Lobster Dinner is in Danger

Global warming may be killing the American lobster. Lobster is by far the most dominant share of the Northeast’s most valuable fishery. However, in the last twenty years, there has been a steady decrease in the amount of big-clawed American lobster. The decrease started in New York, moved to Massachusetts, and has now crept towards Maine. Maine is the main provider of lobster to the country. The scientific consensus on the decreasing number of lobster centers around global warming. It seems that the warming of the waters are killing off the lobster in its southern near-shore range. However, if warmer waters continue Maine may suffer, which could destroy the lobster industry. "We're hoping our cold water will keep it to the south, because so much of our economy is dependent on lobstering," says Pat White, CEO of the Maine Lobstermen's Association and an overseer of the fishery for a joint committee of Northeastern states. "If it hit us, it'd be a disaster." In earlier years, people blamed diseases like the West Nile virus, lobster predators, and infections for the decreasing number of lobsters. Now, all signs lead to global warming. The more southern a state, the more its catch has dwindled. Between 1999 and 2002, New York’s lobster take collapsed by 75 percent, Connecticut by 59 percent, Rhode Island by 53 percent, Massachusetts by 14 percent, and New Hampshire by 3 percent. Scientists think that the warm water may be weakening these cold-blooded lobsters immune systems making them more prone to infections and pollutants. Either way, the waters are warming and the lobster are dying. Like salmon, we may lose another delicious source of food in lobster from the GHGs we are putting into the atmosphere. 

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/08/23/tech/main637867.shtml

Christmas Tree Will Suffer From Warmer Climate

The Christmas tree we all know and love may be in trouble of becoming extinct. The Pine Bark Beetle, which feeds on and kills pine trees, used to be held in control by cold winter temperatures. Now the species is thriving and killing off entire forests in British Columbia, unchecked. The beetle thrives in a warmer climate and without the colder temperatures to control the population; the beetle is free to destroy the pine trees. However, pine trees all over the country will suffer from a warmer climate. According to Dr. Bill Schlesinger of Duke University, if we do nothing to slow the emissions of global warming pollutants that come primarily from energy use in vehicles, businesses and homes, the average temperature in North Carolina is expected to increase by about four degrees Fahrenheit in this century. This is an addition to the one-degree it warmed in the past century. North Carolina provides many types of Christmas trees such as different firs and spruces. Although there are lots of different of trees to buy for one’s Christmas tree, the Fraser firs are the original “Christmas Trees.” Unfortunately the Fraser firs prefer to grow in cool and moist mountainous areas. A significant warming climate may not make it possible for Fraser firs to grow. The Christmas tree industry may be limited to the higher peaks with cooler temperatures for growing the trees. Warmer climates mean less area to grow these trees. All kinds of Christmas trees require cool weather, and a warming climate is not a good thing for these trees. 

http://www.sustainer.org/?page_id=738

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/connelly/article/Deniers-of-global-warming-harm-us-1243264.php

Climate Change and French Wine?

French wine may very well become a thing of the past because of climate change. Scientists believe that man-made greenhouse gases warming the planet are expected to shift viticulture regions towards higher elevations, cooler coastal zones, and towards the poles. It seems that Bordeaux is on track to have a climate similar to France’s southern Languedoc region. According to Bernard Seguin, a climatologist with the French National Agronomy Institute, the projected climate changes threaten the very definition of wine in France. Essentially, each one-degree increase in temperature in France is equivalent to moving 200 kilometers. With current the current climate warming trends, the north coast of France will be experiencing weather that today is common for the south of France by the end of the century. Up till now, global warming has been great for French wine, as rising temperatures have produced wines with higher sugars and alcohol levels and lower acids that are very popular. However, Michel Chapoutier, a famous Hermitage producer in the northern Rhone believes his wines' increased popularity has come at a price. “I’m nervous about the future," Chapoutier says. "Yes, we have more and more good vintages now, but we have to choose between vegetal wines or ones that taste like jam." With climate change leading to changing environments, French wine is most likely headed for an unpredictable future. French wine production is a climatically sensitive endeavor. For ideal quality each variety is grown in specific regions within narrow climatic variability. The reality is that the average temperature is starting to increase and harvesting season is occurring much earlier than normal. With current GHG emission levels, we are on the path to an increase in temperatures of four to six degrees Celsius between now and 2100. A dramatic scenario such as this would lead to a large displacement of vines. French wine requires a specific environment/territory and a specific climate. Relocation of vineyards to more suitable climates will change the wine. A continued warming climate trend will change French wine forever.

