Birds of the North Gulf Coast - Prince William Sound Region, Alaska

The North Gulf Coast - Prince William Sound region of Alaska, phytographically, lies at the northern limit of the Sitka Spruce-hemlock coastal/subalpine forests of the Pacific Coast; it includes approximately 178,500 km2 and a shoreline of approximately 8,500 km. Fourteen habitats are utilized by birds: tundra; shrub thickets; hemlock-Sitka Spruce forests; bogs; mixed deciduous-spruce woodlands; marshes; lacustrine waters; fluviatile waters; cliffs, bluffs, and screes; moraines, alluvia, and barrier islands; beaches and tidal flats; rocky shores and reefs; inshore waters; and offshore waters. Two hundred nineteen species of birds have been recorded in the region, 111 of which are primarily water-related. Status, abundance, habitat, and seasonal occurrence are discussed in the annotated list of species. The geographic location and restrictive topography of the region make it a spectacular corridor for millions of migrating birds. In spring millions of Pintails, Dunlins, Western Sandpipers, and Northern Phalaropes move through the region, as do tens of thousands of Whistling Swans, Snow Geese, Knots, and Sanderlings. Fall concentrations of White-fronted Geese and Sandhill Cranes may exceed 100,000's. Species with notably large summering populations include Trumpeter Swans (several hundred breeding pairs), Bald Eagles (1,800-2,000 breeding pairs), Aleutian Terns (150-250 breeding pairs on Copper River Delta), Marbled Murrelets (probably millions), and Kittlitz's Murrelets (probably a few 100,000's). Significant range extensions reported include Yellow-billed Loons (fairly common in winter), Pink-footed and Pale-footed shearwaters, Brandt's Cormorants (breeding), Red-faced Cormorants (breeding), Steller's Eiders (winter), Bristle-thighed Curlews (migrant), Bar-tailed Godwits (migrant), Crested Auklets (winter), and northernmost wintering populations of waterfowl (Canada Geese, Gadwalls, Pintails, Green-winged Teals, American Widgeons) and shorebirds (Surfbirds, Black Trunstones, Dunlins, and Sanderlings). Some unexpected species reported include Skua, Anna's Hummingbird, Purple Marin, Yellowthroat, Common Grackle, and White-throated Sparrow

Pathways to the Present: U.S. Development and Its Consequences in the Pacific

Ranging from the Hawaiian Archipelago to the Aleutian Islands, from Silicon Valley to Guam, Pathways to the Present is a thoroughly researched and concisely argued account of economic and environmental change in the postwar "American" Pacific. Following a brief survey of the history of the Pacific, the author takes the Hawaiian Islands as the center of American activities in the region and looks at interactions among native Hawaiian, developmental, military, and environmental issues in the archipelago after World War II. He then turns to land- and water-use problems that have intersected with more nebulous quality-of-life concerns to generate policy controversies in the Seattle region and the San Francisco Bay area, especially Silicon Valley. Economic expansion and environmentalism in Alaska are examined through the lens of changes occurring along the Aleutians. From there the study considers Hiroshima after its destruction by the atomic bomb in 1945, looking at residents’ desire to combine urban-planning concepts. The author investigates the effort to remake Hiroshima as a high-tech city in the 1990s, an attempt inspired by the perceived success of Silicon Valley, and postwar planning on Okinawa, where American influences were particularly strong. The final chapter takes into account issues raised on Guam regarding the growth of tourism and the use of the island for military purposes and links these to developments in the Philippines to the west and American Sâmoa to the south. An electronic version of this book is freely available thanks to the support of libraries working with Knowledge Unlatched, a collaborative initiative designed to make high-quality books open access for the public good. The open-access version of this book is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which means that the work may be freely downloaded and shared for non-commercial purposes, provided credit is given to the author. Derivative works and commercial uses require permission from the publisher.Knowledge Unlatche

