adapting to climate change - nc state university€¦ · adapting to climate change objectives: by...

25

www.nps.gov

AdaptingtoClimateChangeObjectives:Bytheendofthisactivity,studentswillbeableto:

1. Identifybothnaturalandhuman-causedreasonsforclimatechange.

2. Identifythreekeyimpactsclimatechangewillhaveonwildlife.

3. Identifythreewaysinwhichwildlifemanagersareplanningforclimatechange.

4. Identifypotentialclimatechangeimpactsonlocalspeciesandcreateanactionplanforhelpingprotectthesespecies.

Background: TheEarth’sclimatehaschangedformillionsofyears,fluctuatingbetweeniceagesandperiodsofwarmertemperatures.NaturalcausesforclimatechangeincludechangesinthetiltoftheEarth’saxis,changesinthereflectivityoftheEarth’ssurface,changesinthesun’senergyreachingEarth,volcanicactivity,andnaturalchangesingreenhousegases.Thesechangesoccuroverthousandsofyears. Thesenaturalfactorscancontributetobothglobalwarmingandclimatechange,whicharedifferentthings.GlobalwarmingreferstotheaverageincreaseintemperatureacrosstheentireEarth’ssurface.Thereareotherfactorscontributingtowarming,butoneofthemainfactorsischangesingreenhousegasses(seeNaturalGreenhouseEffectinthediagrambelow).GreenhousegasesactasablanketovertheEarth,trappingthermalradiationmuchlikeablankettrapsourbodyheattokeepuswarm.Wecallthisphenomenonthegreenhouseeffect

becausetheatmosphereactsmuchlikeagreenhousedoes,trappingthesun’sradiationandkeepingtheplanetwarm.Whenthesun’sradiationtravelstoEarth,mostofitisabsorbedbytheEarth.Someofthisradiationisreleasedbackintotheatmosphere,andsomeofitistrappedbygreenhousegases,andthenre-radiatedinalldirectionsfurtherwarmingtheplanet.Withoutthegreenhouseeffect,theEarthwouldbemuchtoocoldforusandmostother

livingorganismstosurvive.Therearefourmaingreenhousegases–watervapor,carbondioxide,methane,andnitrousoxide.Watervaporisthemostabundantgasbutonlystaysintheatmosphereforashortamount

Contentareas:Science,socialstudiesNCEssentialStandards:6.L.2.3,7.E.1.1,7.E.1.2,7.E.1.6,8.E.1.4,8.L.3.1Commoncore:R1,R3,R8,S&L1,S&L4,W1NGSS:MS-ESS2.A,MS-ESS2C,ESS2.D,MS-ESS3.C,MS-ESS3.D,MS-LS2.A,MS-LS2.C,MS-ETS1.B.Materials:o Expertcards(onesetper

homegroup)o Studentsheets(oneper

student)o Speciescards(onespecies

perhomegroup)o ChartpaperActivityTime:OneclassperiodSetting:Classroom

26

oftime(afewdays).Carbondioxideisthenextmostabundantandstaysintheatmosphereforthelongestamountoftime(30-100years).Methaneisabouttentimesbetterattrappingheatthancarbondioxide,butitdissipatesfaster(abouttenyears)andislessabundant.Nitrousoxideistheleastabundantgreenhousegasandtrapsalmost300timesmoreheatthancarbondioxideandstaysintheatmosphereforaround100years.1Greenhousegasesarereleasedintotheatmospherebynaturalprocesses.Astheseprocesseschangeoverthousandsofyears,therearetimeswhentherearemoregreenhousegassesintheatmosphere.Whenthishappens,theheattrappingcapacityoftheatmosphereincreases,andtheaveragetemperatureacrosstheEarthincreases(globalwarming).Globalwarmingisoneofthefactorsthatcancauseglobalclimatechange.Climatechangereferstoanysignificantchangeinmeasuresofclimateforanygivenlocationlastingforanextendedperiodoftime.Thisincludesmajorchangesintemperatures,precipitation,orwindpatterns,amongothersthatoccuroverseveraldecadesorlonger.Thesamechangescanalsobeconsideredglobally,andthisisglobalclimatechange.Globallyaveragedincreaseintemperaturesimpactsmanyglobalprocesses.Increasedtemperaturesimpactglobalweatherpatterns,suchasamountsandtimingofprecipitationandfrequencyandintensityofofsevereweathersuchasthunderstorms,hurricanes,andwinterstorms.Warmingcanalsomeltglaciersandpolaricecaps,whichcausessealevelstoriseandoceancurrentstochange.2 Althoughnaturalfactorscontributetoglobalwarmingandinturn,climatechange,recentwarminghasoccurredfasterthaneverrecordedinthepast.Changesoverthelast100yearsandthoseexpectedinthenext100yearscanbeattributedlargelytohumanactivities.3Sincetheindustrialrevolution,wehaveusedfossilfuelslikeoil,coal,andnaturalgastopowerourhomesandbusinesses,fuelourcarsandothertransportationsystemsforfoodandcommerce,andsupportlifeasweknowit.Wenowunderstandwitha95%confidencelevelthatthereleaseofgreenhousegasesbyhumanactivitiesinthisshorttimeperiodisthemaincauseoftherecentwarmingtrendsweareseeingandexpecttoseecontinueintothefuture.2Whenweburnfossilfuels,theyreleasegreenhousegases,enhancingthegreenhouseeffect.4IcecoredatademonstratesthatCO2levelsvariedbetween180and270partspermillionoverthemillionyearsprecedingtheindustrialrevolution,andthenrapidlyclimbedto400partspermillionby2013.5Althoughotheractivitieslikeraisinglivestockandenergyproduction(e.g.,naturalgasleakswhenproducingandrefiningoil)canreleasemethaneandnitrousoxidewhichhavemoreheattrappingpotential,carbondioxidemakesup82%ofgreenhousegasemissionsandremainsintheatmosphereforuptoacentury.Thehighconcentrationofcarbondioxidepairedwithitslongatmosphericlifetimemakesitatargetformanyeffortstoreduceourcontributionstoglobalwarming.InternationaltreatiesandmeetingsliketheKoyotoProtocolandUNSummitonClimateChangehavebeguntohelpcountriesworktogethertoreducecarbonemissions.Technologicaladvanceslikemorefuel-efficientcars,EnergyStarappliances,andalternativeenergysourcesarealsohelpingreduceouremissions.Theseeffortsbyindividuals,communities,andcountriesareencouraging.Asmentionedabove,sealevelriseandincreasedoccurrenceoffloodsanddroughtshavebeenobserved.6Becauseweareseeingsomeclimatechangeimpactsalready,itisalsoimportantthatwefocusonresiliency,orensuringourabilitytothriveinachangingclimate. Climatechangeisalsoaffectingwildlife,andweexpecttoseeevenmoreimpactsinthefuture.Learningabouttheseimpactshelpswildlifemanagersmakesurethatwildlifeisalsoresilient–abletosurviveandthriveinachangingclimate.Threemaineffectsthatwillhavebigimpactsonwildlifearechanginghabitats,sealevelrise,andshiftsinthetimingofseasons.7IntheAppalachianMountains,warmerregionaltemperaturesarethreateningthespruce-firforestsystems.Theseforestsgenerallyoccurabove4,500feetinelevationbecausetheyneedcooltemperaturestosurvive.TheseforestsystemsoccurinNorthernstates,butastemperaturesrise,theymaydisappearfromNorthCarolina.Severalspeciesofwildlifedependonthesehabitats,soifthespruce-firforestscannotsurviveinNorthCarolina,neithercanthewildlifethatlivesthere.8Sealevelrisedirectlythreatensbeachandmarshhabitats,astheymaybefloodedbyseawaterorerodedbystormsurges.9Aswestarttoexperiencewarmerandshorterwinters,thetimingofeventssuchasflowerandleafemergenceandmigrationpatternsareshifting.Sincenotallplantsandanimalsareshiftingtheirpatterns

