delivering adaptation training.
>Developing advanced mapping data and tools. The Department of the Interior’s U.S. Geological Survey
and other Federal agencies launched a $13.1 million 3-D Elevation Program partnership designed to bring
Federal agencies, academia, corporate entities, states, tribes, and communities together to develop
advanced 3-dimensional mapping data of the United States.
>Making our coasts more resilient. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) today
announced new program guidance under Section 309 of the Coastal Zone Management Act to ensure
greater consideration of how climate change may exacerbate challenges in the management of coastal
areas. Through this effort, $1.5 million of competitive funding will be available to help states and tribes
make improvements to their coastal management programs.
____________________________________________________
Conserving the Stage: Identifying a Resilient Network of Conservation Lands in the Northwest
The Nature Conservancy, in a project funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, has released a study
that identifies the most resilient sites in the Northwest that will collectively and individually best sustain
native biodiversity even as the changing climate alters current distribution patterns, in order to guide future
conservation investment. The central idea is that by mapping key geophysical features and evaluating them
for landscape characteristics that buffer against climate effects, the most resilient places in the landscape
can be identified. The Northwest study area in the 2014 report covers 67 million hectares (165 million acres)
and includes all of the East Cascades/Modoc Plateau, Columbia Plateau and Middle Rockies/Blue Mts.
Ecoregions and the U.S. portion of the Canadian Rockies ecoregion. The project:

Created a comprehensive map of Geophysical Settings (the “Stage”) using Soils, Elevation, and Slope.

Created a comprehensive map of landscape characteristics essential to assessing the resilience of a site
by combining local permeability with microclimate diversity.

We assessed Conservancy conservation portfolio sites across the study area to evaluate the adequacy of
representation of Geophysical Settings, and also ranked the sites based on the amount of resilient
landscapes (cells) within them.

Using landscape resiliency data, we inform the selection of a new set of conservation sites in the SE
Oregon portion of the Columbia Plateau and set the stage for adoption of these methods elsewhere.
The report and data are available at the project website:
https://www.conservationgateway.org/ConservationByGeography/NorthAmerica/UnitedStates/oregon/scie
nce/Pages/Resilient-Landscapes.aspx
Starting in 2014, the Conservancy is expanding this work in the Western US to include 6 more ecoregions
west of the Cascades crest in California, Oregon, and Washington: (North California Coast, Sierra Nevada,
Klamath Mountains, West Cascades, Northwest Coast, and Willamette Valley/Puget Trough ecoregions).
Importantly, TNC will also analyze regional connectivity across the entire Northwestern study area of ten
ecoregions to assist in identifying a connected network of resilient sites.
____________________________________________________
Risky Business: The Economic Risks of Climate Change in the United States
The Risky Business Project represents a first-of-its-kind effort to combine the best available projections for
changes in local climate conditions across the United States with empirically-derived estimates of the fiscal
impact of those changes on key sectors of the U.S. economy. The project’s independent research team
analyzed low-probability, high-impact climate events, as well as those most likely to occur. Consideration of
such “tail risks” is critical for investors and businesses accustomed to buying insurance against potentially
catastrophic losses. Risky Business Project co-chairs Michael R. Bloomberg, Henry Paulson, and Tom Steyer
tasked the Rhodium Group, an economic research firm that specializes in analyzing disruptive global trends,
with an independent assessment of the economic risks posed by a changing climate in the U.S. Rhodium
convened a research team co-led by climate scientist Dr. Robert Kopp of Rutgers University and economist
Dr. Solomon Hsiang of the University of California, Berkeley. Rhodium also partnered with Risk Management
Solutions (RMS), the world’s largest catastrophe-modeling company for insurance, reinsurance, and
investment-management companies around the world. The team’s complete assessment, along with
technical appendices, is available at Rhodium’s website, climateprospectus.rhg.com.
____________________________________________________
Launched June 25: Climate Justice in Action Blog Series
Today, June 25th, EPA launched a summer-long Climate Justice in Action blog series, kicked off by a video from
Administrator Gina McCarthy. The series will focus on the unequal burdens climate change places on lowincome, minority and indigenous communities and the innovative solutions communities are taking across the
country to fight climate change and prepare for its effects. As a part of the series EPA has created an Interactive
Climate Justice Map that allows for environmental justice and climate change Tribes, indigenous people and
stakeholders from all backgrounds to upload stories about actions being taken in their communities to combat
climate change.
Communities are encouraged to contribute their stories! EPA will collect all the submissions over the course of
this campaign, which will be highlighted in various ways throughout the summer. This will also be a great
educational opportunity by compiling successes and lessons learned from a variety of communities to
demonstrate the full breadth of activities taking place across the country to combat climate change.
Links
Kickoff blog link (posted Wednesday at 11 AM EST): http://blog.epa.gov/ej/2014/06/climate-justice-in-action/
Administrators Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB3S2fEHeBs&feature=youtu.be
Interactive Climate Justice Map: http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/events/climate-justice.html
____________________________________________________
Biodiversity/Species and Ecosystem Response-- Journal Articles & Other Publications
Conservation blueprint completed for Columbia Plateau
Ecoregion: To aid managers in strategic conservation efforts
in the Columbia Plateau Ecoregion, the Great Northern LCC
funded a two-year landscape conservation design project.
The recently completed project, led by the US Fish & Wildlife
Service's National Wildlife Refuge planning office, and in
collaboration with the Arid Lands Initiative, used spatial
analyses to identify priority areas for restoration and
protection of habitats and species. This will allow
conservation partners to work from a common blueprint for
on-the-ground conservation actions and in developing
management strategies adapted to a changing climate. Read
project final report and access project data layers in
Landscape Conservation Management and Analysis Portal (LC
MAP)
The subtle role of climate change on population genetic structure in Canada lynx: This research shows that
current genetic variability of Canada lynx is strongly correlated with a winter climate gradient (i.e. increasing
snow depth and winter precipitation from west-to-east) across the Pacific-North American (PNO) to North
Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) climatic systems. This relationship was stronger than isolation by distance and not
explained by landscape variables or changes in abundance. Thus, these patterns suggest that individuals
restricted dispersal across the climate boundary, likely in the absence of changes in habitat quality. We
propose habitat imprinting on snow conditions as one possible explanation for this unusual phenomenon.
