Editorial: Freshwater Ecosystems in Arid and Semiarid Zones Facing Multiple Stressors: Human Disturbances, Climate Change, and Dryland River Conservation

Freshwater ecosystems are poorly represented in global networks of protected areas. This situation underscores an urgent need for the creation, application, and expansion of durable (long-term and enforceable) protection mechanisms for free-flowing rivers that go beyond conventional protected area planning. To address this need, we must first understand where and what types of protections exist that explicitly maintain the free-flowing integrity of rivers, as well as the efficacy of such policy types. Through policy analysis and an in-depth literature review, our study identifies three main policy mechanisms used for such protections: (1) River Conservation Systems; (2) Executive Decrees and Laws; and (3) Rights of Rivers. We found that globally only eight counties have national river conservation systems while seven countries have used executive decrees and similar policies to halt dam construction, and Rights of Rivers movements are quickly growing in importance, relative to other protection types. Despite the current extent of protection policies being insufficient to tackle the freshwater and biodiversity crises facing the world’s rivers, they do provide useful frameworks to guide the creation and expansion of protections. Ultimately, as countries act on global calls for protections, policy mechanisms must be tailored to their individual social and ecological geographies.

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Response of microalgae to elevated CO2 and temperature: impact of climate change on freshwater ecosystems

Environmental Science and Pollution Research ◽

10.1007/s11356-016-7180-5 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 23 (19) ◽

pp. 19847-19860 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Wei Li ◽

Xiaoguang Xu ◽

Megumu Fujibayashi ◽

Qigui Niu ◽

Nobuyuki Tanaka ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Elevated Co2 ◽

Freshwater Ecosystems ◽

Impact Of Climate Change ◽

Temperature Impact ◽

Elevated Co2 And Temperature

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Mapping vulnerability to multiple stressors: climate change and globalization in India

Global Environmental Change ◽

10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2004.01.001 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 303-313 ◽

Cited By ~ 614

Author(s):

Karen O’Brien ◽

Robin Leichenko ◽

Ulka Kelkar ◽

Henry Venema ◽

Guro Aandahl ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Multiple Stressors ◽

Mapping Vulnerability

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General Features of the Arctic Relevant to Climate Change in Freshwater Ecosystems

AMBIO ◽

10.1579/0044-7447(2006)35[330:gfotar]2.0.co;2 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 35 (7) ◽

pp. 330-338 ◽

Cited By ~ 42

Author(s):

Terry D. Prowse ◽

Frederick J. Wrona ◽

James D. Reist ◽

John E. Hobbie ◽

Lucie M. J. Lévesque ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Freshwater Ecosystems ◽

The Arctic

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Droughts, floods and freshwater ecosystems: evaluating climate change impacts and developing adaptation strategies

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf09285 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 62 (3) ◽

pp. 223 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

Allison Aldous ◽

James Fitzsimons ◽

Brian Richter ◽

Leslie Bach

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Case Studies ◽

Management Practices ◽

Climate Adaptation ◽

Numerical Models ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

Freshwater Ecosystems ◽

Adaptation Strategies ◽

South Eastern ◽

Eastern Australia

Climate change is expected to have significant impacts on hydrologic regimes and freshwater ecosystems, and yet few basins have adequate numerical models to guide the development of freshwater climate adaptation strategies. Such strategies can build on existing freshwater conservation activities, and incorporate predicted climate change impacts. We illustrate this concept with three case studies. In the Upper Klamath Basin of the western USA, a shift in land management practices would buffer this landscape from a declining snowpack. In the Murray–Darling Basin of south-eastern Australia, identifying the requirements of flood-dependent natural values would better inform the delivery of environmental water in response to reduced runoff and less water. In the Savannah Basin of the south-eastern USA, dam managers are considering technological and engineering upgrades in response to more severe floods and droughts, which would also improve the implementation of recommended environmental flows. Even though the three case studies are in different landscapes, they all contain significant freshwater biodiversity values. These values are threatened by water allocation problems that will be exacerbated by climate change, and yet all provide opportunities for the development of effective climate adaptation strategies.

