scholarly journals Digital Earth for Climate Change Research

2019 ◽  
pp. 473-494
Author(s):  
Gensuo Jia ◽  
Li Zhang ◽  
Lanwei Zhu ◽  
Ronghan Xu ◽  
Dong Liang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Open Data ◽  
Climate Extremes ◽  
Climate Change Research ◽  
International Partnerships ◽  
Digital Earth ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Data Coordination ◽  
The 19Th Century

Abstract Our planet is undergoing one of the most rapid climate changes in Earth’s history. The current change is particularly significant because it is most likely a consequence of human activities since the 19th century. The Digital Earth platform, which includes Earth-orbiting satellites, ground-based observations, and other technologies for collecting, analyzing and visualizing data, has enabled scientists to see our climate and its impacts at regional and global scales. The Digital Earth platform offers valuable information on the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and cryosphere to understand Earth’s past and present, and it supports Earth system models for climate prediction and projection. This chapter gives an overview of the advances in climate change studies based on Digital Earth and provides case studies that utilize Digital Earth in climate change research, such as in the observation of sensitive factors for climate change, global environmental change information and simulation systems, and synchronous satellite-aerial-ground observation experiments, which provide extremely large and abundant datasets. The mapping of climate extremes and impacts improves preparedness for climate change-related risks and provides robust evidence to support climate risk management and climate change adaptation for the public, decision makers, investors, and vulnerable communities. However, Digital Earth faces the challenges of multisource data coordination and integration, requiring international partnerships between governments and other organizations to advance open data policies and practices.

scholarly journals Thoughts on the Development of Physical Geography in the New Era

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhanjun Li
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Change ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Physical Geography ◽  
Research Progress ◽  
Coupling Mechanism ◽  
Climate Change Research ◽  
New Era ◽  
Human Needs ◽  
Global Environmental

Physical geography is the basic discipline of geography and the cornerstone of comprehensive geography research. Based on the main research progress of physical geography, This paper considered the development direction of natural geography in the new era. Driven by global environmental change, physical geography and its sub-disciplines have gained new development in heritage. The research progress of physical geography in recent years mainly includes the integration and deepening of natural geographical processes, the integration of terrestrial surface systems, land-sea interactions and regional ecological environment management applications. The development of physical geography and its sub-disciplines needs to face the global environmental change and human needs, explore the application of new technologies and methods, conduct multi-factor and multi-process integration research, develop and improve geographic models, simulate and predict environmental change and sustainable development, and serve Major national needs and government decisions. In the process of development, it is urgent to pay attention to the following frontier areas and directions:(1) Geomorphology needs to focus on strengthening the relationship between geomorphology and global environmental change and human activities;(2) Biogeography needs to deepen the frontier fields such as attribute geography and global change biogeography. Exploring the spatial distribution of biogeography and human needs in the context of connection changes;(3) Hydrology needs to carry out comprehensive integration research of multi-element, multi-process and multi-scale, and develop emerging subject areas such as ecological hydrology, social hydrology and hydromorphology;(4) Physical Geography needs to be comprehensively introduced into climate change research’s role in the major international climate change research program, the climate change framework convention, etc;(5) Comprehensive physical geography needs to face the country’s major needs, focusing on the coupling of human and land systems In the areas of resource and environmental carrying capacity evaluation, ecological security pattern and ecological civilization construction, etc.;(6) Physical geography needs to deepen the coupling of natural and human elements and process research ‘establishing and developing complex system simulation model’ analysis and simulation change environment Nature, humanity Su coupling mechanism and the dynamic changes of land surface systems.

scholarly journals Predicting current and future background ion concentrations in German surface water under climate change

2018 ◽  
Vol 374 (1764) ◽  
pp. 20180004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trong Dieu Hien Le ◽  
Mira Kattwinkel ◽  
Klaus Schützenmeister ◽  
John R. Olson ◽  
Charles P. Hawkins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Running Water ◽  
Ion Concentrations ◽  
Freshwater Organisms ◽  
Global Environmental Issue ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Major Factors