Coupling historical climate data with future projections, we also found increasingly diverging snow
conditions between the two climate systems. Based on genetic simulations using projected climate data
(2041–2070), we predicted that this divergence could lead to a threefold increase in genetic differentiation,
potentially leading to isolated east–west populations of lynx in North America. Our results imply that subtle
genetic structure can be governed by current climate and that substantive genetic differentiation and
related ecological divergence may arise from changing climate patterns. [Row, J. R., Wilson, P. J., Gomez, C.,
Koen, E. L., Bowman, J., Thornton, D. and Murray, D. L. (2014), The subtle role of climate change on
population genetic structure in Canada lynx. Global Change Biology, 20: 2076–2086. doi:
10.1111/gcb.12526]
Snowshoe hares display limited phenotypic plasticity to mismatch in seasonal camouflage: Plasticity in
moult phenology and behaviours in snowshoe hares has been found to be insufficient for adaptation to
camouflage mismatch, suggesting that any future adaptation to climate change will require natural selection
on moult phenology or behaviour…. As duration of snow cover decreases owing to climate change, species
undergoing seasonal colour moults can become colour mismatched with their background. The immediate
adaptive solution to this mismatch is phenotypic plasticity, either in phenology of seasonal colour moults or
in behaviours that reduce mismatch or its consequences. Researchers observed nearly 200 snowshoe hares
across a wide range of snow conditions and two study sites in Montana, USA, and found minimal plasticity in
response to mismatch between coat colour and background. It was found that moult phenology varied
between study sites, likely due to differences in photoperiod and climate, but was largely fixed within study
sites with only minimal plasticity to snow conditions during the spring white-to-brown moult. No evidence
was found that hares modify their behaviour in response to colour mismatch. Hiding and fleeing behaviours
and resting spot preference of hares were more affected by variables related to season, site and
concealment by vegetation, than by colour mismatch. [Zimova, M., L. S. Mills, P. M. Lukacs, and M. S.
Mitchell. 2014. Snowshoe hares display limited phenotypic plasticity to mismatch in seasonal camouflage.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 281. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2014.0029]
Land management trumps the effects of climate change and elevated CO2 on grassland functioning: A
meta-analysis is used here to examine drivers at both scales primarily targeting services provided by
grasslands relating to plant productivity (above- and below-ground biomass) and soil processes (nutrients
and soil respiration) in 38 manipulative experiments published in the last decade. The authors specifically
target effects of (i) single and combined land management practices (LMs), (ii) single and combined factors
relating to broad-scale climate change and elevated CO2, and (iii) combined management practices and
changes to climate and CO2. Collectively, this examines the general efficacy of global change models in
predicting changes to grassland functioning. The authors found that combinations of management practices
had approximately double the explanatory power for variation in grassland services compared with
individual or interactive effects of factors associated with climate change and CO2. Although this work
confirms how climate change and CO2 can affect many ecosystem-based functional attributes, it suggests
that combinations of land management practices remain the dominant set of factors in determining the
performance of grassland plant communities. Land management may thus be critical for influencing
projected responses to future climate change and elevated CO2 in models of grassland function at least for
factors relating to primary production. [Aurélie Thébault, Pierre Mariotte, Christopher J. Lortie and Andrew S.
MacDougall Journal of Ecology Volume 102, Issue 4, pages 896–904, July 2014, DOI: 10.1111/13652745.12236]
Amphibians in the climate vise: loss and restoration of resilience of montane wetland ecosystems in the
western US: Amphibians in the West’s high-mountain areas find themselves in a vise, caught between
climate-induced habitat loss and predation from introduced fish. This North Pacific LCC-backed project
developed a list of tools that could be of use to land managers working with montane wetlands including a
hydrologic model and remote-sensing techniques. [Maureen E Ryan, Wendy J Palen, Michael J Adams, and
Regina M Rochefort 2014. Amphibians in the climate vise: loss and restoration of resilience of montane
wetland ecosystems in the western US. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 12: 232–240.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/130145]
Climate warming mediates negative impacts of rapid pond drying for three amphibian species: This study
conducted a mesocosm experiment to test the individual and interactive effects of pool permanency
(permanent vs. temporary) and water temperature (ambient vs. +∼3°C) on three anurans with fast-to-slow
larval development rates (Great Basin spadefoot [Spea intermontana], Pacific chorus frog [Pseudacris
regilla], and northern red-legged frog [Rana aurora]). We found that although tadpoles in warmed pools
reached metamorphosis 15–17 days earlier, they did so with little cost (<2 mm) to size, likely due to greater
periphyton growth in warmed pools easing drying-induced resource competition. Warming and drying
combined to act antagonistically on early growth (P = 0.06) and survival (P = 0.06), meaning the combined
impact was less than the sum of the individual impacts. Warming and drying acted additively on time to and
size at metamorphosis. These nonsynergistic impacts may result from cotolerance of larvae to warming and
drying, as well as warming helping to offset negative impacts of drying. Our results indicate that combined
pool warming and drying may not always be harmful for larval amphibians. However, they also demonstrate
that antagonistic responses are difficult to predict, which poses a challenge to proactive conservation and
management. Our study highlights the importance of considering the nature of multiple stressor
interactions as amphibians are exposed to an increasing number of anthropogenic threats. [Sacha M.
