Climate-related Stressors Research Articles

Internal migration in the upper mekong delta, viet nam: what is the role of climate related stressors?

The present paper reports on a case study that investigated under what circumstances households use migration to cope with climate variability and food insecurity. Fieldwork was conducted in three communities in Dong Thap Province in the Upper Mekong Delta in Viet Nam. Methods used included a household survey (N=150), participatory research tools and key informant interviews. Ninety per cent of the survey respondents reported that climate-related stressors, such as floods, storms and changes in rainfall patterns, had adversely affected their livelihoods. Those effects, however, were more often qualified as being “moderate” rather than being “severe”, and for the survey population as a whole, no evidence was found that climatic stressors were principal drivers of migration from the area. The Upper Mekong Delta in Viet Nam is undergoing rapid economic development, with increasing migration mostly being driven by demand for labour in industrial centres. However, an analysis differentiated by income groups reveals that poorer households with little or no land are much more likely to be severely affected by climatic stressors than non-poor households. Their ability to cope and adapt locally is limited, and migration, which in most cases tends to be internal, is a common alternative. The present paper shows the importance of disaggregating climate impacts and migration causes for different socioeconomic groups.

Integrating climate-related stressor effects on marine organisms: unifying principles linking molecule to ecosystem-level changes

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 470:273-290 (2012) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps10123 Integrating climate-related stressor effects on marine organisms: unifying principles linking molecule to ecosystem-level changes Hans-O. Pörtner* Integrative Ecophysiology, Alfred-Wegener-Institute, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany *Email: hans.poertner@awi.de ABSTRACT: Climate change effects on marine ecosystems involve various stressors, predominantly temperature, hypoxia and CO2, all of which may combine with further anthropogenic stressors such as pollutants. All life forms respond to these drivers, following potentially common principles, which are insufficiently understood. Specific understanding may be most advanced in animals where the concept of ‘oxygen and capacity dependent thermal tolerance’ (OCLTT) is an integrator of various effects, linking molecular to ecosystem levels of biological organisation. Recent studies confirm OCLTT involvement in the field, causing changes in species abundance, biogeographical ranges, phenology and species predominance. At the whole-animal level, performance capacity set by aerobic scope and energy budget, building on baseline energy turnover, links fitness (within a thermal window) and functioning at the ecosystem level. In variable environments like the intertidal zone, animals also exploit their capacity for passive tolerance. While presently the temperature signal appears predominant in the field, effects may well involve other stressors, acting synergistically by narrowing the aerobic OCLTT window. Recent findings support the OCLTT concept as a common physiological basis linking apparently disjunct effects of ocean warming, acidification and hypoxia in a so-called climate syndrome. In brief, warming-induced CO2 accumulation in body fluids links to the effects of ocean acidification mediated by the weak acid distribution of CO2. Temperature-induced hypoxemia links to the hypoxia sensitivity of thermal tolerance. Future work will need to develop proxies for the temperature-dependent effects of climate-related stressors and also identify the principles operative in organisms other than animals and their underlying mechanisms. Mechanism-based modelling efforts are then needed to develop reliable organism to ecosystem projections of future change. KEY WORDS: Ocean warming · Hypoxia · Acidification · Climate change · Ecosystem change · Aerobic scope · Energy budget · Mechanism-based projections Full text in pdf format PreviousCite this article as: Pörtner HO (2012) Integrating climate-related stressor effects on marine organisms: unifying principles linking molecule to ecosystem-level changes. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 470:273-290. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps10123 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 470. Online publication date: December 06, 2012 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2012 Inter-Research.

Diversity and distribution of cyanobacterial toxins in the Italian subalpine lacustrine district

Abstract Nine lakes (Garda, Maggiore, Como, Iseo, Lugano, Idro, Pusiano, Ledro, and Levico) located in the Italian subalpine lacustrine district were chosen for a comparative study of the diversity and distribution of cyanobacterial toxins. All nine lakes are known to host different toxic cyanobacteria, mainly Planktothrix rubescens. An analytical protocol has been used, based on LC-MS technique, for determining 20 different toxins (14 microcystins, 2 nodularins, anatoxin-a and 3 cylindrospermopsins). In the investigation, microcystins were found in all lakes on all sampling dates. Anatoxin-a could be detected in 6 lakes, but it was only present in 4 lakes on all sampling dates (lakes Garda, Iseo, Como, and Maggiore). Nodularins and cylindrospermopsins were not detected at all. The number of microcystins detected in the survey was 9, but 4 were the most abundant (dmRR, YR, dmLR, and LR); they were differently distributed among the lakes, thus providing each lake a unique toxic potential. Statistical analysis showed positive correlations between total microcystin concentrations and eutrophication indicators and also between anatoxin-a concentrations and water temperature, suggesting that anthropic and climate-related stressors can have different impacts on the presence of different cyanotoxins.

Building community resilience to climate change through public health planning

Nillumbik Shire Council, in partnership with La Trobe University, used the Municipal Public Health Planning process to develop an approach for building the resilience of local communities to climate-related stressors. The objective was to define an approach for building community resilience to climate change and to integrate this approach with the 'Environments for Health' framework. Key published papers and reports by leading experts the field were reviewed. Literature was selected based on its relevance to the subjects of community resilience and climate change and was derived from local and international publications, the vast majority published within the past two decades. Review of literature on community resilience revealed that four principal resource sets contribute to the capacity of communities to adapt in times of stress, these being: economic development; social capital; information and communication; and community competence. On the strength of findings, a framework for building each resilience resource set within each of the Environments for Health was constructed. This paper introduces the newly constructed 'Community Resilience Framework', which describes how each one of the four resilience resource sets can be developed within social, built, natural and economic environments. The Community Resilience Framework defines an approach for simultaneously creating supportive environments for health and increasing community capacity for adaptation to climate-related stressors. As such, it can be used by Municipal Public Health Planners as a guide in building community resilience to climate change.

Assessing the Cumulative Climate-related Health Risks in the Eastern United States

PP-30-072 Background/Aims: Climate change is likely to impose sizeable future health costs even in highly developed countries, such as the United States, caused by various adverse outcomes including elevated air pollution level. Previous research has focused on the health impact of individual stressors without considering their interactions and confounding factors. Yet a comprehensive approach is needed because environmental and public health authorities and affected communities must address a range of climate-sensitive health outcomes and their causative exposures in developing adaptation and mitigation programs. Methods: We will model health risks associated with 3 groups of climate-related stressors: heat waves, air pollution, and Lyme disease. We will couple the Community Climate System Model and WRF/CMAQ system to generate exposure estimates under current condition and in the 2050s under various IPCC greenhouse gas emission scenarios. Results: We will rely on epidemiological evidence to quantify the conresponse relations of each stressor on the general population and various susceptible subpopulations while controlling for the confounding or effect modification from other stressors. We will apply advanced NASA satellite data to verify simulated current exposures, and analyze the impact of each analytical step to the overall uncertainty in risk estimates. Conclusion: Our analysis will serve as a model cumulative risk assessment characterizing the combined risks of 3 important climate-related stressors with complex interactions in geographic and demographic space. We will develop spatial representations of both hazard overlap and risk overlap. The spatial distribution of vulnerable populations will be examined with an emphasis on identifying potential response locations using geophysical, climatological, and demographic characteristics. Through current collaborations of our team members with local governments, we will not only advance climate-health science, but also develop relevant tools to guide policy decisions regarding the response and preparedness to climate change.