scholarly journals Effects of climate change on the valley glaciers of the Italian Alps

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rossana Serandrei-Barbero ◽  
Sandra Donnici ◽  
Stefano Zecchetto
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Average Length ◽  
Italian Alps ◽  
Temperature Variations ◽  
Valley Glacier ◽  
Ensemble Mean ◽  
The Alps ◽  
Air Temperature Variations

Abstract. The behaviour of the valley glaciers of the Italian Alps as a result of the climate changes expected for the 21st century has been investigated. From 1980 to 2017 the average length reductions of these glaciers has been 16 % and their average areal reduction around 22 %, much smaller than the overall glacier retreat of the Alps. Their mean observed shortening was about 500 m for a temperature increase of 1.4 °C. To quantify the valley glacier life expectancy, a model estimating their length variations from the air temperature variations of the EuroCordex climatological projections of six different models under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios has been used. The ensemble mean temperatures in the Italian Alps region under these scenarios indicate increases of temperature of ~2 °C and ~4 °C from 2018 to 2100 respectively. In both scenarios, the glacier model projections show a constant retreat until the eighties, weakening towards the end of the century. As expected, it resulted more severe under the RCP8.5 (from 22 % to 48 %) than under the RCP4.5 (from 10 % to 25 %) scenario, with a mean length shortening of 35 % and 13 % respectively by 2100. The model used estimates that the majority of the valley glaciers could better resist the climate change.

Alpine Climate Change Derived From Instrumental Measurements

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuri Brugnara
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
European Alps ◽  
Alpine Valley ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
The North ◽  
Run Off ◽  
The Alps ◽  
Meteorological Observations

The European Alps have experienced remarkable climate changes since the beginning of the Industrial Age. In particular, mean air temperature in the region increased at a greater rate than global temperature, leading to the loss of nearly half of the glaciated area and to important changes in the ecosystems. Spanning 1,200 km in length, with peaks reaching over 4,000 meters above sea level (m asl), the Alps have a critical influence over the weather in most of Europe and separate the colder oceanic/continental climate in the north from the milder Mediterranean climate in the south. The climatic differences between the main slopes are reflected into different climate changes—whereas the northern slope got wetter, the southern slope got drier. The consequences of these climate changes are not confined to the Alpine region. Being located in the center of Europe, the Alps provide water and electricity for over 100 million people. Alpine run-off is a major contributor to the total discharge of several major European rivers such as the Rhine, the Rhône, the Po, and the Danube. Therefore, climate change in the Alps can have significant economic impacts on a continental scale. Their convenient geographical position allowed scientists to study the Alpine climate since the very beginning of the instrumental era. The first instrumental meteorological observations in an Alpine valley were taken as early as the mid-17th century, soon followed by measurements at higher elevations. Continuous records are available since the late 18th century, providing invaluable information on climate variability to modern-day researchers. Although there is overwhelming evidence of a dominant anthropogenic influence on the observed temperature increase, the causes of the changes that affected other variables have, in many cases, not been sufficiently investigated by the scientific community.

Impacts of rainfall and air temperature variations due to climate change upon hydrological characteristics: a case study

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 865-879 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Ouyang ◽  
Jia-En Zhang ◽  
Yide Li ◽  
Prem Parajuli ◽  
Gary Feng
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Water Discharge ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Temperature Variations ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Evaporative Loss ◽  
Water Outflow ◽  
Air Temperature Variations

Rainfall and air temperature variations resulting from climate change are important driving forces to change hydrologic processes in watershed ecosystems. This study investigated the impacts of past and future rainfall and air temperature variations upon water discharge, water outflow (from the watershed outlet), and evaporative loss in the Lower Yazoo River Watershed (LYRW), Mississippi, USA using the Hydrological Simulation Program-Fortran (HSPF) model. Four future climate change (i.e., rainfall and air temperature change) scenarios, namely the CSIROMK35A1B, HADCM3B2, CSIROMK2B2, and MIROC32A1B scenarios, were used as input data to perform simulations in this study. Results showed that monthly variations of water discharge, evaporative loss, and water outflow were primarily due to the monthly fluctuations of rainfall rather than air temperature. On average, for all of the four scenarios, a 6.4% decrease in rainfall amount resulted in, respectively, 11.8 and 10.3% decreases in water outflow and evaporative loss. Our study demonstrated that rainfall had profound impacts upon water outflow and evaporative loss. In light of this predicted future decrease in water outflow, water resource conservation practices such as reducing ground and surface water usages that help to prevent streams from drying are vitally important in mitigating climate change impacts on stream flow in the LYRW.

scholarly journals Analysis of the Relation Between Climate Changes and Security Area

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 169-172
Author(s):  
Nikolay Iliyanov Padrev
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Average Life ◽  
Average Life Expectancy ◽  
Security Environment ◽  
The World ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Political Vocabulary ◽  
New Phase