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A trait-based approach to assess climate change sensitivity of freshwater invertebrates across Swedish ecoregions

Current Zoology ◽

10.1093/czoolo/60.2.221 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 60 (2) ◽

pp. 221-232 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Leonard Sandin ◽

Astrid Schmidt-Kloiber ◽

Jens-Christian Svenning ◽

Erik Jeppesen ◽

Nikolai Friberg

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Global Climate Change ◽

Large Scale ◽

Global Climate ◽

Species Traits ◽

Freshwater Ecosystems ◽

Biological Data ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Measured Temperature ◽

Buffer Strips

Abstract Freshwater habitats and organisms are among the most threatened on Earth, and freshwater ecosystems have been subject to large biodiversity losses. We developed a Climate Change Sensitivity (CCS) indicator based on trait information for a selection of stream- and lake-dwelling Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera taxa. We calculated the CCS scores based on ten species traits identified as sensitive to global climate change. We then assessed climate change sensitivity between the six main ecoregions of Sweden as well as the three Swedish regions based on Illies. This was done using biological data from 1, 382 stream and lake sites where we compared large-scale (ecoregional) patterns in climate change sensitivity with potential future exposure of these ecosystems to increased temperatures using ensemble-modelled future changes in air temperature. Current (1961~1990) measured temperature and ensemble-modelled future (2100) temperature showed an increase from the northernmost towards the southern ecoregions, whereas the predicted temperature change increased from south to north. The CCS indicator scores were highest in the two northernmost boreal ecoregions where we also can expect the largest global climate change-induced increase in temperature, indicating an unfortunate congruence of exposure and sensitivity to climate change. These results are of vital importance when planning and implementing management and conservation strategies in freshwater ecosystems, e.g., to mitigate increased temperatures using riparian buffer strips. We conclude that traits information on taxa specialization, e.g., in terms of feeding specialism or taxa having a preference for high altitudes as well as sensitivity to changes in temperature are important when assessing the risk from future global climate change to freshwater ecosystems.

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Disentangling the relative impacts of climate change and human activities on arid and semiarid grasslands in Central Asia during 1982–2015

The Science of The Total Environment ◽

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.058 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 653 ◽

pp. 1311-1325 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Tao Chen ◽

Anming Bao ◽

Guli Jiapaer ◽

Hao Guo ◽

Guoxiong Zheng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Central Asia ◽

Human Activities ◽

Arid And Semiarid ◽

Impacts Of Climate Change

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Potential impacts to freshwater ecosystems caused by flow regime alteration under changing climate conditions in Taiwan

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions ◽

10.5194/hessd-5-3005-2008 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 5 (6) ◽

pp. 3005-3032 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

J.-P. Suen

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Flow Regime ◽

River Flow ◽

Aquatic Organisms ◽

Freshwater Ecosystems ◽

Climate Conditions ◽

Regime Changes ◽

Changing Climate ◽

Extreme Flood ◽

Precautionary Measures

Abstract. Observed increases in the Earth's surface temperature bring with them associated changes in precipitation and atmospheric moisture that consequentially alter river flow regimes. This paper uses the Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration approach to examine climate-induced flow regime changes that can potentially affect freshwater ecosystems. Analyses of the annual extreme water conditions at 23 gauging stations throughout Taiwan reveal large alterations in recent years; extreme flood and drought events were more frequent in the period after 1991 than from 1961–1990, and the frequency and duration of the flood and drought events also show high fluctuation. Climate change forecasts suggest that such flow regime alterations are going to continue into the foreseeable future. Aquatic organisms not only feel the effects of anthropogenic damage to river systems, but they also face on-going threats of thermal and flow regime alterations associated with climate change. This paper calls attention to the issue, so that water resources managers can take precautionary measures that reduce the cumulative effects from anthropogenic influence and changing climate conditions.