27

insync,thiscancauseproblems.Oneexampleistherelationshipbetweenwintermothsandoakbudburst

timing.Wintermothsemergeinearlywinterandlaytheireggsintreecanopies.Theeggsgettheircuesfrom

thelengtheningspringdaysandemergeastheoakbudburstbegins.Iftheyhatchbeforetheoakbudburst,

theystarve.Iftheyhatchafterbudburst,thecaterpillarswillhavetoeatless-digestibleleaves.Sinceoak

leavestaketheircuesfromwarmingtemperatures,warmerspringsmeanthatoaktreesareleafingearlierin

theyear.Becausemothstaketheircuesfromlengtheningdaysandoakstaketheircuesfromtemperature,a

warmerspringcanmeancaterpillarshatchafteroakbudburst,makingitharderforthemtogetenoughto

eat.10

Wildlifemanagersareworkinghardtoprotectwildlifefromtheseimpacts.Wildlifemanagerscan

reduceriskstowildlifeandprotecttheabilityofwildlifetofollowtheirhabitatasclimatechangemakesit

move(e.g.,upamountainorinlandfromtheocean).Habitatdestruction,fragmentationanddegradation,

disease,invasivespecies,andothersthreatsalsoputwildlifepopulationsatrisk.Byworkingtodiminishthe

effectsoftheseotherthreatsandensuringhealthyhabitatdoesexist,managerscanhelpwildlifepopulations

bemoreresilienttoclimatechange.Adaptivemanagementisastrategyinwhichmanagerscontinuallygather

dataonwildlifeandhabitats.Theyusedatatoseeifactionstheytakemakepositivechangesforwildlifelike

improvingsurvivalorreproductionrates.Becausetheycontinuouslycollectdata,theycantestoutnew

actionsifoldonesarenotmakingwildlifepopulationsmoreresilienttoclimatechange.Wildlifemanagers

needhelp,andoftenworkwithothergroupsusingcollaboration,citizenscienceandeducationefforts.

Educationandpublicoutreachnotonlyhelpwildlifemanagersdotheirjobs;theyhelpensureweareall

preparedwiththeknowledgeandawarenesstodoourpartprotectingwildlife.

Gettingready:1. Preparegroupingassignments.Studentsshouldbeassignedtoa“home”group.Eachhomegroup

shouldhaveatleastsixstudents.EachstudentinahomegroupshouldbeassignedaletterA-F,which

willbeusedtoplacestudentsin“expert”groupsduringtheactivity.

2. Makeenoughcopiesofexpertcards(A-F)soeachstudentinanexpertgrouphasacopyoftheirtopic.

3. Makeenoughcopiesofthe“AdaptingtoClimateChange”studentsheetforeachgrouptohaveone.

4. MakeenoughcopiesofSpeciesCards(AppendixA)sothateachstudentinahomegrouphasacopyof

theirassignedspecies.

Procedure:1. Reviewwiththeclasskeytopicsfrompreviouslessons:

a. Weatherandclimatebothaffectwildlife.

b. Regionalclimatedeterminestheamountandtimingofprecipitationandtemperature,which

affectsthevegetationandwildlifethatcanliveinanarea.