http://www.azcentral.com/style/hfe/drinks/articles/2007/03/02/20070302wineclimate0302.html

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/features/french-wine-climate040909/

Climate Change Attracts More Mosquitoes

Climate change may be bringing inviting to the survival of more mosquitoes, as well as more mosquitoes carrying various diseases. The long dry spells, which are brought on by higher temperatures are the perfect environment. This environment with higher temperatures is good for mosquitoes, as they also reduce the populations of dragonflies, lacewings, and frogs that eat the mosquitoes. With a great environment for mosquitoes, more can survive and can more likely carry the West Nile virus, the dengue fever, and many more diseases. Global warming, with an accompanying rise in floods and droughts, is fueling the spread of epidemics around the world. Mosquitoes are surviving warmer winters and expanding their range, also bringing health threats with them. The Asian tiger mosquitoes are just one example of specie of mosquitoes that is thriving in a warmer climate world. The Asian tiger mosquitoes carry dengue fever, and have been reported recently as far north as the Netherlands. The higher elevations of Africa, the Alps in Europe, and the Andes in South America are warming at a faster pace than the lowlands. As ice caps and glaciers melt, forests move higher on the mountains. Therefore, insects carry diseases from warmer lowlands farther up the slopes. The warming climate has now brought the West Nile virus to North America. "One of the problems we have in North America is coming to grips with the fact that epidemics are still a problem," said Elliott, the lawyer. "Canadians, prior to West Nile virus, just considered mosquitoes to be annoying. We had never thought of mosquitoes as being disease carriers,” said Toronto lawyer Douglas Elliot. Elliot brought a suit against the Ontario government on behalf of about 40 victims of the West Nile virus. Scientists have warned us that diseases would come along with climate change, but no one expected it at this extreme of a level. For example, in just a couple of years the West Nile virus has infected more than 21,000 people in the United States. "Things we projected to occur in 2080 are happening in 2006. What we didn't get is how fast and how big it is, and the degree to which the biological systems would respond," said Paul Epstein of Harvard Medical School. "Our mistake was in underestimation." The change in climate is attracting more mosquitoes, as it is more suitable for them to live. Unfortunately, it seems that more mosquitoes means more diseases. Not only is this a danger hazard, but also this could have a detrimental impact on certain recreational/outdoor industries.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/04/AR2006050401931.html

More Carbon Dioxide=More Poison Ivy

People may need to start being more careful when on a hiking trip or jogging through the woods. Rapidly rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are driving poison ivy and patches of dandelion to grow taller, more resilient, and lusher according to two new studies. A study published by the Weed Science journal showed that carbon dioxide directly feed poison ivy. Poison ivy growing in lab chambers set to present carbon dioxide conditions swelled to twice the size of samples grown under conditions from the 1950s. Unrelated to the poison ivy experiment, dandelions in carbon dioxide conditions elevated to projected 2100 levels produced 32% more seed-carrying fruit and longer white pappus hairs. “These papers ... suggest many weedy species are going to respond strongly to elevated carbon dioxide," said Jeff Dukes, an ecologist at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Carbon dioxide levels have been on the rise since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution more than 200 years ago. Various studies of the effects of carbon dioxide on certain weeds have been conducted. At Duke University, a study of poison ivy found that the plants grew faster and larger and produced skin (irritant urushiol) when an additional 200 parts per million of carbon dioxide was piped into a forest near Duke’s campus. Plants are extremely sensitive to carbon dioxide because they use it for food, as they convert it into carbs, lipids, and other compounds during photosynthesis. Lewis Ziska, a U.S. Department of Agriculture weed ecologist led a similar and more refined experiment to the Duke experiment. Putting the ivy in individual chambers with different amounts of carbon dioxide penetrating the weeds, he found similar results to all other experiments. The ivy increased in mass with more carbon dioxide. As carbon dioxide concentrations increase in the atmosphere, it seems that poison ivy will increase in size and as well in numbers. As we continue to put carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and heat up the world, we might want to remember just want may happen in affect. I guess for the time being it is just important to watch out where you step.

