Author: engeladmin

Author: Kondolf, G.M.; Schmitt, R.J.P.; Carling, P.; Darby, S.; Arias, M.; Bizzi, S.; Castelletti, A.; Cochrane, T.A.; Gibson, S.; Kummu, M.; Oeurng, C.; Rubin, Z.; Wild, T. Description: Two decades after the construction of the first major dam, the Mekong basin and its six riparian countries have seen rapid economic growth and development of the river system. Hydropower dams, aggregate mines, flood-control dykes, and groundwater-irrigated agriculture have all provided short-term economic benefits throughout the basin. However, it is becoming evident that anthropic changes are significantly affecting the natural functioning of…

Author: Kim, H.; Ha, J.-S.; Park, J. Description: The authors conducted a time-series analysis to estimate the acute effects of high temperature in 6 cities in Korea and to compare thresholds of temperature on daily mortality among the cities. They examined the association between total mortality and the daily mean temperature and heat index during the summers in Korea from 1994 to 2003. The threshold temperature was estimated to be between 27.0 degrees C and 29.7 degrees C for 4 cities. For a daily mean temperature increase of 1 degrees…

Author: Kanchebe Derbile, E. Description: Purpose — The purpose of this paper is to analyze how farmers are reducing vulnerability of rain-fed agriculture to drought through indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) in the Atankwidi basin, north-eastern Ghana. Design/methodology/approach: This paper draws on combined qualitative and quantitative research methods and data. First, the paper draws on qualitative data generated from in-depth interviews and focus group discussions from purposively sampled farmers in the Atankwidi basin. It also draws on a survey conducted on 131 systematically and randomly sampled households in three communities of…

Author: Jones, L.; Boyd, E. Description: As the challenges and opportunities posed by climate change become increasingly apparent, the need for facilitating successful adaptation and enhancing adaptive capacity within the context of sustainable development is clear. With adaptation high on the agenda, the notion of limits and barriers to adaptation has recently received much attention within both academic and policy-making spheres. While emerging literature has been quick to depict limits and barriers in terms of natural, financial, or technologic processes, there is a clear shortfall in acknowledging social barriers to…

Author: Jones, G.V.; Alves, F. Description: This paper examines the nature of climate change, viticulture and wine at the global scale and details changes and projections in the historic Douro wine region of Portugal. Overall, the observed warming over the last fifty years in wine regions worldwide has benefited some by creating more suitable conditions, while others have been challenged by increased heat and water stress. The projected future warming at the global, continent and wine region scales will likely continue to have both beneficial and detrimental impacts by opening…

Author: Joireman, J.; Barnes Truelove, H.; Duell, B. Description: It is generally acknowledged that global warming is occurring, yet estimates of future climate change vary widely. Given this uncertainty, when asked about climate change, it is likely that people’s judgments may be affected by heuristics and accessible schemas. Three studies evaluated this proposition. Study 1 revealed a significant positive correlation between the outdoor temperature and beliefs in global warming. Study 2 showed that people were more likely to believe in global warming when they had first been primed with heat-related…

Author: Hoang Tri, N.; Adger, W.; Kelly, P. Description: The risk that tropical storm occurrence may alter as a result of global warming presents coastal managers, particularly in vulnerable areas, with a serious challenge. Many countries are hard-pressed to protect their coastal resources against present-day hazards, let alone any increased threat in the future. Moreover, the threat posed by climate change is uncertain making the increased costs of protection difficult to justify. Here, we examine one management strategy, based on the rehabilitation of the mangrove ecosystem, which may provide a…

Author: Hawkes, L.A.; Broderick, A.C.; Godfrey, M.H.; Godley, B.J. Description: Recent increases in global temperatures have affected the phenology and survival of many species of plants and animals. We investigated a case study of the effects of potential climate change on a thermally sensitive species, the loggerhead sea turtle, at a breeding location at the northerly extent of the range of regular nesting in the United States. In addition to the physical limits imposed by temperature on this ectothermic species, sea turtle primary sex ratio is determined by the temperature…

Author: Gilman, S.E.; Urban, M.C.; Tewksbury, J.; Gilchrist, G.W.; Holt, R.D. Description: Predicting the impacts of climate change on species is one of the biggest challenges that ecologists face. Predictions routinely focus on the direct effects of climate change on individual species, yet interactions between species can strongly influence how climate change affects organisms at every scale by altering their individual fitness, geographic ranges and the structure and dynamics of their community. Failure to incorporate these interactions limits the ability to predict responses of species to climate change. We propose…