O'Regan, Wendy J. Palen, and Sean C. Anderson. 2014. Climate warming mediates negative impacts of rapid
pond drying for three amphibian species. Ecology 95:845–855. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/13-0916.1]
Precipitation, not warming temperatures, may be key in bird adaptation to climate change: A new
empirically-based model analyzing how birds in western North America will respond to climate change
suggests that for most species, regional warming is not as likely to influence population trends as will
precipitation changes. Several past studies have found that temperature increases can push some animal
species – including birds – into higher latitudes or higher elevations. Few studies, however, have tackled the
role that changes in precipitation may cause. This analysis finds that for many species, it is precipitation that
most affects the long-term survival of many bird species due to associated changes plant growth, soil
moisture, water storage and insect abundance and distributions. The researchers examined long-term data
on bird distributions and abundance covering five states in the western United States, and in the Canadian
province of British Columbia, testing statistical models to predict temporal changes in population of 132 bird
species over a 32-year period. They analyzed the impacts of temperature and precipitation on bird
distributions at the beginning of the study period (the 1970s) and then tested how well the predictions
performed against actual population trends over the ensuing 30 years. [ Illán, J. G., Thomas, C. D., Jones, J.
A., Wong, W.-K., Shirley, S. M. and Betts, M. G. (2014), Precipitation and winter temperature predict longterm range-scale abundance changes in Western North American birds. Global Change Biology. doi:
10.1111/gcb.12642]
Yet… Exotic plant invasions under enhanced rainfall are constrained by soil nutrients and competition: To
predict the net impact of climate change on invasions, it is critical to understand how its effects interact with
environmental and biotic context. In a factorial field experiment, we examined how increased late-season
rainfall influences the growth and reproductive success of two widespread invasive species (Centaurea
solstitialis and Aegilops triuncialis) in heterogeneous Californian grasslands, and, in particular, how its
impact depends on habitat type, nutrient addition, and competition with resident species. Rainfall
enhancement alone exhibited only weak effects, especially in naturally infertile and relatively uninvaded
grasslands. In contrast, watering and fertilization together exhibited highly synergistic effects on both
invasive species. However, the benefits of the combined treatment were greatly reduced or offset by the
presence of surrounding competitors. Our results highlight the roles of nutrient limitation and biotic
resistance by resident competitors in constraining the responses of invasive species to changes in rainfall. In
systems with strong environmental control by precipitation, enhanced rainfall may promote invasions
mainly under nutrient-rich and disturbed conditions, while having lesser effects on nutrient-poor, native
“refuges.” [Anu Eskelinen and Susan Harrison. 2014. Exotic plant invasions under enhanced rainfall are
constrained by soil nutrients and competition. Ecology 95:682–692. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/13-0288.1]
Change is coming to the northern oceans: The coldtemperate regions of the North Pacific and North Atlantic
oceans, from about 40°N latitude to the Arctic fronts,
support large and productive fisheries (1), particularly in
the northernmost regions: the Bering Sea in the Pacific and
the Barents Sea in the Atlantic. The two main near-bottom
fish species in the Bering and Barents seas are walleye
pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) and Atlantic cod (G.
morhua), respectively. In the past decade, the two species
have responded differently to ocean warming. These
response patterns appear to be linked to a complex suite of
climatic and oceanic processes that may portend future
responses to warming ocean conditions. [Anne B. Hollowed
and Svein Sundby, Science 6 June 2014: 344 (6188), 10841085. [DOI:10.1126/science.1251166]]
See also: A cascade of warming impacts brings bluefin
tuna to Greenland waters. [MacKenzie, B. R., Payne, M. R.,
Boje, J., Høyer, J. L. and Siegstad, H. (2014) Global Change
Biology, 20: 2484–2491. doi: 10.1111/gcb.12597]
Changing climate and the altitudinal range of avian malaria in the Hawaiian Islands – an ongoing
conservation crisis on the island of Kaua'i: Transmission of avian malaria in the Hawaiian Islands varies
across altitudinal gradients and is greatest at elevations below 1500 m where both temperature and
moisture are favorable for the sole mosquito vector, Culex quinquefasciatus, and extrinsic sporogonic
development of the parasite, Plasmodium relictum. Potential consequences of global warming on this
system have been recognized for over a decade with concerns that increases in mean temperatures could
lead to expansion of malaria into habitats where cool temperatures currently limit transmission to highly
susceptible endemic forest birds. Recent declines in two endangered species on the island of Kaua'i, the
‘Akikiki (Oreomystis bairdi) and ‘Akeke'e (Loxops caeruleirostris), and retreat of more common native
honeycreepers to the last remaining high elevation habitat on the Alaka'i Plateau suggest that predicted
changes in disease transmission may be occurring. We compared prevalence of malarial infections in forest
birds that were sampled at three locations on the Plateau during 1994–1997 and again during 2007–2013,
and also evaluated changes in the occurrence of mosquito larvae in available aquatic habitats during the
same time periods. Prevalence of infection increased significantly at the lower (1100 m, 10.3% to 28.2%),
middle (1250 m, 8.4% to 12.2%), and upper ends of the Plateau (1350 m, 2.0% to 19.3%). A concurrent
increase in detections of Culex larvae in aquatic habitats associated with stream margins indicates that
populations of the vector are also increasing. These increases are at least in part due to local transmission
because overall prevalence in Kaua'i ‘Elepaio (Chasiempis sclateri), a sedentary native species, has increased
from 17.2% to 27.0%. Increasing mean air temperatures, declining precipitation, and changes in streamflow
that have taken place over the past 20 years are creating environmental conditions throughout major
portions of the Alaka'i Plateau that support increased transmission of avian malaria. [Atkinson, C. T.,
Utzurrum, R. B., Lapointe, D. A., Camp, R. J., Crampton, L. H., Foster, J. T. and Giambelluca, T. W. (2014),
Changing climate and the altitudinal range of avian malaria in the Hawaiian Islands – an ongoing
conservation crisis on the island of Kaua'i. Global Change Biology, 20: 2426–2436. doi: 10.1111/gcb.12535]
Mechanisms underpinning climatic impacts on natural populations: altered species interactions are more
important than direct effects: Shifts in species' distribution and abundance in response to climate change
have been well documented, but the underpinning processes are still poorly understood. This paper
provides the results of a systematic literature review and meta-analysis investigating the frequency and
importance of different mechanisms by which climate has impacted natural populations. Most studies were
from temperate latitudes of North America and Europe; almost half investigated bird populations.