http://articles.latimes.com/2007/jul/18/science/sci-poisonivy18

Warmer Water Means Trouble for Penguins

Like the danger the glaciers and the artic fish are facing, penguins are in some serious danger as well. Global warming seems to be behind this trend of this warming climate throughout the world. Les Underhill directs the Avian Demography Unit at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, and he thinks that global climate change may be responsible for declining penguin populations on South Africa’s Prince Edward Islands. The warmer waters are making the journey of penguins getting food for their chicks longer for the penguins, therefore endangering future healthy penguins. Half to three-quarters of major Antarctic penguin colonies face decline or disappearance if global temperatures are allowed to climb by more than 2 degrees Celsius. “Penguins are very well adapted to living in the cold and extreme conditions of Antarctica, so the continued increase in global temperature and resulting loss of feeding areas and nesting zones for their chicks has already led to notable reductions in their populations. “ If temperatures increase by another two degrees these icons of the Antarctic will be seriously threatened,” said WWF Antarctica Climate Change Coordinator Juan Casavelos. Recent climate models are forecasting temperatures to likely rise above the 2 degree Celsius increase. Unfortunately, this seemingly small global temperature increase is regarded as a level for unacceptable risks of dangerous climate change. In order for penguins to be saved at all, their environment must be save. The only way to significantly reduce the risks of climate change in Antarctica and the rest of the world is to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “The predicted threat to Emperor and Adélie penguin populations is a clear incentive for the world to agree on a set of measures to reduce global emission. It is imperative that the international community analyses all possible ways to limit climate change and improve the resilience of the penguin population,” said Casavelos. Change must come or danger of not seeing penguins in their natural habitat may become a reality

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/09/0913_040913_penguins.html

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081012105113.htm

Surge of Jellyfish

Jellyfish have stung people ever since beaches have become fun destinations. However, recent reports from the Mediterranean show that the chances of encountering a jellyfish are becoming much higher. Francesc Peters of the Institute of Marine Science in Barcelona says that coastal waters were warmer than usual with the hot weather, and that the water was saltier than usual because of low river flows. In affect, the offshore waters, which jellyfish usually inhabit, were being washed closer to the coast. The cause of the these conditions causing jellyfish to be more of a threat towards people points most likely towards global warming. "Probably because of overfishing, populations of jellyfish offshore will increase and then these special environmental conditions... higher temperatures and higher salinity near the coast, may bring these swarms of jellyfish close to the beach," Peters said. Like the Mediterranean, beaches off the coast of Florida are seeing a surge of jellyfish on the beaches. Just this past summer, almost 2,000 beach-goers were stung as they celebrated the fourth of July on the beaches of Volusia County, Florida. As well, as the warming climate is heating the oceans, scientists say the number of jellyfish is on the rise thanks to the increasing acidity of the world’s oceans. Ocean acidification is a side effect of burning fossil fuels. Studies show that higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can make the oceans more acidic. Unlike many other creatures, Jellyfish are immune to the effects of acidification. Other species decline, while jellyfish move in to fill the ecological niche. Like increase in temperature, this has also seemed to trigger an explosion in jellyfish populations. “Ocean acidification has also been tentatively linked to increased jellyfish numbers and changes in fish abundance.” If similar trends continue, jellyfish may very well affect the beach and ocean industry in certain parts of the world. 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2011782/Jellyfish-numbers-surge-climate-change.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5256652.stm