2. Discusswithstudentsthattheclimateischanging.Discusshowtheclimatechangesduetoboth

naturalcauses(e.g.,volcanicactivity,tiltingoftheEarth)andhumanactivities(emissionsof

greenhousegases).Brieflyexplaintheconceptofgreenhousegases.Therearefourmaingases(water

vapor,carbondioxide,methane,andnitrousoxide)thatactasablanketinouratmosphere.Eachof

thesehasadifferentheattrappingpotentialandlifetimeintheatmosphere.Withoutanygreenhouse

gases,itwouldbetoocoldforlifetosurviveonEarth.However,ifwehavetoomuchgreenhouse

gasesintheatmosphere,theEarthwarms.Oneofthemostcommonsourcesofgreenhousegasesis

burningfossilfuels(gasolineforourcars,coalforourpowerplants,etc.).Thisreleasescarbondioxide,

whichhasoneofthelowerheattrappingpotentials.However,carbondioxidestaysintheatmosphere

foralongtimeandmakesup82%ofgreenhousegasemissions,whichiswhyitismostoftentargeted

asawaytoreduceourimpactonglobalwarming.Risingglobaltemperaturesarecausingchangesto

28

regionalclimatesworldwide.

3. Explainthattoday’sactivitywillexploresomeoftheimpactsthatclimatechangewillhaveonwildlife

andsomeofthewaysmanagersandcitizenscanhelpprotectthesewildlife.

4. Organizethestudentsintogroupsofsix.Thiswillbestudents’homegroups.Assigneachgroup

memberaletterA-F.Nowaskstudentstoreorganizeintogroupsbasedontheirletters.Thiswillbe

students’expertgroups.Eachexpertgroupwilllearnaboutoneofthefollowingtopics.

A. SealevelriseB. Transforminghabitats

C. Changingseasonalcues

D. Adaptivemanagement

E. Collaboration

F. Habitatconservationandrestoration

5. Giveeachexpertgroupcopiesoftheinformationsheetoftheirtopic(oneforeachstudent).

6. Giveeachexpertgroup10minutestoreadoverthesheet,askquestionsofoneanother,discussthe

keyquestions,andpreparetoreportouttootherstudents.

7. Nowhavestudentsreturntotheirhomegroups.Thereshouldbeatleastoneexpertforeachtopic

presentineachhomegroup.

8. Haveeachexpertreportoutontheirfindingstotheirhomegroupmembers.

9. Assigneachhomegrouponespecies(fromAppendixA).Eachgroupmembershouldhaveacopyof

thespeciescardforthespeciesassignedtotheirgroup.

10. Havegroupmembersworkthroughthestudentsheet“AdaptingtoClimateChange”tobrainstorm

waysinwhichclimatechangemayimpacttheirspeciesaswellasstrategiesthatwildlifemanagersand

communitiesmayusetohelpprotectthisspecies.

11. Askstudentstorecordtheirplanonchartpapertopresenttotheclass.

Discussionandassessment1. Attheendofclass,havestudentspresenttheriskstotheirspeciesaswellasaplanforaction.Iftime

permits,havestudentscreateaposterorothervisualpresentation.

2. Considerhavingstudentscreateformalpresentationsandinvitecommunitymemberstothe

presentation.

Extensions1. Invitearepresentativefromyourstate’swildlifeagencytocomespeakwithyourclassaboutwhathe

orshedoes,theroletheagencyplaysincaringforwildlife,anddiscussionsaroundhowtoplanfor

climatechange.

2. Checkwithyourwildlifeagencyforclasses,workshops,andotherresources.

3. Havestudentswriteanargumentdefendingtheiractionplanchoice.

29

Sourcesandotherresources1USEPA.(2014).NitrousOxideEmissions.RetrievedDecember03,2014,from

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/n2o.html2NationalAeronauticsandSpaceAdministration.(2014).ClimateChange:VitalSignsofthePlanet:Howdoweknow?GlobalClimate

Change:VitalSignsofthePlanet.RetrievedOctober27,2014,fromhttp://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/ 3IPCC.(2014).SummaryforPolicyMakers.InO.Edenhofer,R.Pichs-Madruga,Y.Sokona,E.Farahani,S.Kadne,K.Seyboth,…J.C.

Minx(Eds.),ClimateChange2014,MitigationofClimateChange.Cambraige,U.K.andN.Y.,USA:CambridgeUniversityPress.

(alsoseethisvideosummarizingthereport:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnUXqhMS2bo)4USEPAClimateChangeDivision.(2014).GreenhouseGasEmissions:GreenhouseGasesOverview.Retrievedfrom

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases.html5NationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministration.(2014).IceCore|NationalClimaticDataCenter(NCDC).RetrievedNovember

03,2014,fromhttp://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/paleoclimatology-data/datasets/ice-core6NationalClimateAssessment.(2014).RetrievedNovember21,2014,fromhttp://nca2014.globalchange.gov/

7NationalFish,WildlifeandPlantsAdaptationPartnership.(2012).NationalFish,WildlifeandPlantsClimateAdaptationStrategy.

AssociationofFishandWildlifeAgencies,CouncilonEnvironmentalQuality,GreatLakesIndianFishandWildlifeCommission,

NationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministration,andU.S.FishandWildlifeService.Washington,DC.Retrievedfrom

http://www.wildlifeadaptationstrategy.gov/pdf/NFWPCAS-Final.pdf8NorthCarolinaWildlifeResourcesComission.(2014).Spruce-FirtForestinSouthernBlueRidgeMountains.Retrievedfrom

http://www.southernhighlandsreserve.org/LiteratureRetrieve.aspx?ID=125485&A=SearchResult&SearchID=387429&ObjectID

=125485&ObjectType=69NationalWildlifeFederation.(2014).GlobalWarmingImpactsonEstuariesandCoastalWetlands.RetrievedOctober27,2014,

fromhttp://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Threats-to-Wildlife/Global-Warming/Effects-on-Wildlife-and-Habitat/Estuaries-and-

