Climatic and Ecological Change in the Americas

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Author :
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1000924386
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (9 download)

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Book Synopsis Climatic and Ecological Change in the Americas by : James Andrew Whitaker

Download or read book Climatic and Ecological Change in the Americas written by James Andrew Whitaker and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-08-17 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers a comparative analysis of the experiences, responses, and adaptations of people to climate variability and environmental change across the Americas. It foregrounds historical ecology as a structural framework for understanding the climate change crisis throughout the region and throughout time. In recent years, Indigenous and local populations in particular have experienced climate change effects such as altered weather patterns, seasonal irregularities, flooding and drought, and difficulties relating to subsistence practices. Understanding and dealing with these challenges has drawn on peoples’ longstanding experience with climate variability and in some cases includes models of mitigation and responses that are millennia old. With contributions from specialists across the Americas, this volume will be of interest to scholars from fields including anthropology, archaeology, geography, environmental studies, and Indigenous studies.

Cultural Dynamics of Climate Change and the Environment in Northern America

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Author :
Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 9004300716
Total Pages : 448 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (43 download)

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Book Synopsis Cultural Dynamics of Climate Change and the Environment in Northern America by :

Download or read book Cultural Dynamics of Climate Change and the Environment in Northern America written by and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2015-07-28 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Global warming interacts in multiple ways with ecological and social systems in Northern America. While the US and Canada belong to the world’s largest per capita emitters of greenhouse gases, the Arctic north of the continent as well as the Deep South are already affected by a changing climate. In Cultural Dynamics of Climate Change and the Environment in Northern America academics from various fields such as anthropology, art history, educational studies, cultural studies, environmental science, history, political science, and sociology explore society–nature interactions in – culturally as well as ecologically – one of the most diverse regions of the world. Contributors include: Omer Aijazi, Roland Benedikter, Maxwell T. Boykoff, Eugene Cordero, Martin David, Demetrius Eudell, Michael K. Goodman, Frederic Hanusch, Naotaka Hayashi, Jürgen Heinrichs, Grit Martinez, Antonia Mehnert, Angela G. Mertig, Michael J. Paolisso, Eleonora Rohland, Karin Schürmann, Bernd Sommer, Kenneth M. Sylvester, Anne Marie Todd, Richard Tucker, and Sam White.

Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change in Latin America and the Caribbean

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Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 9780821383810
Total Pages : 200 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (838 download)

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Book Synopsis Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change in Latin America and the Caribbean by : Jakob Kronik

Download or read book Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change in Latin America and the Caribbean written by Jakob Kronik and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2010-06-25 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book addresses the social implications of climate change and climatic variability on indigenous peoples and communities living in the highlands, lowlands, and coastal areas of Latin America and the Caribbean. Across the region, indigenous people already perceive and experience negative effects of climate change and variability. Many indigenous communities find it difficult to adapt in a culturally sustainable manner. In fact, indigenous peoples often blame themselves for the changes they observe in nature, despite their limited emission of green house gasses. Not only is the viability of their livelihoods threatened, resulting in food insecurity and poor health, but also their cultural integrity is being challenged, eroding the confidence in solutions provided by traditional institutions and authorities. The book is based on field research among indigenous communities in three major eco-geographical regions: the Amazon; the Andes and Sub-Andes; and the Caribbean and Mesoamerica. It finds major inter-regional differences in the impacts observed between areas prone to rapid- and slow-onset natural hazards. In Mesoamerican and the Caribbean, increasingly severe storms and hurricanes damage infrastructure and property, and even cause loss of land, reducing access to livelihood resources. In the Columbian Amazon, changes in precipitation and seasonality have direct immediate effects on livelihoods and health, as crops often fail and the reproduction of fish stock is threatened by changes in the river ebb and flow. In the Andean region, water scarcity for crops and livestock, erosion of ecosystems and changes in biodiversity threatens food security, both within indigenous villages and among populations who depend on indigenous agriculture, causing widespread migration to already crowded urban areas. The study aims to increase understanding on the complexity of how indigenous communities are impacted by climate change and the options for improving their resilience and adaptability to these phenomena. The goal is to improve indigenous peoples rights and opportunities in climate change adaptation, and guide efforts to design effective and sustainable adaptation initiatives.

