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- Permanent Link:
- http://dpanther.fiu.edu/dpService/dpPurlService/purl/FI15061866/00001
Notes
- Abstract:
- Global climate change is expected to affect temperature and precipitation
patterns, oceanic and atmospheric circulation, rate of rising sea level, and the frequency,
intensity, timing, and distribution of hurricanes and tropical storms. The magnitude of these
projected physical changes and their subsequent impacts on coastal wetlands will vary
regionally. Coastal wetlands in the southeastern United States have naturally evolved under
a regime of rising sea level and specific patterns of hurricane frequency, intensity, and
timing. A review of known ecological effects of tropical storms and hurricanes indicates
that storm timing, frequency, and intensity can alter coastal wetland hydrology, geomorphology,
biotic structure, energetics, and nutrient cycling. Research conducted to examine
the impacts of Hurricane Hugo on colonial waterbirds highlights the importance of longterm
studies for identifying complex interactions that may otherwise be dismissed as stochastic
processes.
Rising sea level and even modest changes in the frequency, intensity, timing, and
distribution of tropical storms and hurricanes are expected to have substantial impacts on
coastal wetland patterns and processes. Persistence of coastal wetlands will be determined
by the interactions of climate and anthropogenic effects, especially how humans respond
to rising sea level and how further human encroachment on coastal wetlands affects resource
exploitation, pollution, and water use. Long-term changes in the frequency, intensity, timing,
and distribution of hurricanes and tropical storms will likely affect biotic functions (e.g.,
community structure, natural selection, extinction rates, and biodiversity) as well as underlying
processes such as nutrient cycling and primary and secondary productivity.
Reliable predictions of global-change impacts on coastal wetlands will require better
understanding of the linkages among terrestrial, aquatic, wetland, atmospheric, oceanic,
and human components. Developing this comprehensive understanding of the ecological
ramifications of global change will necessitate close coordination among scientists from
multiple disciplines and a balanced mixture of appropriate scientific approaches. For example,
insights may be gained through the careful design and implementation of broadscale
comparative studies that incorporate salient patterns and processes, including treatment
of anthropogenic influences. Well-designed, broad-scale comparative studies could serve
as the scientific framework for developing relevant and focused long-term ecological research,
monitoring programs, experiments, and modeling studies. Two conceptual models
of broad-scale comparative research for assessing ecological responses to climate change
are presented: utilizing space-for-time substitution coupled with long-term studies to assess
impacts of rising sea level and disturbance on coastal wetlands, and utilizing the moisturecontinuum
model for assessing the effects of global change and associated shifts in moisture
regimes on wetland ecosystems. Increased understanding of climate change will require
concerted scientific efforts aimed at facilitating interdisciplinary research, enhancing data
and information management, and developing new funding strategies. ( English )
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- Florida International University
- Rights Management:
- Please contact the owning institution for licensing and permissions. It is the user's responsibility to ensure use does not violate any third party rights.
- Resource Identifier:
- 10.2307/2269434 ( DOI )
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