Coastal-Wetlands.aspx10Visser,M.E.,&Holleman,L.J.(2001).Warmerspringsdisruptthesynchronyofoakandwintermothphenology.ProceedingsBof

theRoyalSociety,268(1464),289–94.doi:10.1098/rspb.2000.1363

30

http://www.ecu.edu/renci/focus/SeaLevelRise.html

ExpertCards

A:Sealevelrise

Asaverageglobaltemperaturesrise,glaciers

andpolaricecapsaremelting.Thewaterthatwas

previouslytrappedonlandflowsintotheocean

raisingoceanlevels.Also,aswaterwarms,it

expands.Thisexpansionistoosmallforusto

observewithoureyes,butwhenyouconsiderallthe

waterinalltheoceans,evenalittleexpansioncan

leadtoabigchange.Bothincreasesinwaterinthe

oceanfrommeltingglaciersandtheexpanding

volumeofallwaterintheoceancontributetothe

risingsealevelsweareexperiencing.Becauseofthe

topographyoftheshorelines,notallareasare

experiencingsealevelriseatthesamerate.InNorthCarolina,wehaveexperiencedabout

onefootinsealevelrisesince1930,andweexpect

abouttwotothreeadditionalfeetinthenext100

years.

Alongcoastlines,sealevelrisecanhavebig

impactsonwildlife.Astheoceanrises,itcanerode

beachesandfloodsaltwatermarshes.Also,higher

waterlevelsmeanthatstormsurgesfromhurricanes

orotherstrongstormscancreatemoreflooding.

Higherwaterlevelandmorefloodingcandamage

nestingsitesforwildlifelikethepipingplover,sea

turtle,ordiamondbackterrapin.Therisingsaltwater

canalsoincreasethesalinityinareasthatcontain

brackishwater(amixofsaltandfreshwater).The

changingsalinitycanchangewhichtypesof

vegetationcansurviveandgrowinthenewsaltier

marshes.Normally,assealevelsrise,marsheswould

simplymovefurtherinland.However,thismaynot

happeninsomeplacesbecauseagriculturallands,

housing,andbusinesseswillformbarrierstothe

naturalinlandmovement.Thismaymeanthesehabitatsandthewildlifethatlivetherehave

nowheretogo.

Pipingploversnestinsandydunesand

beaches.

PhotobyU.S.Fish&WildlifeService

http://www.fws.gov/

31

KeyQuestions:

Discussthesequestionswithyourgroupmembers:

1. Wildlifeusecoastalwetlandsasshelter,nestingsites,andplacestofindfood.Many

coastalwetlandsarebrackish,meaningtheyarepartsaltwaterandpartfreshwater.This

mediumsalinitysupportsspecificplantsthatgrowinthesewetlands.Howmightsealevel

riseaffectcoastalwetlandhabitatsandthewildlifethatlivethere?

2. Whensealevelsrise,howmightthatchangewhathappensduringhurricanes?Howwill

thataffectbarrierislandsandcoastalhabitats?

Defenders of Wildlife. (2010). Understanding the impacts of climate change on fish and wildlife in North Carolina. Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://www.defenders.org/sites/default/files/publications/executive_summary_understanding_the_impacts_of_climate_change_on_fish

32

B:TransforminghabitatsRegionalclimateincludestheaveragerainfallandtemperaturesinanarea.With

climatechange,precipitationpatternsandtemperaturenormsmaychange.Partofthis

meansthatwetareasmaybecomewetter

(morerainfall)anddrierareasmaybecome

drier.Extremeweathermayalsoincrease,

meaningmorefloodsanddroughts.Overall,

weexpecttemperaturestorise,whichwill

meanhigherairandwatertemperatures.

IntheAppalachianmountains,these

changingclimateconditionscanmean

changestosomeecosystems.Inthe

mountains,highertemperaturesmaymean

warmerstreamwatersandhigherlevelsof

rainfallmaycausefloodinganderosion

whichcanclogupstreams.Warmerwater

holdslessoxygen,whichmeansourstreams

cannotsupportasmuchlife.Streamswithtoomuchsedimentcanbecomeclogged,fillin

gravelbottomswithmud,andchangethehabitatavailabletofishandotheraquaticlifetolay

eggsandfindfood.Highertemperaturesmaypushcertainvegetationspeciesfurthernorth,

suchasthespruce-firforestsofNorthCarolina.WildlifesuchastheNorthernflyingsquirrel

dependonthesespecifictypesofforests.Asspruce-firforestsdisappearfromNorthCarolina,

thewildlifethatlivestheremaybeabletofollowthemastheyshiftnorthward.However,

barrierssuchashighwaysorurbanareasmaymakeitdifficultforwildlifetofollowthese

habitatsastheyshiftnorthward.

Inotherareasofthecountry,suchastheAmericanWestandMidwest,weexpect

highertemperaturesandlowerprecipitationlevels.Thesewarmer,drierconditionscould

meanlowerstreamlevelsforWesternsalmonandtrout,disappearanceofMidwestern

wetlandsthatwaterfowlusefornestingsites.

Spruce-firforestonClingmansDomeinNorthCarolina

PhotobyBrianStansberryAppvoices.org

33

Below,you’llfindmapsthatprojectthechangesintemperatureandprecipitationwe

expectoverthenext100yearsinNorthCarolina.Asyoucansee,thechangesintemperature

andprecipitationarebrokendownbyseason.Winterandfallareexpectedtobearound4-6

degreeswarmerandsummerisexpectedtobeabout5.5-8degreeswarmer.Precipitation

mayriseacrossallseasons,butmoresointhewinter.Inthespring,thecoastmayseeless

rainfall.