Down to Earth

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0198032102
Total Pages : 362 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (98 download)

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Book Synopsis Down to Earth by : Ted Steinberg

Download or read book Down to Earth written by Ted Steinberg and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2002-05-09 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this ambitious and provocative text, environmental historian Ted Steinberg offers a sweeping history of our nation--a history that, for the first time, places the environment at the very center of our story. Written with exceptional clarity, Down to Earth re-envisions the story of America "from the ground up." It reveals how focusing on plants, animals, climate, and other ecological factors can radically change the way that we think about the past. Examining such familiar topics as colonization, the industrial revolution, slavery, the Civil War, and the emergence of modern-day consumer culture, Steinberg recounts how the natural world influenced the course of human history. From the colonists' attempts to impose order on the land to modern efforts to sell the wilderness as a consumer good, the author reminds readers that many critical episodes in our history were, in fact, environmental events. He highlights the ways in which we have attempted to reshape and control nature, from Thomas Jefferson's surveying plan, which divided the national landscape into a grid, to the transformation of animals, crops, and even water into commodities. The text is ideal for courses in environmental history, environmental studies, urban studies, economic history, and American history. Passionately argued and thought-provoking, Down to Earth retells our nation's history with nature in the foreground--a perspective that will challenge our view of everything from Jamestown to Disney World.

Fire and Climatic Change in Temperate Ecosystems of the Western Americas

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Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 038721710X
Total Pages : 446 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (872 download)

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Book Synopsis Fire and Climatic Change in Temperate Ecosystems of the Western Americas by : Thomas T. Veblen

Download or read book Fire and Climatic Change in Temperate Ecosystems of the Western Americas written by Thomas T. Veblen and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2006-05-10 with total page 446 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Both fire and climatic variability have monumental impacts on the dynamics of temperate ecosystems. These impacts can sometimes be extreme or devastating as seen in recent El Nino/La Nina cycles and in uncontrolled fire occurrences. This volume brings together research conducted in western North and South America, areas of a great deal of collaborative work on the influence of people and climate change on fire regimes. In order to give perspective to patterns of change over time, it emphasizes the integration of paleoecological studies with studies of modern ecosystems. Data from a range of spatial scales, from individual plants to communities and ecosystems to landscape and regional levels, are included. Contributions come from fire ecology, paleoecology, biogeography, paleoclimatology, landscape and ecosystem ecology, ecological modeling, forest management, plant community ecology and plant morphology. The book gives a synthetic overview of methods, data and simulation models for evaluating fire regime processes in forests, shrublands and woodlands and assembles case studies of fire, climate and land use histories. The unique approach of this book gives researchers the benefits of a north-south comparison as well as the integration of paleoecological histories, current ecosystem dynamics and modeling of future changes.

Changing Climate, Changing Worlds

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Author :
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3030373126
Total Pages : 273 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (33 download)

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Book Synopsis Changing Climate, Changing Worlds by : Meredith Welch-Devine

Download or read book Changing Climate, Changing Worlds written by Meredith Welch-Devine and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-04-07 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores how individuals and communities perceive and understand climate change using their observations of change in the world around them. Because processes of climatic change operate at spatial and temporal scales that differ from those of everyday practice, the phenomenon can be difficult to understand. However, flora and fauna, which are important natural and cultural resources for human communities, do respond to the pressures of environmental change. Humans, in turn, observe and adapt to those responses, even when they may not understand their causes. Much of the discussion about human experiences of our changing climate centers on disasters and extreme events, but we argue that a focus on the everyday, on the microexperiences of change, has the advantage of revealing how people see, feel, and make sense of climate change in their own lives. The chapters of this book are drawn from Asia, Europe, Africa, and South and North America. They use ethnographic inquiry to understand local knowledge and perceptions of climate change and the social and ecological changes inextricably intertwined with it. Together, they illustrate the complex process of coming to know climate change, show some of the many ways that climate change and our responses to it inflict violence, and point to promising avenues for moving toward just and authentic collaborative responses.

America's Climate Choices

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Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309145856
Total Pages : 134 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis America's Climate Choices by : National Research Council

