Warming Climate Doubling Tree Deaths in Western U.S.
A USGS study to be published on Friday found that tree deaths in the western United States have more than doubled over the last few decades. The study attributes the deaths to a warmer and drier climate in the region. The researchers analyzed old-growth forests with a wide variety of forest types, at all elevations, in trees of all sizes, and in pines, firs, hemlocks, and others, and found consistent results throughout.
The study also ruled out a number of other possible sources of the deaths, including air pollution, effects of fire suppression, and normal forest dynamics.
“Average temperature in the West rose by more than 1° F over the last few decades,” said USGS scientist and co-leader of the research team, Phil van Mantgem. “While this may not sound like much, it has been enough to reduce winter snowpack, cause earlier snowmelt, and lengthen the summer drought.”
This study, coupled with the pine beetle infestation in Colorado and the migration of plants to higher elevations in Southern California mountains, is just another bright red flag that cannot be ignored.
Rare Australian possum may have gone extinct due to climate change
Another canary in the climate has been identified in Australia, except this time the threatened creature is a mammal and it appears to have already disappeared. The creature in question is the white lemuroid possum, and it hasn’t been seen in its home in the Daintree rainforest of Queensland, Australia since 2005.
Scientists are attributing the possum’s disappearance to the 1.5 degree F rise in temperatures in the region. The fragile creature’s habitat was above 3,000 feet in the “cloud forest.” If actually extinct, the loss of the white lemuroid possum, now known as the “Dodo of the Daintree,” would be a major warning sign that we are causing great damage to our plant’s ecosystem. Whether we heed that warning remains to be seen.
Melting Arctic ice changing Mid-Atlantic ecosystems
Another canary in the climate has been identified by researchers at Cornell University. Their study indicates that the melting of Arctic freshwater ice has caused ecosystem changes all the way down to the Mid-Atlantic coast of the US.
As illustrated by this graphic from the Cornell study, the cold, recently melted freshwater enters the ocean’s currents and travels southward down the east coast of North America. This creates a counterintuitive effect. Normally one might assume that climate change would cause the oceans to heat up, and therefore drive species to the north, looking for colder waters. However, since the freshly melted Artic ice is so cold and is being caught in the southward currents, this is causing cold water marine life to actually migrate southwards towards what were previously warmer waters. READ MORE
Canary in the climate and loss of biodiversity
There are two major concerns regarding plant and animal species extinctions that are caused by humans. First, there is the “canary in the climate” issue. Like a canary in a coalmine, the death of other living species (or their radical shift in habitats) is a warning sign. While humans have an incredible ability to adapt, that capacity is not unending. READ MORE
Canary in the climate
A study released on Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that the ecology of Walden Pond (of Henry David Thoreau fame) is on the decline as a result of climate change.
Walden Pond, located near Concord, Mass., was observed by Thoreau in 1854 and captured in great detail in his writings. The study finds that many of the species of flowers Thoreau saw are no longer present in the area. Since 1854, the average temperature at Walden Pond has increased 4.3 degrees. The hardest hit species includes buttercups, dogwoods, lilies, orchids, roses and violets, since they are most sensitive to heat. Apparently, the study looks at other possible contributing factors and concludes that climate is the sole cause of the ecological changes. Most of the surrounding area is protected from development. READ MORE
Pine beetle ravishing Rocky Mtn forests
Although we like to take all anecdotal evidence of climate change with a grain of salt, Newsweek had an interesting article about how the mountain pine beetle is devastating enormous amounts of forest throughout the Rocky Mountains. To date, 1.5 million acres of lodgepole pine forest in Colorado (70% of those trees in the state) have been killed. It is predicted that within a few years, no more lodgepole pines will exist there. Although not as iconic as the aspen tree, the lodgepole pine is one of the most visible and scenic trees in the state, and accounts for 8% of the state’s forests.
The pine beetle infestation is being attributed to a number of causes, including a series of drought years and the aging lifecycle of many of the trees, which have left the trees vulnerable, as well as a longer beetle season, due possibly to shorter winters.