KeyQuestions:

Discussthesequestionswithyourgroupmembers:

1. Thinkbacktopreviousactivities.Howdoyouthinkchangingprecipitationandtemperaturepatternsmightaffectvegetation?Howmightthisaffectwildlife?

2. WhatkindsofwildlifeliveinNCrivers?Howmighttheybeaffectedbyfloodsor

droughts?Warmertemperatures?

Defenders of Wildlife. (2010). Understanding the impacts of climate change on fish and wildlife in North Carolina. Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://www.defenders.org/sites/default/files/publications/executive_summary_understanding_the_impacts_of_climate_change_on_fish_and_wildlife_in_north_carolina.pdf

34

C:ChangingseasonalcuesBecausemanyplantsandwildlifetakecuesfromchangesintheseasons,warming

temperaturesmaymeanshiftsinwhenwildlifedothingslikelayeggsandhibernate.

Problemsarisewhennotallspecieschangeatthesamerate,creatingamismatchofwildlife

needsandresourcesavailable.

Snowshoeharesaremastersofcamouflage.Theircoatsarewhiteinthewinterto

blendinwiththesnow,andin

thesummer,theircoatdarkens

tomatchtheforestvegetation.

Theygettheircuesforthecoat

changebythelengtheningdays

ofspring.Lately,however,

springhasbeencomingearlier.

Temperaturesriseandmelt

thesnowbeforethedays

lengthenenoughtogivethe

snowshoehareitscueto

changecoats.Asaresult,the

whitewintercoatsstickoutagainstthebrownbrushrevealedbythemeltingsnow.Theloss

ofcamouflagemakestheharesmucheasiertospotbypredators.

Warmertemperaturesalsotriggerbirdstomigrate.Birdsspendthewintergathering

energyandtimetheirmigrationnorthsotheycanreachtheirsummerrangeandlayeggs

whenthemostfoodisavailableforfeedingchicks.Somebirdshavealreadybegunto

respondtoearlierarrivalofspringbymigratingearlier.Thisisnotthecaseforallbirds,

however.Thosethatarenotshiftingtheirmigrationpatternsinsyncwithearlierspring

arrivalsseemtobereachingtheirNorthernbreedinggroundsalittletoolatetotimethe

hatchingoftheiryoungwithpeakfoodavailability.Thisseasonalmismatchhasbeen

documentedinseveralbirdspeciesinEuropesuchasthepiedflycatcher.

Snowshoeharesarebrowninthesummertoblendinwiththesurrounding

vegetationandtheirwhitecoatsletthemblendinwiththesnowinthewinter.

Ifsnowsmeltbeforethehareschangecolors,thewhiteharesareeasytospot.

PhotobyL.S.Millsresearchteam.

http://www.npr.org/

35

KeyQuestions:

Discussthesequestionswithyourgroupmembers:

1. Wildlifedependonseasonalcuesforlotsofthings.Thechangingoftheseasonscues

birdstomigrate,somespeciestocomeoutofhibernation,andmanyanimalstobegin

breeding.Whatotherspeciesdependonseasonalcuesforpartoftheirlifecycle?

2. Howmightthesespeciesbeaffectedbychangingseasonalcues?

Saino,Nicola,etal."Climatewarming,ecologicalmismatchatarrivalandpopulationdeclineinmigratorybirds."Proceedingsof

theRoyalSocietyB:BiologicalSciences278.1707(2011):835-842.

Stenseth,N.C.,&Mysterud,A.(2002).Climate,changingphenology,andotherlifehistorytraits:nonlinearityandmatch-

mismatchtotheenvironment.ProceedingsoftheNationalAcademyofSciencesoftheUnitedStatesofAmerica,99(21),

13379–81.doi:10.1073/pnas.212519399

36

Adaptivemanagementprocesswww.doi.gov

D:AdaptiveManagement

Theadaptivemanagementprocessof

assessingaproblem,designingaplan,

implementingaplan,monitoringimpacts,

evaluatingresults,andadjustingtheplanforms a

circularpatterninwhichthemanagementplan is

adaptable(seefigure).Thisapproachis

importantwhenincomplexsystemsthatare

difficulttopredictperfectly.Theclimatesystem is

incrediblycomplex,makingithardtopredict

exactlywhatwillhappenorhowwildlifewill

respond.Scientistsarebecomingmore

confidentintheirpredictions,butwedonot

knowexactlyhowclimatechangewillaffect

wildlife.Thisuncertaintycanmakeithardforwildlifemanagerstoplanforthefuture.

Oneimportantstrategyformakingsureweareabletoprotectwildlifeinanuncertain

futureisapracticecalledadaptivemanagement.Usingadaptivemanagement,managerstest

theplanstheyimplementandchangethemwhenobjectivesarenotbeingmet.After

implementingaplan,theycollectdatatoseeifitisworking.OneexampleisthePlattRiver

RecoveryImplementationPrograminWyoming,ColoradoandNebraska.Thegoalofthe

programistoincreasepopulationsofinteriorleastterns,pipingplovers,whoopingcranesand

pallidsturgeons.Managershavedevelopedtwostrategiestorestoreriverhabitat.One

involvesalteringtheriverpathwaystorestorehistoricflowpatternsandonedoesnot.

Managersdonotknowwhichstrategywillworkbest.Byusingadaptivemanagement,

managerscantryeachstrategyindifferentareas,collectdataonthefourspecies,andadjust

theplantoincludemoreofthestrategythatisworkingbetter.Iftheplanisnothelping

addressobjectives(here,increasingpopulationsofthefourtargetspecies),theychangetheir

plansandtryagain.Adaptivemanagementrequiresgatheringlargeamountsofdataand

spendinglotsoftimedecidingwhattodo.Itcanbeexpensiveandtimeconsuming,butitwill

likelybeanimportantstrategytoprotectingwildlifeaswestarttoseetheimpactsofclimate

changeincrease.Wildlifeagenciesarebeginningtoreachouttootherpartnerslikecitizen

sciencegroups(seeinformationinExpertgroupE)tohelpmaintainup-to-datedataonthe

healthofourwildlife.Thesenetworksofbothcitizensandscientistscanhelpspreadoutthe

bigjobofunderstandinghowwildlifearerespondingtoclimatechange.