Salinization of surface waters is a global environmental issue that can pose a regional risk to freshwater organisms, potentially leading to high environmental and economic costs. Global environmental change including climate and land use change can increase the transport of ions into surface waters. We fit both multiple linear regression (LR) and random forest (RF) models on a large spatial dataset to predict Ca 2+ (266 sites), Mg 2+ (266 sites), and (357 sites) ion concentrations as well as electrical conductivity (EC—a proxy for total dissolved solids with 410 sites) in German running water bodies. Predictions in both types of models were driven by the major factors controlling salinity including geologic and soil properties, climate, vegetation and topography. The predictive power of the two types of models was very similar, with RF explaining 71–76% of the spatial variation in ion concentrations and LR explaining 70–75% of the variance. Mean squared errors for predictions were all smaller than 0.06. The factors most strongly associated with stream ion concentrations varied among models but rock chemistry and climate were the most dominant. The RF model was subsequently used to forecast the changes in EC that were likely to occur for the period of 2070 to 2100 in response to just climate change—i.e. no additional effects of other anthropogenic activities. The future forecasting shows approximately 10% and 15% increases in mean EC for representative concentration pathways 2.6 and 8.5 (RCP2.6 and RCP8.5) scenarios, respectively. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Salt in freshwaters: causes, ecological consequences and future prospects’.

Global Environmental Change and Emerging Infectious Diseases

2019 ◽  
pp. 38-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Machalaba ◽  
Cristina Romanelli ◽  
Peter Stoett
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Environmental Change ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Economic Costs ◽  
Knowledge Gaps ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Global Environmental

The prediction of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) and the avoidance of their tremendous social and economic costs is contingent on the identification of their most likely drivers. It is argued that the drivers of global environmental change (and climate change as both a driver and an impact) are often the drivers of EIDs; and that the two overlap to such a strong degree that targeting these drivers is sound epidemiological policy. Several drivers overlap with the leading causes of biodiversity loss, providing opportunities for health and biodiversity sectors to generate synergies at local and global levels. This chapter provides a primer on EID ecology, reviews underlying drivers and mechanisms that facilitate pathogen spillover and spread, provides suggested policy and practice-based actions toward the prevention of EIDs in the context of environmental change, and identifies knowledge gaps for the purpose of further research.

Global Environmental Change and Emerging Infectious Diseases

2017 ◽  
pp. 24-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Machalaba ◽  
Cristina Romanelli ◽  
Peter Stoett
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Environmental Change ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Economic Costs ◽  
Knowledge Gaps ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Global Environmental

The prediction of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) and the avoidance of their tremendous social and economic costs is contingent on the identification of their most likely drivers. It is argued that the drivers of global environmental change (and climate change as both a driver and an impact) are often the drivers of EIDs; and that the two overlap to such a strong degree that targeting these drivers is sound epidemiological policy. Several drivers overlap with the leading causes of biodiversity loss, providing opportunities for health and biodiversity sectors to generate synergies at local and global levels. This chapter provides a primer on EID ecology, reviews underlying drivers and mechanisms that facilitate pathogen spillover and spread, provides suggested policy and practice-based actions toward the prevention of EIDs in the context of environmental change, and identifies knowledge gaps for the purpose of further research.

scholarly journals Global Environmental Change and Noncommunicable Disease Risks

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 261-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard Frumkin ◽  
Andy Haines
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Noncommunicable Disease ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Disease Risks ◽  
Global Environmental Changes

Multiple global environmental changes (GECs) now under way, including climate change, biodiversity loss, freshwater depletion, tropical deforestation, overexploitation of fisheries, ocean acidification, and soil degradation, have substantial, but still imperfectly understood, implications for human health. Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) make a major contribution to the global burden of disease. Many of the driving forces responsible for GEC also influence NCD risk through a range of mechanisms. This article provides an overview of pathways linking GEC and NCDs, focusing on five pathways: ( a) energy, air pollution, and climate change; ( b) urbanization; ( c) food, nutrition, and agriculture; ( d) the deposition of persistent chemicals in the environment; and ( e) biodiversity loss.

scholarly journals Turning science into policy: challenges and experiences from the science–policy interface

2005 ◽  
Vol 360 (1454) ◽  
pp. 471-477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert T Watson
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Science Policy ◽  
Ozone Depletion ◽  
Stratospheric Ozone ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Stratospheric Ozone Depletion ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Science Policy Interface

This paper discusses key issues in the science–policy interface. It stresses the importance of linking the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity to the Millennium Development Goals and to issues of immediate concern to policy-makers such as the economy, security and human health. It briefly discusses the process of decision-making and how the scientific and policy communities have successfully worked together on global environmental issues such as stratospheric ozone depletion and climate change, and the critical role of international assessments in providing the scientific basis for informed policy at the national and international level. The paper also discusses the drivers of global environmental change, the importance of constructing plausible futures, indicators of change, the biodiversity 2010 target and how environmental issues such as loss of biodiversity, stratospheric ozone depletion, land degradation, water pollution and climate change cannot be addressed in isolation because they are strongly interconnected and there are synergies and trade-offs among the policies, practices and technologies that are used to address these issues individually.