Significantly greater support for indirect, biotic mechanisms were found than direct, abiotic mechanisms as
mediators of the impact of climate on populations. In addition, biotic effects tended to have greater support
than abiotic factors in studies of species from higher trophic levels. For primary consumers, the impact of
climate was equally mediated by biotic and abiotic mechanisms, whereas for higher level consumers the
mechanisms were most frequently biotic, such as predation or food availability. Biotic mechanisms were
more frequently supported in studies that reported a directional trend in climate than in studies with no
such climatic change, although sample sizes for this comparison were small. The authors call for more
mechanistic studies of climate change impacts on populations, particularly in tropical systems. [Ockendon,
N., Baker, D. J., Carr, J. A., White, E. C., Almond, R. E. A., Amano, T., Bertram, E., Bradbury, R. B., Bradley, C.,
Butchart, S. H. M., Doswald, N., Foden, W., Gill, D. J. C., Green, R. E., Sutherland, W. J., Tanner, E. V. J. and
Pearce-Higgins, J. W. (2014), Mechanisms underpinning climatic impacts on natural populations: altered
species interactions are more important than direct effects. Global Change Biology, 20: 2221–2229. doi:
10.1111/gcb.12559]
Causes of warm-edge range limits: systematic review, proximate factors and implications for climate
change: The factors that set species range limits underlie many patterns in ecology, evolution, biogeography
and conservation. These factors have been the subject of several reviews, but there has been no systematic
review of the causes of warm-edge limits (low elevations and latitudes). Although it is often assumed that
warm-edge limits are set by biotic factors, our review shows that abiotic factors (primarily temperature) are
supported more often among the species in these 125 studies. However, few studies both identify
proximate causes and test alternative mechanisms, or examine the interaction between biotic and abiotic
factors. Filling these gaps should be a high priority as warm-edge populations are increasingly driven to
extinction by climate change. [Cahill, A. E., M. E. Aiello-Lammens, M. Caitlin Fisher-Reid, X. Hua, C. J.
Karanewsky, H. Y. Ryu, G. C. Sbeglia, F. Spagnolo, J. B. Waldron, and J. J. Wiens. 2014. Causes of warm-edge
range limits: systematic review, proximate factors and implications for climate change. Journal of
Biogeography 41:429-442]
___________________________________________________________
Forests / Fire
Climate effects on Western U.S. Forests: USGS scientists and colleagues attempted to identify which
mechanism dominates climate-related changes in tree mortality across the landscape. Using data from a
long-term study of tree demography in the Sierra Nevada of California, they found strong evidence that the
drivers of changing mortality rates differ between forests where growth is limited by energy (colder, wetter
areas with shorter growing seasons) and forests where growth is limited by water (hotter, drier areas where
water is more scarce). In water-limited forests, drought stress on trees seems to dominate changes in
mortality rate, while in energy-limited forests climatic effects on tree-killing organisms also appear to play a
key role. However, they also discovered that currently available data are inadequate to clearly forecast how
these mechanisms will affect tree mortality in the future, with different (and equally supported) models
giving radically different outcomes. The paper was published in the journal PLOS One and is available at:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0069917
Wildland fire emissions, carbon, and climate: Wildfire–climate interactions: Increasing wildfire activity in
recent decades, partially related to extended droughts, along with concern over potential impacts of future
climate change on fire activity has resulted in increased attention on fire–climate interactions. Findings from
studies published in recent years have remarkably increased our understanding of fire–climate interactions
and improved our capacity to delineate probable future climate change and impacts. Fires are projected to
increase in many regions of the globe under a changing climate due to the greenhouse effect. Burned areas
in the western US could increase by more than 50% by the middle of this century. Increased fire activity is
not simply an outcome of the changing climate, but also a participant in the change. Smoke particles reduce
overall solar radiation absorbed by the Earth’s atmosphere during individual fire events and fire seasons,
leading to regional climate effects including reduction in surface temperature, suppression of cloud and
precipitation, and enhancement of climate anomalies such as droughts. Black carbon (BC) in smoke particles
displays some different radiation and climate effects by warming the middle and lower atmosphere, leading
to a more stable atmosphere. BC also plays a key role in the smoke-snow feedback mechanism. Fire
emissions of CO2, on the other hand, are an important atmospheric CO2 source and contribute substantially
to the global greenhouse effect. Future studies should generate a global picture of all aspects of radiative
forcing by smoke particles. Better knowledge is needed in space and time variability of smoke particles,
evolution of smoke optical properties, estimation of smoke plume height and vertical profiles and their
impacts on locations of warming layers, stability structure, clouds and smoke transport, quantification of BC
emission factors and optical properties from different forest fuels, and BC’s individual and combined roles
with organic carbon. Finally, understanding the short- and long-term greenhouse effect of fire CO2
emissions, increased capacity to project future fire trends (especially mega-fires), with consideration of
climate–fuel–human interactions, and improved fire weather and climate prediction skills (including
exploring the SST-fire relations) remain central knowledge needs. [Yongqiang Liu, Scott Goodrick, Warren
Heilman, journal Forest Ecology and Management, Volume 317, Pages 1-96 (1 April 2014)-- See this issue of
the journal for more on wildland fire emissions, carbon, and climate Click here , Volume 317, Pages 1-96 (1
April 2014), Wildland fire emissions, carbon, and climate: Science overview and knowledge needs]
Blue Mountains Adaptation Partnership is a new US Forest Service led science-management collaboration
with the goals of: Increasing climate change awareness; Assessing vulnerability of cultural and natural
resources; and Developing science-based adaptation strategies and incorporating them into management of
federal lands in the Blue Mountains. Learn more and join the list server: BMAP
Northern Rockies Adaptation Partnership is a new US Forest Service led science-management collaboration
with the goals of: 1)Assessing vulnerability of natural resources and ecosystem services to climate change;
and 2)Developing science-based adaptation strategies that can be used by national forests to understand
and mitigate the negative effects of climate change. Learn more and join the list server:
http://adaptationpartners.org/nrap/
Aquatic and Water Resources
Climate warming contributes to native and invasive trout hybridization: Results from a study conducted by
Dr. Clint Muhlfeld, US Geological Survey, with funding support from the Great Northern LCC, was recently
published in the journal Nature Climate Change. The paper reports that rapid climate warming contributes
to hybridization between native and invasive trout species. Muhlfeld and his collaborators examined longterm genetic monitoring data with high-resolution climate and stream temperature predictions. Their
findings indicate that invasive hybridization could result in genomic extinction for many native species.