37

KeyQuestions:Discussthesequestionswithyourgroupmembers:

1. Whymightadaptivemanagementbebetterthanmakingasingledecision?

2. Whymightadaptivemanagementbemorechallengingthanmakingasingledecision?

3. Howmightmanagersuseadaptivemanagementtohelpprotectspeciesfromclimate

changeimpacts?

DefendersofWildlife.(2010).UnderstandingtheimpactsofclimatechangeonfishandwildlifeinNorthCarolina.Washington,DC.

Retrievedfrom

http://www.defenders.org/sites/default/files/publications/executive_summary_understanding_the_impacts_of_climate_change_o

n_fish_and_wildlife_in_north_carolina.pdf

Runge,M.C.(2011).AnIntroductiontoAdaptiveManagementforThreatenedandEndangeredSpecies.JournalofFishandWildlife

Management,2(2),220–233.doi:10.3996/082011-JFWM-045

38

E:CollaborationandEducation

Conservingwildlifeinthefaceofclimatechangeisabigjob,andwildlifemanagers

cannotdoitontheirown.Conservingwildlifewillbeeasierifmanagersreachouttopartners

likeresearchersandconservationorganizationsandworktoensurelocal,state,andfederal

agenciesworktogether.Researcherscanhelpprovidemanagerswiththedatatheyneedto

makedecisions.Conservationorganizationslikelandtrustsandwildlifenon-profit

organizationsalsoworktoconservehabitat

andwildlifeandcanlikelyhelpwithmonitoring

efforts.Makingsurelocal,state,andfederal

agenciesworktogetherwillhelpmanagers

“divideandconquer.”Forinstance,biologists

acrosstheNortheastareworkingtogetherto

trackshorebirdhabitat.Becauseshorebirds

liketheTuftedPuffinhaverangesthatare

biggerthanindividualagenciesorrefuges,

biologistscangetamorecompletepictureof

howshorebirdsarerespondingtoclimate

changeandmakethebestconservationplans

possible.

Anotherkeypartnerforwildlife

managersarecitizens.Inrecentdecades,

citizenscienceprojectshavebecomemorecommon,inwhichordinarycitizenscollectdata

thatscientistsuse.Theseprojectsallowscientiststocollectmuchmoredatathantheywould

beabletoontheirownaswellasinvolvecitizensinongoingresearch.Forexample,the

ChristmasbirdcountrunbytheAudubonSocietyfrommid-DecemberthroughearlyJanuary

providesahugedatasetonmigratorybirdpatterns,fromwhichscientistscanbetter

understandwhichbirdsaremovingwhereandwhen.Tensofthousandsofparticipantslogin

totheAudubonSocietywebsitefrommid-DecembertoearlyJanuarytoreportnamesand

locationsofthemigratorybirdsspottedintheirarea.Thisprojectprovidesornithologists

valuabledataonwheremigratorybirdsaretravelingandwhen.Projectslikethesenotonly

helpcollectdatabuttheyalsoengagethepublicinconservationefforts.Engagementisan

importantsteptoensureeveryoneisworkingtogethertowardsclimatechangesolutionsand

makingwildlifemoreresilient.Resiliencyreferstotheabilityforwildlifetothriveinspiteof

climatechange-relatedimpacts.Therearelotsofwayswecanallhelpwildlife,andthrough

educationandoutreach,wildlifemanagerscanhelpusunderstandhow.

Warmertemperaturescannegativelyaffect

nestingsitesforTuftedpuffins.Byworking

together,managersacrosstheNortheast

cankeepaneyeonthepuffinanduse

insightsforconservationplanning.http://www.eopugetsound.org/

39

KeyQuestions:Discussthesequestionswithyourgroupmembers:

1. Whywouldwildlifemanagerswanttopartnerwithresearchersandneighboring

agenciestomonitorhowclimatechangemaybeaffectingwildlife?Whatkindsof

researchdoyouthinkwouldbemosthelpfulinyourarea?

2. Whataresomewaysthatyoucouldhelplearnaboutclimatechangeimpactson

wildlife?

DefendersofWildlife.(2010).UnderstandingtheimpactsofclimatechangeonfishandwildlifeinNorthCarolina.Washington,DC.Retrievedfromhttp://www.defenders.org/sites/default/files/publications/executive_summary_understanding_the_impacts_of_climate_change_on_fish_and_wildlife_in_north_carolina.pdf

40

F:Habitatconservationandrestoration

Climatechangeisnottheonlythingthreateningwildlife.Urbanization,deforestation,

invasivespecies,pollution,anddiseasearealsoposingarisktowildlifeandtheirhabitats.

Protectingwildlifefromtheseotherthreats

willhelpmakethemmoreresilienttorisks

fromclimatechange.Resiliencyreferstothe

abilityforwildlifetothriveinspiteofclimate

change-relatedimpacts.Forinstance,healthy

wetlandssupportavarietyofwildlife,butthey

alsohelpcoolwater,reducesedimentfrom

run-off,andcontrolflooding.Restoringone

hectareofwetlandcantranslatetoasmuchas

$33,000insavingspreventingstormdamage.

WhenHurricaneKatrinahittheGulfCoastin

2005,areaswiththemostrobustwetlands

experiencedlessflooding,andunprotected

areaslikeNewOrleansweredecimatedby

unprecedentedfloods.Althoughitisdifficult

topointtoclimatechangeasthecauseofanyonestormevent,scientistsexpecttoseean

increaseinthefrequencyandseverityofstormsinassociationwithglobalwarming.