Environmental Hazards, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction: J. K. Mitchell’s Relevance to the Global Sustainable Development Agenda

2016 ◽  
Vol 03 (02) ◽  
pp. 1671006
Author(s):  
Juha I. Uitto
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Environmental Hazards ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Development Agenda ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Complex Disasters

This paper argues how Mitchell’s work on complex disasters and environmental hazards is highly relevant to the global Sustainable Development Agenda and the international organizations involved in its implementation. The paper takes as its starting point two United Nations University projects led by Mitchell in the 1990s and reviews their prescience in terms of current developments in the context of urbanizations, economic development, population growth, and global environmental change. The issue of adaptation to climate change is highlighted as exemplifying the importance of integrated approaches encompassing human and natural systems, as advocated by Mitchell. Challenges to program and policy evaluation are then discussed with regard to adaptation, adopting Mitchell’s approach of understanding local situations while anchoring evaluation in scientific knowledge.

Vulnerability Assessment of Farmer’s Livelihood to Flood in An Giang Province

2019 ◽  
pp. 251660261986062
Author(s):  
P. X. Phu ◽  
N. N. De
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Livelihood Strategies ◽  
Middle Zone ◽  
Lower Zone ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Local Farmers

This study, conducted in An Giang Province of Vietnam, assesses the vulnerability and adaptability of local farmers to the flood in different conditions. Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) proposed by Hahn, Riederer, and Foster (2009, Global Environmental Change, 19(1), 74–88) was applied for livelihood vulnerability analysis of different flooding zones (upper, middle and lower zones) in low flooding condition. Research results showed that LVI of different flooding zones are decreasingly dependent on major components of social networks, knowledge and skills, natural resources, finance and incomes, livelihood strategies, and natural disaster and climate variability. In which, LVI of Phu Huu commune in An Phu district which locates in the upper zone is 0.397 higher than LVI of two communes located in the lower parts of the river: Vinh An commune, Chau Thanh district (middle zone; LVI: 0.299) and Vinh Phuoc commune, Tri Ton district (lower zone; LVI: 0.357). Adaptive capacity of Phu Huu commune (0.415) is also higher than Vinh An (0.304) and Vinh Phuoc (0.355) communes. It reflects the direct correlation between LVI and adaptive capacity. The research recommends some solutions to reduce the vulnerability on livelihoods due to floods in the context of climate change.

Research on climate change and migration where are we and where are we going?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Ferris
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Change ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Forced Migration ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Executive Summary ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Governance Challenges ◽  
Migration Crisis ◽  
And Migration

Abstract Today the issue of climate change-induced mobility—whether displacement, migration, or relocation—is receiving increased interest from policy-makers, academics, and the general public. Many are turning to the academic community for answers to basic questions (how many people are expected to move? when? where?) and for directions for future policies (what measures can support people to remain in their communities? If people have to move, how can the disruption be minimized—for those moving and for the affected communities?). While there is a growing body of literature on the issue, the academic community writ large is presently unable to provide consistent comprehensive evidence or guidance on these issues. Most obviously, there is no consensus about what terminology to use—climate change refugee? Environmental migrant? [e.g. Dun and Gemenne 2008. ‘Defining Environmental Migration’, Forced Migration Review, 31: 10–11]. Nor is there consensus on how many people are expected to move; different research projects use different time frames (2030, 2050, 2100, etc.), are based on different assumptions, and (not surprisingly) come up with different estimates, ranging from 50 million to 1 billion migrants associated with the effects of climate change during this century [e.g. Stern, N. (2006) ‘Stern review on the economics of climate change. Executive Summary’. London: HM Treasury. Baird 2007. Human Tide: The Real Migration Crisis: A Christian Aid Report. London: Christian Aid; UN Development Programme (UNDP) (2007/2008). Human Development Report: Fighting Climate Change, Human Solidarity in a Divided World; Kolmannskog 2009, Climate Change, Disaster, Displacement and Migration: Initial Evidence from Africa. New Issues in Refuge Research (Research Paper No. 180). Geneva: UNHCR; Warner 2009. Global Environmental Change and Migration: Governance Challenges. Global Environmental Change].

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