[Nature Clim. Change, 2014/07/, Vol 4, Issue 7, pp 620- 624, http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2252]
Report: Next Steps for Managing Freshwater Resources in a Changing Climate summarizes
recommendations for implementing the National Action Plan: Priorities for Managing Freshwater Resources
in a Changing Climate. The report was developed by the Water Resources Adaptation to Climate Change
Workgroup that supports the Advisory Committee on Water Information - a national federal advisory
committee made up of representatives of a diverse set of stakeholders and federal agencies. The
Workgroup organized five subgroups based on the major recommendation topics in the National Action
Plan: data and information for decision-making; vulnerability assessment; water use efficiency and
conservation; integrated water resource management; and capacity building in training and outreach. The
report is the result of discussions that took place at a two-day meeting of the Workgroup members in
February 2014. To read the report, visit:
http://acwi.gov/climate_wkg/Climate_water_recommendations_rpt-april_21_2014_final_draft.pdf
Climate-Aquatics Blog #57: Identifying & protecting climate refuge lakes for coldwater fishes The climate
is changing and fish populations are changing in response (blogs 32, 34, 35, 42). Managing and conserving
efficiently this century means having a good sense of where it’s all headed and committing limited
conservation resources accordingly. Committing to the wrong places risks being run over by the climate
change train or squandering resources on populations that would have been fine regardless of what the
climate does (blog #52). The sweet spot lies between the two extremes and figuring out where our
investments will tip the balance toward more desirable outcomes later this century. So as alluded in the
previous blog (#56), this time we’re highlighting a set of related studies that constitute the current global
gold standard in terms of developing the science, information, and management policies for making those
commitments for one species in one landscape…
________________________________________________________
Rangeland Vegetation
The effects of precipitation and soil type on three invasive annual grasses in the western United States:
Multiple species of annual grasses are invading sagebrush-steppe communities throughout the western
United States. Most research has focused on dominant species such as Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass), yet
other, less studied annual grasses such as Taeniatherum caput-medusae (medusahead) and Ventenata dubia
(ventenata) are spreading rapidly. Future precipitation regimes are expected to have less frequent but more
intense rain events, which may affect soil moisture availability and favor these ‘newer’ invasives over
cheatgrass. We conducted a full factorial, growth chamber study examining the effects of two watering
regimes (small/frequent, large/infrequent rain pulses) across nine soil types on the growth of cheatgrass,
medusahead and ventenata. We tested a hypothesis that medusahead or ventenata would have greater
growth than cheatgrass with larger/infrequent rain events. The two watering regimes had relatively strong
effects on soil water content, but generally did not impact plant growth. In contrast, variation in soil
properties such as clay content, pH and soil N correlated with a two- to four-fold change in plant growth.
The three invasive grass species generally respond similarly to changes in precipitation regimes and to
edaphic factors. Nevertheless, medusahead had 30–40% overall greater root growth compared to the other
species and a 15% increase in root growth in response to the large/infrequent watering treatment. Our
findings reveal that 1) greater biomass allocation to roots and 2) greater responsiveness of root growth to
differing precipitation regimes of medusahead may favor its ecological success over other invasive annuals
under future climate scenarios. [Bansal, S., J. J. James, and R. L. Sheley. 2014. The effects of precipitation and
soil type on three invasive annual grasses in the western United States. Journal of Arid Environments 104:3842]
Annual Changes in Bluebunch Wheatgrass Biomass and Nutrients Related to Climate and Wildfire: Current
year's growth (biomass) and nutrient levels of bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata), a highly
palatable bunchgrass in western North America, were evaluated over 20-year and 10-year periods,
respectively. Three study sites representing a range of variation in conditions were located on south-facing
slopes. Annual biomass ranged from 5.6 to 109.0 gm m-2 on individual sites with means for all sites of 42.7
gm m-2 (range 17.5–73.3 gm m-2), with April and May precipitation best predicting the variation. Variation
was highest on the site lowest in elevation and highest in biomass. A fire in August 2000 that burned all
study sites suppressed biomass for the following two years, aided by lower than average precipitation. The
highest elevation site had higher mean values of Cu, Mg, N, K, P, S, and Zn than the two lower sites, but the
greatest range of values occurred on one of the two lower sites for Ca, Fe, K, Mg, N, P, and S. Combinations
of temperature and precipitation predicted Ca, K, N, P, and Zn values, while Cu and Fe were predicted with
total monthly precipitation, and Mg and S were predicted with mean monthly temperature. Values of Cu, Fe,
K, N, P, S, and Zn were higher than expected for one to two years following the 2000 fire, while Ca and Mg
did not show any responses to the fire. Predictions for biomass and nutrient content apply to the range of
conditions, temperatures and precipitation observed over the study period. The predictions may be useful in
assessing responses to changes in climate, and are helpful in explaining variation in herbivore populations
relative to changes in forage quality and quantity. [Peek, James M. 2014. Annual Changes in Bluebunch
Wheatgrass Biomass and Nutrients Related to Climate and Wildfire. Northwest Science 88(2): 129-139]
Drought and Ecological Site Interaction on Plant Composition of a Semi-Arid Rangeland: Fluctuating
climatic patterns are increasing the frequency and severity of drought, a concern for native plant
communities on grazed semi-arid rangelands. Vegetation successional models have focused on the impact of
management and have failed to quantify the effects of extreme drought. From 2001 to 2011, plant
community composition was sampled on ecological sites in a semi-arid rangeland managed with
conservative grazing and frequent fire since 1937. Ordination and classification were used to assess the
interactive effects of ecological site and extreme drought on plant species composition, holding all other
external drivers constant. Deeper soil clay loam sites had 4x greater beta diversity than shallower and
rockier low stony hill sites, an indication of greater species turnover and instability in response to extreme
drought. Cumulative effects of drought years explained similarity between sites and species composition.