Abstract Security is often used in most meaningful concepts of contemporary political vocabulary. Furthermore, it concerns interesting aspects of the survival of nations and states in the world. In the first decade of the 21st century, mankind got into a qualitatively new phase of its development, in which it should invariably use the "uncertainty" area. There are no doubts about the facts that environmental pollution can cause a variety of ecologically based diseases and this in turn leads to reduction in the average life expectancy. This paper analyzes the relations between climate changes today and their impact on the security area. Problems that have arisen worldwide and in the Republic of Bulgaria because of the climate change are pointed out. The paper discuses directions for improving the security environment in the context of climate changes

Climate-induced treeline mortality during the termination of the Little Ice Age in the Greater Yellowstone Ecoregion, USA

The Holocene ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 095968362110116
Author(s):  
Maegen L Rochner ◽  
Karen J Heeter ◽  
Grant L Harley ◽  
Matthew F Bekker ◽  
Sally P Horn
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Tree Ring ◽  
Little Ice Age ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Frost Damage ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Whitebark Pine ◽  
Engelmann Spruce ◽  
Greater Yellowstone

Paleoclimate reconstructions for the western US show spatial variability in the timing, duration, and magnitude of climate changes within the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA, ca. 900–1350 CE) and Little Ice Age (LIA, ca. 1350–1850 CE), indicating that additional data are needed to more completely characterize late-Holocene climate change in the region. Here, we use dendrochronology to investigate how climate changes during the MCA and LIA affected a treeline, whitebark pine ( Pinus albicaulis Engelm.) ecosystem in the Greater Yellowstone Ecoregion (GYE). We present two new millennial-length tree-ring chronologies and multiple lines of tree-ring evidence from living and remnant whitebark pine and Engelmann spruce ( Picea engelmannii Parry ex. Engelm.) trees, including patterns of establishment and mortality; changes in tree growth; frost rings; and blue-intensity-based, reconstructed summer temperatures, to highlight the terminus of the LIA as one of the coldest periods of the last millennium for the GYE. Patterns of tree establishment and mortality indicate conditions favorable to recruitment during the latter half of the MCA and climate-induced mortality of trees during the middle-to-late LIA. These patterns correspond with decreased growth, frost damage, and reconstructed cooler temperature anomalies for the 1800–1850 CE period. Results provide important insight into how past climate change affected important GYE ecosystems and highlight the value of using multiple lines of proxy evidence, along with climate reconstructions of high spatial resolution, to better describe spatial and temporal variability in MCA and LIA climate and the ecological influence of climate change.

scholarly journals Mapping current and potential future distributions of the oak tree (Quercus aegilops) in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nabaz R. Khwarahm
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Habitat Suitability ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Future Climate ◽  
Annual Precipitation ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Kurdistan Region ◽  
Oak Tree

Abstract Background The oak tree (Quercus aegilops) comprises ~ 70% of the oak forests in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). Besides its ecological importance as the residence for various endemic and migratory species, Q. aegilops forest also has socio-economic values—for example, as fodder for livestock, building material, medicine, charcoal, and firewood. In the KRI, Q. aegilops has been degrading due to anthropogenic threats (e.g., shifting cultivation, land use/land cover changes, civil war, and inadequate forest management policy) and these threats could increase as climate changes. In the KRI and Iraq as a whole, information on current and potential future geographical distributions of Q. aegilops is minimal or not existent. The objectives of this study were to (i) predict the current and future habitat suitability distributions of the species in relation to environmental variables and future climate change scenarios (Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 2.6 2070 and RCP8.5 2070); and (ii) determine the most important environmental variables controlling the distribution of the species in the KRI. The objectives were achieved by using the MaxEnt (maximum entropy) algorithm, available records of Q. aegilops, and environmental variables. Results The model demonstrated that, under the RCP2.6 2070 and RCP8.5 2070 climate change scenarios, the distribution ranges of Q. aegilops would be reduced by 3.6% (1849.7 km2) and 3.16% (1627.1 km2), respectively. By contrast, the species ranges would expand by 1.5% (777.0 km2) and 1.7% (848.0 km2), respectively. The distribution of the species was mainly controlled by annual precipitation. Under future climate change scenarios, the centroid of the distribution would shift toward higher altitudes. Conclusions The results suggest (i) a significant suitable habitat range of the species will be lost in the KRI due to climate change by 2070 and (ii) the preference of the species for cooler areas (high altitude) with high annual precipitation. Conservation actions should focus on the mountainous areas (e.g., by establishment of national parks and protected areas) of the KRI as climate changes. These findings provide useful benchmarking guidance for the future investigation of the ecology of the oak forest, and the categorical current and potential habitat suitability maps can effectively be used to improve biodiversity conservation plans and management actions in the KRI and Iraq as a whole.

