Rapid and highly variable warming of lake surface waters around the globe

In this first worldwide synthesis of in situ and satellite-derived lake data, we find that lake summer surface water temperatures rose rapidly (global mean = 0.34°C decade−1) between 1985 and 2009. Our analyses show that surface water warming rates are dependent on combinations of climate and local characteristics, rather than just lake location, leading to the counterintuitive result that regional consistency in lake warming is the exception, rather than the rule. The most rapidly warming lakes are widely geographically distributed, and their warming is associated with interactions among different climatic factors—from seasonally ice-covered lakes in areas where temperature and solar radiation are increasing while cloud cover is diminishing (0.72°C decade−1) to ice-free lakes experiencing increases in air temperature and solar radiation (0.53°C decade−1). The pervasive and rapid warming observed here signals the urgent need to incorporate climate impacts into vulnerability assessments and adaptation efforts for lakes.Peer reviewe

Rapid and highly variable warming of lake surface waters around the globe

peer reviewedIn this first worldwide synthesis of in situ and satellite-derived lake data, we find that lake summer surface water temperatures rose rapidly (global mean = 0.34°C decade-1) between 1985 and 2009. Our analyses show that surface water warming rates are dependent on combinations of climate and local characteristics, rather than just lake location, leading to the counterintuitive result that regional consistency in lake warming is the exception, rather than the rule. The most rapidly warming lakes are widely geographically distributed, and their warming is associated with interactions among different climatic factors - from seasonally ice-covered lakes in areas where temperature and solar radiation are increasing while cloud cover is diminishing (0.72°C decade-1) to ice-free lakes experiencing increases in air temperature and solar radiation (0.53°C decade-1). The pervasive and rapid warming observed here signals the urgent need to incorporate climate impacts into vulnerability assessments and adaptation efforts for lakes. © 2015. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved

Rapid and highly variable warming of lake surface waters around the globe

Peer reviewed. ©2015. The Authors.This is an open access article under theterms of the Creative CommonsAttribution-NonCommercial-N oDerivsLicense, which permits use and distri-bution in any medium, provided theoriginal work is properly cited, the use isnon-commerc ial and no modificationsor adaptations are made.In this first worldwide synthesis of in situ and satellite-derived lake data, we find that lake summer surface water temperatures rose rapidly (global mean = 0.34°C decade 1) between 1985 and 2009. Our analyses show that surface water warming rates are dependent on combinations of climate and local characteristics, rather than just lake location, leading to the counterintuitive result that regional consistency in lake warming is the exception, rather than the rule. The most rapidly warming lakes are widely geographically distributed, and their warming is associated with interactions among different climatic factors —from seasonally ice-covered lakes in areas where temperature and solar radiation are increasing while cloud cover is diminishing (0.72°C decade 1) to ice-free lakes experiencing increases in air temperature and solar radiation (0.53°C decade 1). The pervasive and rapid warming observed here signals the urgent need to incorporate climate impacts into vulnerability assessments and adaptation efforts for lakes

Habitats, morphological diversity, and distribution of the genus Vigna Savi in Australia

Vigna is an agriculturally important genus containing several important species used as pulses, forages, vegetable, or cover crops. The genus is represented in Australia by 5 species, 4 indigenous (V. radiata, V. vexillata, V. luteola, V. marina) and 1 endemic (V. lanceolata). A germplasm collection has been assembled comprising >400 accessions of the 5 Vigna species from Australia and offshore and seed committed to storage as the CSIRO National Vigna collection. For a large number of accessions, herbarium sheets have also been prepared either from field or glasshouse-grown plants and lodged with the Qld Herbarium, Brisbane. This paper describes the structure of the collection and, for each of the 5 species and major regional variants, summarises provenance information on their geographic distribution, habitat, soil type, and associated species. Within the Australian tropics/subtropics, the Vigna species collectively occupy a diverse range of grassland habitats extending from the foreshore to the central desert. Of the 5 species, the endemic V. lanceolata is the most diverse in terms of distribution, habitat, and morphology. Geographic gaps in the collection are noted and priorities for future collection suggested

Environmental impacts of future flood risk

Many drivers of flood risk are affected by the environment. For example; agricultural land management affects catchment runoff (Chapter 5); river vegetation affects conveyance (Chapter 6), and relative sea level affects the frequency with which land adjacent to coasts and estuaries is flooded (Chapter 10). In this chapter we consider the other side of the coin – the environmental impacts of floodplain and the environment as a receptor. In particular we:1. analyse the environment impacts of floodplain and flood risk management in fluvial and coastal zones 2. consider the environment implications of current trends in flood risk management policies 3. examine how the environmental impacts of floodplain might differ under the four Foresight Socio-Economic Futures; and 4. provide an environmental economic assessment of the impacts of flooding.In so doing our aim is to provide the environmental context for the assessment other impacts of future flood risk. This is because coastal and fluvial flooding affects the physical characteristics of the environment, the coastal riverine and floodplain ecosystems, and the species these ecosystems contain. Moreover, regular flooding is essential for the health and survival of many of these ecosystems. The size of natural alluvial river channels for example generally depends on the magnitude of the flood that occurs every one or two years. Biodiversity in river channels depends on the frequency of flooding and associated movement of sediment. Floodplain wetlands are often maintained by inundation and coastal saltmarshes require regular tidal flooding.Infrequent ‘large’ floods can disturb landforms and ecosystems which may take significant periods to recover. While these floods can be seen as ‘natural’ parts of the environmental system, a changing frequency of flooding can disturb the equilibrium of a landform or ecosystem,. The result may be seen as adverse environmental consequences: the area of saltmarsh may decline, or a river channel may be destabilised

Integrated analysis of risks of coastal flooding and cliff erosion under scenarios of long term change

The risks to human populations in coastal areas are changing due to climate and socio-economic changes, and these trends are predicted to accelerate during the twenty-first century. To understand these changing risks, and the resulting choices and pathways to successful management and adaptation, broad-scale integrated assessment is essential. Due to their complexity the two risks of flooding and erosion are usually managed independently, yet frequently they are interconnected by longshore exchange of sediments and the resulting broad scale morphological system behaviour. In order to generate new insights into the effects of climate change and coastal management practises on coastal erosion and flood risk, we present an integrated assessment of 72 km of shoreline over the twenty-first century on the East Anglian coast of England which is a site of significant controversy about how to manage coastal flood and erosion risks over the twenty-first century. A coupled system of hydrodynamic, morphological, reliability and socio-economic models has been developed for the analysis, implemented under scenarios of coastal management, climate and socio-economic change. The study is unique in coastal management terms because of the large spatial scale and extended temporal scale over which the analysis is quantified. This study for the first time quantifies what has for some years been argued qualitatively: the role of sediments released from cliff erosion in protecting neighbouring low-lying land from flooding. The losses and benefits are expressed using the common currency of economic risk. The analysis demonstrates that over the twenty-first century, flood risk in the study area is expected to be an order of magnitude greater than erosion risk. Climate and socio-economic change and coastal management policy have a significant influence on flood risk. This study demonstrates that the choices concerning coastal management are profound, and there are clear tradeoffs between erosion and flood impacts