Response to extreme drought varied by species; no response (Bouteloua curtipendula), decreased (Nassella
leucotricha), and increased (Bouteloua rigidiseta and Eriochloa sericea). Annual C3 plant responses were
explained by short-term drought and perennial C3 and C4 plant responses were explained by long-term
drought. Clay loam sites had maximum species richness and diversity values during neutral periods with
quadratic declines associated with climatic extremes (dry or wet) compared to the more xeric sites which
had minimum species richness and diversity during neutral periods with quadratic increases during climatic
extremes. The interaction between site and drought, holding all other external drivers constant, can
enhance our understanding of plant community dynamics and secondary plant succession of degraded semiarid rangelands. [Scasta, J. D., and B. S. Rector. 2014. Drought and Ecological Site Interaction on Plant
Composition of a Semi-Arid Rangeland. Arid Land Research and Management 28:197-215]
________________________________________________________
Coastal/Marine Ecosystems/Ocean Acidification
For Corals Adapting to Climate Change, It’s Survival of the Fattest—and Most Flexible: The future health of
the world’s coral reefs and the animals that depend on them relies in part on the ability of one tiny
symbiotic sea creature to get fat—and to be flexible about the type of algae it cooperates with. In the first
study of its kind, scientists at The Ohio State University discovered that corals—tiny reef-forming animals
that live symbiotically with algae—are better able to recover from yearly bouts of heat stress, called
“bleaching,”when they keep large energy reserves—mostly as fat—socked away in their cells. [Grottoli, A.
G., Warner, M. E., Levas, S. J., Aschaffenburg, M. D., Schoepf, V., McGinley, M., Baumann, J. and Matsui, Y.
(2014), The cumulative impact of annual coral bleaching can turn some coral species winners into losers.
Global Change Biology. doi: 10.1111/gcb.12658]
Key Lessons for Incorporating Natural Infrastructure into Regional Climate Adaptation Planning - A new
article in Ocean & Coastal Management details a collaborative process in two coastal California counties to
account for the role of natural infrastructure in climate adaptation planning. [Langridge et al., Ocean &
Coastal Manage, Volume 95, July 2014, Pages 189–197, DOI: 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2014.03.019]
________________________________________________________
Snow/Rain/Streamflow in Western U.S.
Extent of the rain-snow transition zone in the western U.S. under historic and projected climate: This
study investigates the extent of the rain-snow transition zone across the complex terrain of the western
United States for both late 20th century climate and projected changes in climate by the mid-21st century.
Observed and projected temperature and precipitation data at 4 km resolution were used with an empirical
probabilistic precipitation phase model to estimate and map the likelihood of snow versus rain occurrence.
This approach identifies areas most likely to undergo precipitation phase change over the next half century.
At broad scales, these projections indicate an average 30% decrease in areal extent of winter wet-day
temperatures conducive to snowfall over the western United States. At higher resolution scales, this
approach identifies existing and potential experimental sites best suited for research investigating the
mechanisms linking precipitation phase change to a broad array of processes, such as shifts in rain-on-snow
flood risk, timing of water resource availability, and ecosystem dynamics. [Klos, P. Z., T. E. Link, and J. T.
Abatzoglou (2014), Extent of the rain-snow transition zone in the western U.S. under historic and projected
climate, Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, doi:10.1002/2014GL060500]
Study Demonstrates Shift from Snow to Rain Leads to Decrease in Streamflow: In a warming climate,
precipitation is less likely to occur as snowfall. A shift from a snow- towards a rain-dominated regime is
currently assumed not to influence the mean streamflow significantly. The study argues however that mean
streamflow is likely to be reduced for catchments that experience significant reductions in the fraction of
precipitation falling as snow. With more than one-sixth of the Earth's population depending on meltwater
for their water supply, and ecosystems that can be sensitive to streamflow alterations, the socio-economic
consequences of a reduction in streamflow can be substantial. The study demonstrates that a higher
fraction of precipitation falling as snow is associated with higher mean streamflow, compared to catchments
with marginal or no snowfall. To view the results from this study, visit:
http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nclimate2246.html
Seasonal snowpack characteristics influence soil temperature and water content at multiple scales in
interior western U.S. mountain ecosystems [Maurer, G. E., and D. R. Bowling (2014), Seasonal snowpack
characteristics influence soil temperature and water content at multiple scales in interior western U.S.
mountain ecosystems, Water Resour. Res., 50, doi:10.1002/2013WR014452.]
___________________________________________________________
Climate Change Journal Articles/Publications/News
Recent increases in extreme temperature occurrence over land: This research indicates that the increasing
global and U.S. temperatures over the last 30 years are predominantly the result of shifts in the mean
temperature distribution and not increasing temperature variability. As such, the likelihood of increases in
the occurrence of warm temperature extremes will likely continue to increase worldwide, leading to
significant impacts on many socioeconomic sectors such as agriculture and public health. [Weaver, S. J., A.