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Comparing soil carbon loss through respiration and leaching under extreme precipitation events in arid and semi-arid grasslands

10.5194/bg-2017-264 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Ting Liu ◽

Liang Wang ◽

Xiaojuan Feng ◽

Jinbo Zhang ◽

Tian Ma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Soil Carbon ◽

Extreme Precipitation ◽

Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ◽

Precipitation Event ◽

Carbon Loss ◽

Research Attention ◽

Extreme Precipitation Events ◽

Leaching Loss ◽

Arid And Semiarid

Abstract. Respiration and leaching are two main processes responsible for soil carbon loss. While the former has received considerable research attention, studies examining leaching processes are limited especially in semiarid grasslands due to low precipitation. Climate change may increase the extreme precipitation event (EPE) frequency in arid and semiarid regions, potentially enhancing soil carbon loss through leaching and respiration. Here we incubated soil columns of three typical grassland soils from Inner Mongolia and Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and examined the effect of simulated EPEs on soil carbon loss through respiration and leaching. EPEs induced transient increase of soil respiration, equivalent to 32 % and 72 % of the net ecosystem productivity (NEP) in the temperate grasslands (Xilinhot and Keqi) and 7 % in the alpine grasslands (Gangcha). By comparison, leaching loss of soil carbon accounted for 290 %, 120 % and 15 % of NEP at the corresponding sites, respectively, with dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) as the main form of carbon loss in the alkaline soils. Moreover, DIC loss increased with re-occuring EPEs in the soil with the highest pH due to increased dissolution of soil carbonates and elevated contribution of dissolved CO2 from organic carbon degradation (indicated by DIC-δ13C). These results highlight that leaching loss of soil carbon (particularly DIC) is important in the regional carbon budget of arid and semiarid grasslands. With a projected increase of EPEs under climate change, soil carbon leaching processes and its influencing factors warrant better understanding and should be incorporated into soil carbon models when estimating carbon balance in grassland ecosystems.

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Dendrochronological Assessment of Whitebark Pine Response to Past Climate Change: Implications for a Threatened Species in Grand Teton National Park

The UW National Parks Service Research Station Annual Reports ◽

10.13001/uwnpsrc.2014.4047 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 37 ◽

pp. 58-64

Author(s):

Kendra McLauchlan ◽

Kyleen Kelly

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

National Park ◽

Fire History ◽

Multiple Stressors ◽

Fire Suppression ◽

Climatic Variability ◽

High Elevation ◽

Whitebark Pine ◽

Grand Teton National Park ◽

Pine Trees

One of the keystone tree species in subalpine forests of the western United States â whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis, hereafter whitebark pine) â is experiencing a significant mortality event (Millar et al. 2012). Whitebark pine occupies a relatively restricted range in the high-elevation ecosystems in the northern Rockies and its future is uncertain. The current decline of whitebark pine populations has been attributed to pine beetle infestations, blister rust infections, anthropogenic fire suppression, and climate change (Millar et al. 2012). Despite the knowledge that whitebark pine is severely threatened by multiple stressors, little is known about the historic capacity of this species to handle these stressors. More specifically, it is unknown how whitebark pine has dealt with past climatic variability, particularly variation in the type of precipitation (rain vs. snow) available for soil moisture, and how differences in quantity of precipitation have influenced the establishment and growth of modern stands. We propose to study the past responses of whitebark pine to paleoclimatic conditions, which would be useful to park ecologists in developing new conservation and regeneration plans to prevent the extinction of this already severely threatened high-elevation resource. The purpose of this study is to determine in great temporal and spatial detail the demographics of the current stand of whitebark pine trees in the watershed surrounding an unnamed, high-altitude pond (known informally as Whitebark Pine Moraine Pond) located approximately 3.06 miles NW of Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park (GTNP). The main objectives of this study were: 1.) To obtain the precise GPS locations of the current stand of whitebark pine trees in the watershed to generate a GIS map detailing their locations. 2.) To obtain increment cores of a subset of the trees in the watershed to estimate age and date of establishment for the current stand of whitebark pines, with particular attention to fire history. 3.) To analyze ring widths from core samples to identify climatic indicators that may influence the regeneration and survival of whitebark pine.

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