Assessing climate change impacts on the United States / Alex B. McNeill, editor.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

McNeill, Alex B.

Series:

Climate change and its causes, effects, and prediction series.

Climate change and its causes, effects and prediction

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Climatic changes--Environmental aspects--United States.

Climatic changes.

Climatic changes--United States.

United States--Environmental conditions.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (312 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New York : Nova Science Publishers, 2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Human activities are yielding rising atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, greatly altering the Earth's land cover. This book presents an overview of the current understanding of the impacts of climate change in the U.S., emphasising the wide range of uncertainty about the magnitude and timing of those impacts.

Contents:

Intro

ASSESSING CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON THE UNITED STATES

CONTENTS

PREFACE

Chapter 1 SCIENTIFIC ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECTS OF GLOBAL CHANGE ON THE UNITED STATES

SECTION I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

I.1. Introduction

I.2. Causes of Climate Change

I.3. Trends and Projections of Physical Changes

I.3.a. Temperature

I.3.b. Precipitation, runoff, and drought

I.3.c. Ice and snow

I.3.d. Sea level

I.3.e. Atlantic hurricanes

I.3.f. Abrupt Climate Change

I.3.g. Stratospheric ozone

I.4. Effects of Global Change on the Natural Environment and Human Systems

I.4.a. Biological diversity, ecosystem composition, and the natural environment

I.4.b. Agriculture and food production

I.4.c. Water resources

I.4.d. Social systems and settlements

I.4.e. Human health

I.4.f. Energy production, use, and distribution

I.4.g. Transportation

SECTION II. INTRODUCTION

II.1. Objectives

Sidebar

Scientific Assessment

II.2. Relationship to Other Assessments and Primary Scientific Literature

II.3. Characterization of Uncertainty

II.3.a. Description of confidence

II.3.b. Description of likelihood

II.4. Report Structure

SECTION III: EVALUATION OF OVERALL PROGRESS BY CCSP

III.1. Program Inputs

III.1.a. Surface-based observing networks

III.1.b. Satellite observations

III.1.c. Field campaigns

III.1.d. Data management

III.1.e. Modeling

III.2. Program Outputs

III.2.a. Goal 1: Improve knowledge of the Earth's past and present climate and environment, including its natural variability, and improve understanding of the causes of observed variability and change

III.2.b. Goal 2: Improve quantification of the forces bringing about changes in the Earth's climate and related systems.

III.2.c. Goal 3: Reduce uncertainty in projections of how the Earth's climate and related systems may change in the future

III.2.d. Goal 4: Understand the sensitivity and adaptability of different natural and managed ecosystems and human systems to climate and related global changes

III.2.e. Goal 5: Explore the uses and identify the limits of evolving knowledge to manage risks and opportunities related to climate variability and change

SECTION IV. TRENDS AND PROJECTIONS OF GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE

IV.1. Radiative Forcing and Observed Climate Change

IV.1.a. Radiative forcing due to greenhouse gases and other factors

Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide

Fluorocarbons, chlorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride

Ozone

Water vapor

Aerosols

Land cover changes, linear contrails, and solar irradiance

IV.1.b. Observed temperature changes

Temperature trends

Temperature patterns

Temperature extremes

Surface temperature over the last 2,000 years

IV.1.c. Observed precipitation changes

Precipitation trends and patterns

Precipitation extremes and storms

IV.1.d. Observed changes in other physical systems

Cryosphere (snow and ice)

Hydrosphere

Sea level

IV.2. Attribution of Observed Climate Change to Human Activities at the Global and Continental Scale

IV.2.a. Attribution of observed climate change to anthropogenic emissions and land use / land cover

Temperature

Additional climate variables

IV.2.b. Attribution of observed changes in physical and biological systems

IV.3. Projected Future Greenhouse Gas Concentrations and Climate Change

IV.3.a. Global emission scenarios and associated changes in concentrations and radiative forcing

Greenhouse gas emissions

Future concentration and radiative forcing changes.