Kumar, and M. Chen (2014), Recent increases in extreme temperature occurrence over land, Geophys. Res.
Lett., 41, doi:10.1002/2014GL060300 ]
Preindustrial land use change caused 0.73°C of global warming: Since the dawn of the Holocene nearly
12,000 years ago, humans have been shaping the Earth’s surface and atmosphere. By redistributing soil and
nutrients, clearing land, chopping down trees, rerouting rivers, setting fires, and, later, burning fossil fuels,
humans have gradually become the dominant driver of change in the Earth’s climate. Through widespread
land use change—first for agriculture and later through urbanization humans have gradually changed the
balance of the global energy budget. Using a global climate model, He et al. have figured out how the landclearing practices of preindustrial civilizations affected the Earth’s temperature…. They found that by
influencing biogeophysical systems, Holocene era land use change caused… a net 0.73°C of warming caused
by preindustrial land use change. By comparison, the authors note, the post-industrial era has seen 0.8°C of
anthropogenic global warming (in a much shorter time period). (Summary excerpt from Eos, Vol. 95, No. 26,
1 July 2014; He et al., Geophysical Research Letters, doi:10.1002/ 2013GL058085, 2014)
NASA's new satellite, OCO-2, launched July 2: OCO-2 is NASA's first satellite dedicated to measuring
atmospheric CO2. It is designed to collect space-based global measurements of atmospheric CO2 with the
precision, resolution, and coverage needed to characterize sources and sinks on regional scales. OCO-2 joins
five other Earth-observing satellites rush along like trains on the same "track," flying minutes, and
sometimes seconds, behind one another. They carry more than 15 scientific instruments in total, looking at
many different aspects of our home planet. Called the Afternoon Constellation, or A-Train, these satellites
work as a united, powerful tool for advancing our understanding of Earth's surface and atmosphere. OCO-2
and other measurements will be combined with data from a ground-based network to provide scientists
with the information they need to better understand the processes that regulate atmospheric CO2 and its
role in the carbon cycle. This enhanced understanding is essential for improving predictions of future
atmospheric CO2 increases and its impact on Earth's climate.
Another Drop in Water Vapor: In 2000 a sudden severe drop in stratospheric water vapor levels interrupted
the supposed long-term increase of this greenhouse gas, an important contributor to global warming and
climate variability. Satellite sensors observed a recovery in the following years, hidden behind a large
variability. More recently, during 2011 and 2012, measurements revealed another severe drop in
stratospheric water vapor concentrations. Similar abrupt changes have likely occurred previously but were
not observed because of the lack of adequate satellite measurements before the 1990s. In addition, future
changes may remain unobserved, with present- day limb- sounding satellites well beyond their design
lifetimes and no new missions planned to continue the observation record. [Urban, J., S. Lossow, G. Stiller
and W. Read (2014), Another Drop in Water Vapor, Eos Trans. AGU, 95(27), 245]
___________________________________________________________
Taking Action
Interactive Tool Lets You Decide How to Reduce Emissions: What can we do to limit the magnitude of
climate change? How would you reduce the nation's greenhouse gas emissions? A new interactive tool
<http://click.newsletters.nas.edu/?qs=212b38cbaa629524aa34bb344d17b0e16385d4c168eb303aa6192531
416e0bd9> from the Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences lets you decide. The
goal in the tool scenario is to reduce cumulative U.S. greenhouse emissions to 203 gigatons or less by the
year 2050. The tool asks you to set priorities among cost-savings, land preservation, oil independence, air
quality, or a combination and then to choose a portfolio of renewable energy, carbon capture, land use, and
other options to safeguard those priorities while achieving target emission levels. Try it today!
What are the greenhouse gas emissions for your diet? A new study finds the average greenhouse gas
emissions GHG emissions (in kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalents per day) of meat-eaters, fish-eaters,
vegetarians and vegans were: 7.19 for high meat-eaters, 5.63 for medium meat-eaters, 4.67 for low meateaters, 3.91 for fish-eaters, 3.81 for vegetarians and 2.89 for vegans
Connect with the American Society of Adaptation Professionals: The American Society of Adaptation
Professionals (ASAP) connects leading professionals from a variety of sectors working to increase climate
resilience across the United States. Initially created in 2011, and formally launched in 2013, ASAP provides a
platform and forum for climate adaptation leaders to interact, participate in cutting edge research, develop
guidance for adaptation, and collaborate with their colleagues across the country. The society builds off the
strengths of its members and focuses on connecting adaptation professionals across the United States.
Membership is free for 2014. To learn more, visit: http://adaptationprofessionals.org/
___________________________________________________________
Climate and Weather Reports and Services
New Hawaii Climate Information
Evapotranspiration of Hawai`i This website provides a set of maps of the spatial patterns of
evapotranspiration for the major Hawaiian Islands. (http://evapotranspiration.geography.hawaii.edu)
Solar Radiation of Hawai`i This website provides a set of maps of the spatial patterns of solar
radiation for the major Hawaiian Islands.( http://solar.geography.hawaii.edu)
Climate of Hawai`i: This website provides a set of maps of the spatial patterns of climate for the major
Hawaiian Islands. (http://climate.geography.hawaii.edu)
The Office of the Washington State Climatologist issues a monthly newsletter that summarizes the WA
climate for the previous month, includes a precipitation and temperature outlook, and also includes a brief
summary of an interesting aspect of the weather or climate of WA, among a few other sections: See
www.climate.washington.edu/newsletter for copies and to join the listserv.
PNW Climate Outlook: This quarterly report from the Pacific Northwest Climate Impacts Research
Consortium (CIRC) provides a seasonal wrap up of relevant regional issues along with an outlook for the
coming season in Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Western Montana. To subscribe send an email to John
Stevenson.