Dynamics of export potential of sunflower oil in Ukraine

Helia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kateryna Vasylkovska ◽  
Olha Andriienko ◽  
Oleksii Vasylkovskyi ◽  
Andrii Andriienko ◽  
Popov Volodymyr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Sunflower Oil ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Qualitative Change ◽  
Sunflower Seeds ◽  
Cultivation Technology ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract The analysis of the production and yield of sunflower seeds in Ukraine for the period from 2000 to 2019 was conducted in the article. The comparative analysis of the gross harvest of sunflower seeds and the export of sunflower oil for the years under research was carried out. The dependence of exports on gross harvest was revealed and its share was calculated. It was determined that the export of sunflower oil has increased over the years under research, which indicates a significant Ukraine’s export potential. It was found that the increase in the share of exports by 15.9% was made possible by a qualitative change in yield, that was ensured by the changes in the cultivation technology and by the selection of sunflower hybrids that are better adapted to climate changes. The recommendations for further improvement of cultivation technology in connection with climate change in order to further increase yields and the export potential of Ukraine were given.

scholarly journals The Effect of Elicitors and Canopy Management in the Chemical Composition of Vitis vinifera Red Varieties in Warm and Hot Areas in Spain

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1192
Author(s):  
Natalia Gutiérrez ◽  
Leyre López-de-Silanes ◽  
Carlos Escott ◽  
Iris Loira ◽  
Juan Manuel del Fresno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Vitis Vinifera ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Total Phenolic ◽  
Phenolic Fraction ◽  
Biological Origin ◽  
Phenolic Index ◽  
Canopy Management

Canopy management practices in vineyards, such as sprawling systems and shoot trimming, can change the accumulation of metabolites in grapes. The use of elicitors of biological origin on grapevines of Vitis vinifera red grape varieties may also modulate the chemical composition of the berries. These modifications are often observed in the accumulation of phenolic compounds, including pigments. Both technical approaches are alternatives involved in minimizing the effects of global climate change in warm areas. The increase of temperature related to climate change accelerates the accumulation of sugars, but produces unbalanced grapes. This work establishes the use of button sensors to monitor the climate changes occurring at grape cluster level. Together with climate monitoring, conventional instrumental analytical techniques are used to follow up the chemical composition and the phenolic fraction of grapes in four different production areas in Spain. The effect of either treatment seems variable and to be affected by external factors besides the treatment itself and the climate conditions. While there is a fine effect that correlates with the use of elicitors in varieties like Merlot and Tempranillo, there is minimal improvement observed in Tintilla de Rota. The total phenolic index increases were between 2.3% and 11.8% in the first two parcels. The same happened with the vineyard’s canopy management systems, with increased pigment accumulation and the total phenolic index rising (37.7% to 68.7%) after applying intense shoot trimming, or a variation in sugar concentrations when using sprawl conduction. This study aims to provide viticulturists and oenologists in particular, and farmers in general, with data on the field regarding the use of alternative sustainable practices in the cultivation of grapes. The techniques used involved 100% natural products without adjuvants. The benefits obtained from applying some of these practices would be to produce technically mature grapes despite climate changes, and the elaboration of more balanced wines.

scholarly journals Climate Change Projection in the Twenty-First Century Simulated by NIMS-KMA CMIP6 Model Based on New GHGs Concentration Pathways

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun Min Sung ◽  
Jisun Kim ◽  
Sungbo Shim ◽  
Jeong-byn Seo ◽  
Sang-Hoon Kwon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Earth System Model ◽  
First Century ◽  
System Model ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Future Projections ◽  
Twenty First Century

AbstractThe National Institute of Meteorological Sciences-Korea Meteorological Administration (NIMS-KMA) has participated in the Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project (CMIP) and provided long-term simulations using the coupled climate model. The NIMS-KMA produces new future projections using the ensemble mean of KMA Advanced Community Earth system model (K-ACE) and UK Earth System Model version1 (UKESM1) simulations to provide scientific information of future climate changes. In this study, we analyze four experiments those conducted following the new shared socioeconomic pathway (SSP) based scenarios to examine projected climate change in the twenty-first century. Present day (PD) simulations show high performance skill in both climate mean and variability, which provide a reliability of the climate models and reduces the uncertainty in response to future forcing. In future projections, global temperature increases from 1.92 °C to 5.20 °C relative to the PD level (1995–2014). Global mean precipitation increases from 5.1% to 10.1% and sea ice extent decreases from 19% to 62% in the Arctic and from 18% to 54% in the Antarctic. In addition, climate changes are accelerating toward the late twenty-first century. Our CMIP6 simulations are released to the public through the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF) international data sharing portal and are used to support the establishment of the national adaptation plan for climate change in South Korea.

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