Protectingandrestoringwetlandhabitatscanprotectthewildlifethatlivesthereandmake

thoseareasmoreresilienttoclimatechangeimpacts.

Anotherkeystrategyispreservingwildlifecorridors,orareasthatconnectdifferent

areasofwildlifehabitat.Astemperaturesrise,weexpectforwildlifehabitatsand

populationstoshifttowardsthepolesandtohigherelevations.Ifwildlifetrytomovefrom

currentrangesandfindbarrierscreatedbyurbanareas,highways,ordams,theymaynotbe

abletoshifttheirrangesinresponsetowarmingtemperatures.Byprotectingwildlife

corridors,theseshiftsaremorepossible.

Besidesprotectingwildlifeandhabitats,effortstoimproveandrestoreexisting

habitatscanalsohelpwildlife.Continuingwiththeexamplefromthegulfcoast,several

restorationseffortsarewellunderwaytorestorewetlandandmangroveecosystemsthat

willreducethetypeofdamagecausedbyHurricaneKatrina.Oneofthemostfamous

examplesisonAveryIsland,wheretheTabascoSauceplantislocated.AfterKatrina,

Tabascoorchestratedamassiverestorationoftheentireisland,whichnowsupportsahost

ofwetlandwildlifeandisthesiteofaparkforvisitorstoenjoy.Notonlyistheparkserving

animportantecologicalandculturalrolenow,butthisrestorationmayhelpprotectthe

factoryfromfuturefloodingevents.

Volunteersworkingtorestorewetlandhabitats

www.carolinasalt.com

41

KeyQuestions:Discussthesequestionswithyourgroupmembers:

1. Whyareconservationandrestorationeffortsespeciallyimportantinthefaceof

climatechange?

2. Whatkindsofhabitatrestorationprojectswouldbenefityourstateasclimate

changes?

Costanza, R., Pérez-Maqueo, O., Martinez, M. L., Sutton, P., Anderson, S. J., & Mulder, K. (2008). The value of coastal wetlands for hurricane protection. AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment, 37(4), 241-248.

42

AdaptingtoClimateChange

StudentSheet

Name:___________________________________

Speciesyourgroupisworkingwith:__________________________

1. Whatarethreemajorclimatechangeimpactsthatwilllikelyaffectwildlife?

2. Whichoftheseimpactswillmostlikelyaffectyourspecies?Giveatleastthreespecificwaysclimate

changemayimpactyourspecies.

3. Whatarethreemajorstrategiestohelpwildlifeadapttoclimatechangeimpacts?

4. Whichstrategiesdoyouthinkwillbemostimportanttoyourspecies?

Attheendofclass,yourgroupwillassumetheroleofwildlifemanagers.Bepreparedtopresenttotherestof

thegroupthespecificthreatsyourspeciesmightexperienceandwhy.Then,proposeaplanofactionto

protectthisspecies.

43

ClimateImpactsandAdaptationstrategiesTeachersnotes

PossibleanswerstoKeyQuestionsonthebackoftheexpertcards:

TransformingHabitats:

1. Shiftingtemperatureandprecipitationnormscanchangethetypesofvegetationthatareinanarea.

EventhoughNCisexpectedtohavemoreprecipitationoverall,itisprojectedtofallinconcentrated

times(floods,followedbydrierperiods).Warmertemperaturespairedwithdryspellscanmeansome

plantspeciescannotsurvive.Thisbecomesaproblemforwildlifeiftheydependonthosespeciesfor

foodorcover.

2. Examplesofspecies:hellbender,trout,Northernalligator.Floodingordroughtcanaffectaquatic

species(floodingcanwashawayeggsandfood,droughtcanleavewaterstoolowtosupportlife),

Warmertemperaturescanaffectoxygenlevelsinwater,affectingthewildlifethatlivesthere(e.g.,

trout,hellbender).Warmingwatertemperaturescanalsobegoodforsomespecies,liketheAmerican

alligators.Theymaybeabletogrowlargerandexpandtheirrangeaswaterwarms.

SeaLevelRise:

1. Changingsalinitymayaffectthetypesofvegetationthatcansurviveinthebrackishwater.Ifsalinity

changesenough,itmaybedetrimentaltomanywetlandplantspecies,whichcouldaffectfood,cover,

andnestingsitesforahostofmarshwildlife(marshrabbits,diamondbackterrapin,snowyegret).

2. Highersealevelsmightmeanthatstormsurgesarestronger,exacerbatingtheerosionofbeachesand

thefloodingofcoastalwetlands.Thismaygreatlyaffectthebarrierislands(theymaydisappear),and

thendrasticallychangecoastalwetlandhabitats.Intheory,coastalwetlandhabitatscouldjustmove

inlandassealevelsrise.However,sealevelrisemayhappenfasterthanthesehabitatscandevelopor

urbanoragriculturaldevelopmentmaypreventcoastalwetlandsfrommovinganyfurtherinland.

Changingseasonalcues

1. Anymigratingbirddependsonseasonalcuestobeginmigration.Otheranimalsfeaturedinthis

modulethatdependonseasonalcues:Marbledsalamander,Northernbobwhitequail,andEastern

wildturkey.Coolerfalltemperaturesandincreasedrainscuemarbledsalamanderstoheadtothe

vernalpoolstolaytheireggs.Lengtheningspringdayscuebothquailsandturkeystostartmating,

nesting,andlayingeggs.

2. Somebirdsseemtobeadaptingwelltoearliersprings,butothersarenotchangingtheirpatterns.

Mismatchesbetweenwhenbirdsmigrateandwhenfoodisavailablemayaffectsurvivalor

reproduction.