Great Basin Weather and Climate Dashboard: this website provides up to date climate and weather data
and forecasts/outlooks for the Great Basin including temperature, precipitation, drought, snowpack and
hydrologic information. (Some of the information includes the entire western U.S.) The Dashboard is a joint
effort amongst the Western Regional Climate Center, California and Nevada Applications Program, the USDA
Farm Service Agency and the Great Basin LCC.
NOAA Climate Connection E-Newsletter: Free monthly e-newsletter designed to increase climate literacy
and communication capacity for NOAA and its partners. Subscription requests can be sent to
[email protected]. Click here to view the June 2013 NOAA Climate Connection enewsletter.
NOAA’s State of the Climate Monthly Update
NOAA Monthly Drought Outlook: The monthly drought outlook complements the weekly drought condition
updates via the U.S. Drought Monitor. See this site.
NOAA Climate Portal: http://www.climate.gov/ National Snow and Ice Data Center: http://nsidc.org
NOAA 2013 Global Climate Report: The average global temperature for 2013 tied as the fourth warmest
year since record keeping began in 1880, according to NOAA scientists. It also marked the 37th consecutive
year with a global temperature above the 20th century average. The last below-average annual temperature
was 1976. Including 2013, all 13 years of the 21st century (2001-2013) rank among the 15 warmest in the
134-year period of record. The three warmest years on record are 1998, 2005, and 2010. This analysis is
from NOAA's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina. To access the summary and full
report, visit: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/news/ncdc-releases-2013-global-climate-report.
____________________________________________________________
List Servers
BioClimate] News & Events from NCCWSC & the CSCs: https://nccwsc.usgs.gov/bioclimate-newsletter
ClimateNews-- is a snapshot from British Columbia’s Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource
Operations, provides new and emerging climate change adaptation and mitigation activities in the natural
resource sector. Contact: [email protected]
Climate CIRCulator (Oregon Climate Change Research Institute)
Climate Impacts Group (Univ. Washington)
Earth to Sky Newsletter (NASA/DOI Partnership): [email protected]
EPA Climate Change and Water E-Newsletter
FRESC monthly e-newsletter-- Contact [email protected] to join
FWS CC Monthly E-Newsletter: send note to [email protected]
LCC list servers (see your LCC’s website) and the national LCC Network newsletter
Ocean Acidification Report
OneNOAA Science Webinars
NASA's Climate Change Newsletter [email protected]
North Pacific LCC Listserve – North Pacific Tidings - important news and announcements; and NPLCC Climate
Science Digest - new science/information affecting natural and cultural resources.
NCTC Climate Change List server (upcoming webinars and courses): send email [email protected]
Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS) (British Columbia) Climate News Scan- a weekly summary of the
major climate-change related science, technology, and policy advances of direct relevance to the BC provincial
and the Canadian federal governments and more generally to businesses and civil society
PointBlue Weekly Ecology, Climate Change and Related e-Newsletter: Send request to [email protected]
PNW Tribal Climate Change Network: Send request to [email protected]
US Forest Service Fish & Wildlife Research Updates
USGS Climate Matters: http://www.usgs.gov/climate_landuse/clu_rd/newsletter/default.asp
White House Energy and Environment Updates: http://www.whitehouse.gov/energy/climate-change
FWS Resources and Tools
FWS Pacific Region employees can access journal articles and publications archived at the Region’s Climate
Change Sharepoint site (links below). The Region's Climate Change Science Synthesis document uses these
new findings. (The blog is used to highlight changes made to the document.)
> Home Page
> Read this report in Word/Find previous reports
> Document library (journal articles, reports, etc., updated weekly)
> Best available climate change science-- R1 synthesis (updated weekly)
> Blog (provides updates on new journal articles, R1 examples on use of climate science in decision making,
etc.)
> Use of Climate science: Regional examples
FWS Climate Change Response: How do partnership efforts such as Landscape Conservation Cooperatives
and the National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy fit into the Service's overall response
to accelerating climate change? How is our agency reducing its carbon footprint? What is our agency doing
now to reduce the impacts of climate change on fish, wildlife and plants? Learn more
Landscape Conservation Cooperatives: Natural systems and landscapes are impacted by increasing land use
pressures and widespread resource threats amplified by a rapidly changing climate. These changes are
occurring at an unprecedented pace and scale. By leveraging resources and strategically targeting science to
inform conservation decisions and actions, Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) are a network of
partnerships working in unison to ensure the sustainability of America’s land, water, wildlife, and cultural
resources. Learn more
National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy: The National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants
Climate Adaptation Strategy will provide a unified approach—reflecting shared principles and science-based
practices—for reducing the negative impacts of climate change on fish, wildlife, plants, habitats and
associated ecological processes across geographic scales. Learn more
FWS Climate Change Information Toolkit: A key part of the Service's climate change strategy is to inform
FWS staff about the impacts of accelerating climate change and to engage partners and others in seeking
collaborative solutions. Through shared knowledge and communication, we can work together to reduce the
impacts of climate change on fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats. Here are some resources that can
help.
Climate Change, Wildlife, and Wildlands Toolkit: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in partnership
with the National Park Service and with input from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, developed a kit for use
when talking with the public about how climate change is affecting our nation's wildlife and public lands.
Learn more .
Safeguarding Wildlife from Climate Change Web Conference Series: The FWS and National Wildlife
Federation have developed a series of web conferences to increase communication and transfer of technical
information between conservation professionals regarding the growing challenges of climate change. Learn
more
(FWS employees only)
NCTC Climate Change Resource Library: The NCTC Climate Change Resource Library provides selected
citations to peer-reviewed journal articles, documents, books, theses, presentations, and Websites on the
effect of climate change on North American fish, wildlife and habitats. FWS employees can access the library
here
For more information on how the Service is working with others to conserve the nature of America in a
changing climate, visit http://www.fws.gov/home/climatechange/
If you have received this Digest from a colleague and want to be added to the mailing list, send an email to me
at: [email protected]