Download or read book America's Climate Choices written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2011-06-11 with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate change is occurring. It is very likely caused by the emission of greenhouse gases from human activities, and poses significant risks for a range of human and natural systems. And these emissions continue to increase, which will result in further change and greater risks. America's Climate Choices makes the case that the environmental, economic, and humanitarian risks posed by climate change indicate a pressing need for substantial action now to limit the magnitude of climate change and to prepare for adapting to its impacts. Although there is some uncertainty about future risk, acting now will reduce the risks posed by climate change and the pressure to make larger, more rapid, and potentially more expensive reductions later. Most actions taken to reduce vulnerability to climate change impacts are common sense investments that will offer protection against natural climate variations and extreme events. In addition, crucial investment decisions made now about equipment and infrastructure can "lock in" commitments to greenhouse gas emissions for decades to come. Finally, while it may be possible to scale back or reverse many responses to climate change, it is difficult or impossible to "undo" climate change, once manifested. Current efforts of local, state, and private-sector actors are important, but not likely to yield progress comparable to what could be achieved with the addition of strong federal policies that establish coherent national goals and incentives, and that promote strong U.S. engagement in international-level response efforts. The inherent complexities and uncertainties of climate change are best met by applying an iterative risk management framework and making efforts to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions; prepare for adapting to impacts; invest in scientific research, technology development, and information systems; and facilitate engagement between scientific and technical experts and the many types of stakeholders making America's climate choices.

American Exodus

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Author :
Publisher : New Society Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1550925482
Total Pages : 291 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (59 download)

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Book Synopsis American Exodus by : Giles Slade

Download or read book American Exodus written by Giles Slade and published by New Society Publishers. This book was released on 2013-11-01 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Some scientists predict the sea will rise 1.5 meters before 2100, but rapidly melting polar ice caps could make the real amount much higher. In the coming century, intensifying storms will batter our coasts, and droughts and heat events will be annual threats. All this will occur as population grows, and declining water resources desiccate agriculture. What will happen when the United States cannot provide food or fresh water for the overheated, overcrowded cities where 80% of Americans currently live? The good news is that this overall decline of habitability in the mid-latitudes will be matched by increases in the carrying capacity of sparsely populated lands above the 49th parallel. This phenomenon suggests that waves of environmental refugees will travel poleward as southern conditions worsen. Our northern lands are our Noah's ark - a vital refuge against the moment of mankind's greatest need. In this compelling cautionary tale, Slade argues that we are entering a long period of global desperation which will be characterized by human migration on an unprecedented scale. American Exodus is a frighteningly believable survey of our immediate future, but it ends on a note of hope: we may yet survive the coming century of climatic change if we act now to safeguard our shelter of last resort.

Climate and Water

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Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 9401512507
Total Pages : 402 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (15 download)

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Book Synopsis Climate and Water by : Henry F. Diaz

Download or read book Climate and Water written by Henry F. Diaz and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate and Water: Transboundary Challenges in the Americas explores some of the ways that climate, hydrology, and water resource management converge at the borders between jurisdictions and countries in the western Hemisphere. This book is unique in focusing on case studies of climate-hydrology-water resource management in diverse contexts in South, Central, and North America. This book is singular in highlighting important problems arising from the very existence of boundaries drawn and defined by society. Addressing such problems takes on increasing urgency as the world becomes ever more inter connected and interdependent. Target groups for this book include water resource managers and decision makers at levels from the international to the local; scientists involved in interdisciplinary studies of basic and applied climatology, hydrology, and environmental studies; and readers specializing in institutional analyses, including transboundary water law, policy analysis, and risk assessment. This book is also a useful text for college classes addressing natural resources management in general, and the transfer of scientific knowledge to society.

Global Warming and the American Economy

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Author :
Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 232 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (321 download)

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Book Synopsis Global Warming and the American Economy by : Robert Mendelsohn

Download or read book Global Warming and the American Economy written by Robert Mendelsohn and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2001 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The impact of climate change on the United States is explored in this collection. The hypothesis of the study is that warming would be beneficial to the economies of the colder regions but harmful to the economies of the warmer more southern regions.

Latin America in Times of Global Environmental Change

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Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 9783030242565
Total Pages : 181 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (425 download)

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Book Synopsis Latin America in Times of Global Environmental Change by : Cristian Lorenzo

Download or read book Latin America in Times of Global Environmental Change written by Cristian Lorenzo and published by Springer. This book was released on 2020-08-15 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume discusses the challenges of Latin America in global environmental geopolitics. Written by leading experts, this book brings together Latin American research on global environmental change. They cover a range of topics such as climate change, water, forest and biodiversity conservation connected with science policies, public opinion, priorities of international funds, and international politics of Latin American countries. The book describes the discrepancy between the international priorities and the regional needs or country interests. It includes several case studies and analyses the cooperation in multilateral negotiations on climate change. It also offers a synthesis of debates around global environmental changes and Latin American politics, which the authors have previously promoted in different academic events in South America, including in Santiago de Chile in Chile, and Buenos Aires and Ushuaia in Argentina. This book assesses the environmental problems from different perspectives, highlights the scientific development in the environmental changes affecting Latin America and offers a new view on geopolitics to help face those issues. Specialist readers in international relations, political sciences, environmental sciences, geography and geopolitics will appreciate this up-to-date examination of Latin America and the global environmental change.