Pathways to the Present

'Pathways to the Present' is a thoroughly researched and concisely argued account of economic and environmental change in the postwar "American" Pacific, covering interactions among native Hawaiian, developmental, military, and environmental issues in in Hawai'i; land- and water-use problems that have intersected with more nebulous quality-of-life concerns to generate policy controversies in the Seattle and San Francisco Bay areas; and economic expansion and environmentalism in Alaska. From there the study considers Hiroshima after its destruction by the atomic bomb in 1945, looking at residents’ desire to combine urban-planning concepts, the effort to remake Hiroshima as a high-tech city in the 1990s, and postwar planning on Okinawa, where American influences were particularly strong. The final chapter examines the growth of tourism on Guam and the use of the island for military purposes and links these to developments in the Philippines and American Sâmoa

The relative importance of native forest and shade-grown coffee plantations for habitat use, individual fitness and migration strategies of overwintering Neotropical migrant songbirds in Colombia

Winter habitat quality is one of the primary ecological factors limiting self-maintenance and survival of Nearctic-Neotropical migratory birds during the non-breeding season. I assessed the relative importance of shade-grown coffee plantations vs. forest in the Colombian Andes as winter habitat for Swainson’s Thrush (Catharus ustulatus), Gray-cheeked Thrush (Catharus minimus), and Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis). For Swainson’s Thrush, I used daily and seasonal mass change, age ratios, density and corticosterone levels as measurements of habitat quality; and for Canada Warbler I used daily and seasonal mass change and sex ratios. Automated radio-telemetry on a continental scale was used to determine the effect of overwintering habitat occupancy on spring departure date and migration pace of Swainson’s Thrush. Using light-level geolocators I assessed the link between winter habitat occupancy and migratory connectivity of Gray-cheeked Thrush, and measured population spread and its relationship with the species winter distribution. I determined migratory connectivity of Canada Warblers overwintering across the three Andean cordilleras in Colombia by analysing stable hydrogen- isotope values (δ2H) in feathers. Taken together, my results suggested that native forests are more suitable winter habitats than shade-grown coffee plantations for Swainson’s Thrush. Native forest maintained a higher number of individuals than coffee, and in general, individuals maintained or increased their daily and seasonal body condition. On the other hand, the results for Canada Warbler are not conclusive, the quality of coffee can improve in certain circumstances such as high precipitation. My research provides the first evidence that by overwintering in native forest, birds can adjust their departure date, migration speed, and fuel up sufficiently to cover about 25% of the total length of spring migration. Migratory connectivity revealed that the effect of land-use changes on the wintering grounds is likely to be amplified on the breeding grounds through strong migratory connectivity. While market-based conservation strategies primarily promote shade-grown coffee plantations for the conservation of Neotropical migrants, my research suggest that strategies to conserve and restore native forest are also urgently needed

Field Museum of Natural History bulletin.

v. 58 (1987

A Report of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources National Science and Technology Council

This report not only addresses climate change, but also other change in the global environment, including water resources, oceans, atmospheric chemistry, land productivity, and ecological systems that may alter the capacity of Earth to sustain life

A Report of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources National Science and Technology Council

This national scientific assessment integrates and interprets the findings of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) and synthesizes findings from previous assessments, including reports and products by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It analyzes current natural and human-induced trends in global change, and projects future trends impacting the natural environment, agriculture, water resources, social systems, energy production and use, transportation, and human health. It is intended to help inform discussion of the relevant issues by decisionmakers, stakeholders, and the public. As such, this report addresses the requirements for assessment in the Global Change Research Act of 1990.

Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation: Special Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

This Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (SREX) has been jointly coordinated by Working Groups I (WGI) and II (WGII) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The report focuses on the relationship between climate change and extreme weather and climate events, the impacts of such events, and the strategies to manage the associated risks. The IPCC was jointly established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in particular to assess in a comprehensive, objective, and transparent manner all the relevant scientific, technical, and socioeconomic information to contribute in understanding the scientific basis of risk of human-induced climate change, the potential impacts, and the adaptation and mitigation options. Beginning in 1990, the IPCC has produced a series of Assessment Reports, Special Reports, Technical Papers, methodologies, and other key documents which have since become the standard references for policymakers and scientists.This Special Report, in particular, contributes to frame the challenge of dealing with extreme weather and climate events as an issue in decisionmaking under uncertainty, analyzing response in the context of risk management. The report consists of nine chapters, covering risk management; observed and projected changes in extreme weather and climate events; exposure and vulnerability to as well as losses resulting from such events; adaptation options from the local to the international scale; the role of sustainable development in modulating risks; and insights from specific case studies