The impact of climate change on biodiversity

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Impacts of Global Warming on Biodiversity …… ……g

Abstract: Due to the enhanced greenhouse effect, our world is becoming

warmer and wormer. However, with the impacts of global warming, such as shifts in climatic envelopes, increases in extreme events and so on, biodiversity is faced with great threat. Here we have discussed the impacts of global warming and the adaption measures, and at last make a conclusion and give recommendations to make a sustainable development of biodiversity. Key words: global warming , biodiversity , measures

1. Introduction By the end of the 21st century, atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide are expected to more than double over preindustrial levels, due primarily to anthropogenic fossil fuel emissions and development activities. A consensus of scientists predicts that a global average surface warming of 1.4–5.88℃ will occur by AD 2100 as a result of increased greenhouse gas levels. Potentially profound changes in CO2 levels, temperature, moisture, light, and disturbance due to climate change will likely alter biodiversity, which can in turn produce positive or negative feedbacks to climate via changes in vegetation dynamics and processes such as nutrient and carbon cycling. With climate changing rapidly, we can never neglect the impact of it on biodiversity. While, much of the early discussion around the impacts of climate change on biodiversity was either theoretical or global in scope and offered little in the way of practical information for managers. However, recent publications, both from BC and abroad, have focused on actual biodiversity impacts and adaptation measures. To make the development of our earth sustainable, here we make a summary of the impact of climate change on biodiversity and the adaption measures we should take. 2. Global warming The world is heating up. The average temperature of the Earth's surface increased by an estimated 0.6℃ in the 20th century and, according to the most recent projections of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, could rise 1.4 to 5.8℃ above the 1990 average by 2100.

Much of this predicted increase is attributed by scientists to increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. The effects of such a temperature increase might include:

 more frequent extreme high maximum temperatures and less frequent extreme low minimum temperatures;  a decrease in snow cover: satellite observations suggest that the area of the planet covered by snow has already declined by 10 per cent since the 1960s;  an increase in the variability of climate, with changes in both the frequency and severity of extreme weather events;  alterations to the distribution of certain infectious diseases  rising sea levels.

3. biodiversity impacts Climate change could have dramatic effects on a wide range of plants and animals. The threats to some particularly vulnerable species are described below.(see http://www.science.org.au/nova/091/091key.htm) 3.1 Shifts in climatic envelopes

To estimate the effect of climate change on species, scientists use what they call a climatic envelope (sometimes also referred to as a bioclimatic envelope), which is the range of temperatures, rainfall and other climate-related parameters in which a species currently exists. As the climate warms, the geographic location of climatic envelopes will shift significantly, possibly even to the extent that species can no longer survive in their current locations. Such species will need to follow their climatic envelopes by migrating to cooler and moister environments, usually uphill or southwards in the southern hemisphere. In many cases, however, such migration might not be possible because of unsuitable soils and other unfavorable environmental parameters, geographical or human-made barriers and competition from species already in an area.

3.2 Increases in extreme events Biota respond to climate normals as well as climate extremes. In fact, strong empirical evidence points to climate extremes such as cold periods, droughts, and severe storms as the primary determinants of species distribution, rather than climate averages (Parmesan 2005). Since one of the consequences of climate warming is more energy in the atmosphere, there is good reason to expect an increase in the frequency and/or severity of extreme weather events (Albritton et al. 2001), followed by changes in species distribution and diversity. 3.3 Rises in concentrations of carbon dioxide