AdaptiveManagement

1. Adaptivemanagementinvolvesmonitoringandpartoftheplanislookingforandrespondingto

change.Singledecisionsmakearecommendationwithoutconsideringhowthingsmaychange.

Becauseclimatechangeinvolvesimpactsthatarecomplexandhardtopredict,anadaptiveapproach

maybemoreeffectiveatrespondingtoimpactsonwildlifeastheyhappen.

2. Adaptivemanagementmaybemorechallengingbecauseitrequiresconstantdatacollectionandre-

evaluation.It’srequiresmoretimeandresources.

3. Especiallywhenwedon’tknowhowspecieswillrespondtoclimatechange,wecanuseadaptive

managementtomakeaplanforwhatweknowandwhatwepredictwillhappen.Withmonitoring,we

canseeifourplanseemstobeworkingandreadjustifwethinkwecanmakeitbetterorifconditions

change.

44

CollaborationandEducation

1. Collaborationcanhelpwildlifemanagersgetthehelptheyneed.Byworkingtogether,wecancollect

moredataoveragreaterarea.Becauseadaptivemanagementrequirelotsofdataandabigpicture

perspective,collaborationiskeytomakingsuremanagershavetheinformationtheyneedtomakethe

bestdecisionspossible.

2. Participatingincitizenscienceprojects,butalsodoingthingslikeworkingtoprotectthehabitatsthat

doexist(touchedoninthehabitatconservationandrestorationsection).

Habitatconservationandrestoration

1. Climatechangewillbringahostofimpactsthatwewillhaveahardtimecontrolling.But,byinvesting

inthingswecancontrollikehabitatconservationandrestoration,weincreasetheresiliencyof

wildlifethatareat-risk.

2. InNorthCarolina,wetlandconservationandrestorationwillbeimportanttoprotectbothwildlifeand

peopleagainstsealevelriseandstormsurges.Doingwhatwecantoprotecttemperaturesensitive

communitieslikethespruce-firforestsandotherkeyvegetationcommunitieswillalsohelpmakeother

ecosystemsandwildliferesilienttoclimatechangeimpacts.Additionally,preservingwildlifecorridors

willhelpensurethatwildlifeareabletomovefreelyasrangesbegintoshiftduetorising

temperatures.

StudentSheetanswers:

1. Threemajorrisks:

a. Changinghabitats

b. Sealevelrise

c. Changingseasoncues

2. Belowarewildlifespeciesthatlendthemselveswelltothisactivity:

WildlifeSpecies PotentialimpactsDiamondback

terrapin

Thebiggestthreatissealevelrise,whichcouldcompletelyfloodterrapinhabitat.

Especiallyastheterrapinarepinnedbetweentheoceanandsubstantialcoastal

development,theymayhavenowheretogoifsealevelsrise.Sealevelrisepaired

withmoreseverehurricanesmaybringbiggerstormsurges,whichbesides

destroyinghabitat,couldwashterrapinsfromwheretheyburrowinthemudflats

orwashawayfoodsources.Theymayalsobeaffectedbyrisingtemperatures

becausethesexratiosintheireggclutchesaredeterminedbytemperature.

Eastern

hellbender

Thebiggestthreattothehellbenderisthechangingforesthabitatsofthe

mountains,includinghighertemperaturesandincreasedrainfallintheformof

floodingevents.Higherairtemperaturescanincreasewatertemperatures,which

candecreasetheamountofoxygenavailableforthesegiantsalamanders.Paired

withlossofshadefromthedyinghemlocktrees,warmingwaterisarealconcern.

Floodingeventscanalsowashawayhellbendereggs,makingitmoredifficultfor

themtosuccessfullyreproduce.

American

alligator

Climatechangemaybenefitalligatorpopulationsinseveralways.Alligatorsare

ectothermic(cold-blooded),andwarmertemperaturesallowtheirmetabolismsto

workfaster.Warmerairandwatertemperaturesmayallowalligatorstoconvert

theirfoodtobodymassmorequickly,allowingthemtogrowmorequickly.Also,

alligatorscannotsurviveifwatergetstoocold.Aswatertemperaturesincrease,

45

alligatorsmaybeabletomovefurtherinlandandnorthward.

Northernflying

squirrel

Risingtemperaturesandmorefrequentdroughteventsthreatenthespruce-fir

forestsinNorthCarolina.Thesetypesofforestsexistfarthernorthward,butif

theydisappearfromNorthCarolina,sowilltheNorthernflyingsquirrelwhich

dependsonthemforfoodandraisingtheiryoung.Ifthisdoeshappen,the

squirrelswillonlybeabletofindsuitablehabitatfarthernorth,ifbarrierslikeroads

donotpreventthemfrommoving.

3. Threemajorstrategiesforprotectionfromimpacts:

a. Conservationandrestorationofhabitat

b. AdaptiveManagement

c. Collaboration

4. Forthisquestion,answersmayvarygreatly,andstudentsmaycomeupwithcreativeanswers.Any

andallofthesestrategiescouldapplytotheexamplespeciesabove.Coastalwetlandrestorationmay

beparticularlyimportantfortheterrapin,hemlockrestorationmayhelpoutthehellbender,

monitoringofalligatorscanbuildunderstandingofwheretheymaybeexpanding,andprotectionof

thespruce-firsystemwillconserveNorthernflyingsquirrelhabitatinNorthCarolina.Othermore

creativestrategiesmaybenecessary.Forinstance,wildlifemanagershaveattemptedtohelpflying

squirrelsbeabletomoveacrosshighwaysbyerectingtallpolesthatthesquirrelscanuseaslaunching

platformsforlongglidesneededtocrossroadways.