IV.3.b. Projected changes in physical components of the climate system

Temperature projections

Precipitation projections

Sea level rise projections

Cryosphere (snow and ice) projections

Projections of extreme events

Abrupt climate change projections

IV.3.c. Land cover change as an environmental driver

IV.3.d. Effects on and from stratospheric ozone

Effects of elevated greenhouse gas concentrations on stratospheric ozone

Effects of stratospheric ozone changes on climate

SECTION V. ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF GLOBAL CHANGE ON THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN SYSTEMS

V.1. Biological Diversity, Ecosystem Composition, and the Natural Environment

V.1.a. Ecosystem distribution and phenology

Ecosystem distribution

Effects on phenology

Growing season length and primary production shifts

Shifts in phenology

Projected impacts

Population and community dynamics

Species-level projections

V.1.b. Ecosystem services

V.1.c. Extreme events

V.1.d. Sea level rise

V.1.e. Vulnerable ecosystems

Coastal and marine ecosystems

Arctic sea ice ecosystem

Temperate montane ecosystems

V.1.f. Adaptation options

V.2. Agriculture and Food Production

V.2.a. Crop yields and productivity

Increasing temperatures

Increasing CO2

V.2.b. Water use and irrigation requirements

V.2.c. Climate variability and extreme events

V.2.d. Pests and weeds

V.2.e. Projections for agriculture production

V.2.f. Livestock

V.2.g. Freshwater and marine fisheries

V.3. Land Resources

V.3.a. Forests

V.3.b. Grasslands and shrublands

V.3.c. Productivity

Forest productivity

Grassland and shrubland productivity

V.3.d. Disturbance

Wildland fires

Insects and pathogens

Storm events

V.3.e. Species composition.

Forest composition

Grassland and shrubland composition

V.4. Water Resources

V.4.a. Water supply and precipitation

Surface water and precipitation

V.4.b. Groundwater

V.4.c. Water quality

V.4.d. Extreme events

V.4.e. Implications for water users

V.5. Social Systems and Settlements

V.5.a. U.S. population trends

V.5.b. Vulnerable communities

V.5.c. Sea level rise

V.5.d. Extreme events

Floods and storms

Wildland fire

Drought

V.6. Human Health

V.6.a. Temperature effects

Increased heat exposure

Reduced cold exposure

V.6.b. Extreme events

Wildfires

Droughts

V.6.c. Climate-sensitive infectious diseases

Water quality

V.6.d. Aeroallergens

V.6.e. Air quality

Tropospheric ozone

Particulate matter

Particulate Emissions

Photochemistry

Transport and Removal

V.7. Energy Production, Use, and Distribution

V.7.a. Energy use

Heating

Cooling

Combined heating and cooling

V.7.b. Energy production and distribution

Fossil and nuclear energy

Renewable energy

Hydropower

Biomass

Wind and Solar

Extreme events

V.8. Transportation

Gulf Coast Case Study

V.8.a. Study region

V.8.b. Transportation infrastructure

V.8.c. Trends in climate and coastal change in the Gulf Coast

V.8.d. Impacts of changing climate on Gulf Coast transportation

V.8.e. Impacts by transportation mode

Roads

Precipitation

Relative Sea Level Rise

Storm Activity

Surge Wave Crests and Effects on Bridges

Surge Inundation

Wind

Freight and passenger rail

Marine

Higher Temperatures

Storm Activity: Water and Wind Damage

Aviation.

Temperature

Pipelines

Precipitation Change

REFERENCES

End Notes

Chapter 2 POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE UNITED STATES

Introduction

THE LINK BETWEEN EMISSIONS AND CLIMATE

POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Effects on the Physical Environment

Cyclones, Typhoons, and Hurricanes

Ocean currents

Climate oscillations

Ocean acidification

Consequences for Biological Systems

Ecosystems and Biodiversity

Agriculture

Forestry

Fisheries

Impacts on the Economy and Human Health

Water Supply

Infrastructure

Human Health

Aggregate Economic Impacts

POLICY IMPLICATIONS OF UNCERTAINTY

INDEX

Blank Page.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-61668-537-9

OCLC:

923662059