Adaptation and Resilience

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1136521925
Total Pages : 290 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (365 download)

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Book Synopsis Adaptation and Resilience by : Bonnie G. Colby

Download or read book Adaptation and Resilience written by Bonnie G. Colby and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-06-25 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In America's arid southwest, climate change will occur in the context of already-keen competition for water for agriculture, urban growth, electricity generation, water-based recreation, and environmental protections. This book explores the challenges that climate change and variability pose for water and energy managers and users, communities, and policy makers in the arid Southwest and demonstrates the application of economic methods to address these challenges. It provides valuable tools for both those interested in resource management and climate change, and those seeking to understand how economic methods can be used to analyze contemporary social problems and craft appropriate responses. The book considers both adaptation to long-term climate change and more immediate issues of water and electricity management in the face of inter-annual climate variability and drought. Thus, no matter what one's perspective on long-run climate change projections, the book provides useful lessons for some of the region's most pressing resource management problems.

Climate Change Impacts on Tropical Forests in Central America

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317961501
Total Pages : 220 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (179 download)

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Book Synopsis Climate Change Impacts on Tropical Forests in Central America by : Aline Chiabai

Download or read book Climate Change Impacts on Tropical Forests in Central America written by Aline Chiabai and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-09-25 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The loss of biodiversity is a major environmental problem in nearly every terrestrial ecosystem on Earth. This loss is accelerating driven by climate change, as well as by other causes including agricultural exploitation, fragmentation and degradation triggered by land use changes. The crucial issue under debate is the impact on the welfare of current and future population, and the role of humans in the exploitation of natural resources. This is of particular importance in Central America, which it is amongst the richest and most threatened biodiversity regions on the Earth, and where the loss of ecosystems strongly affects its socio-economic vulnerability. This book addresses the impacts of climate and land-use change on tropical forest ecosystems in this important region, and assesses the expected economic costs if no policy action is taken, under different future scenarios and for different geographical scales. This innovative collection utilises both theoretical approaches and empirical results to provide a conceptual framework for an integrated analysis of climate and land-use change impacts on forest ecosystems and related economic effects, offering insight into the complex relationship between ecosystems and benefits to humans. This important contribution to forest ecosystems and climate change provides invaluable reading for students and scholars in the fields of environmental and ecological economics, environmental science and forestry, natural resource management, agriculture and climate change.

Historical Climate Variability and Impacts in North America

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Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 9048128285
Total Pages : 279 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (481 download)

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Book Synopsis Historical Climate Variability and Impacts in North America by : Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux

Download or read book Historical Climate Variability and Impacts in North America written by Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-09-18 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climatologists with an eye on the past have any number of sources for their work, from personal diaries to weather station reports. Piecing together the trajectory of a weather event can thus be a painstaking process taking years and involving real detective work. Missing pieces of a climate puzzle can come from very far afield, often in unlikely places. In this book, a series of case studies examine specific regions across North America, using instrumental and documentary data from the 17th to the 19th centuries. Extreme weather events such as the Sitka hurricane of 1880 are recounted in detail, while the chapters also cover more widespread phenomena such as the collapse of the Low Country rice culture. The book also looks at the role of weather station histories in complementing the instrumental record, and sets out the methods that involve early instrumental and documentary climate data. Finally, the book’s focus on North America reflects the fact that the historical climate community there has only grown relatively recently. Up to now, most such studies have focused on Europe and Asia. The four sections begin with regional case studies, and move on to reconstruct extreme events and parameters. This is followed by the role of station history and, lastly, methodologies and other analyses. The editors’ aim has been to produce a volume that would be instrumental in molding the next generation of historical climatologists. They designed this book for use by general researchers as well as in upper-level undergraduate or graduate level courses.

A Fragmented Continent

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Author :
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 0262029804
Total Pages : 299 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (62 download)

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Book Synopsis A Fragmented Continent by : Guy Edwards

Download or read book A Fragmented Continent written by Guy Edwards and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2015-11-20 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How Latin American countries became leading voices and innovators on addressing climate change—and what threatens their leadership. Latin American countries have increased their influence at the United Nations climate change negotiations and offered potential solutions on coping with global warming. But in the face of competing priorities, sometimes these climate policies are jettisoned, undermined, or simply ignored. A Fragmented Continent focuses on Latin America's three major blocs at the U.N. climate negotiations and how they attempt to balance climate action with building prosperity. Brazil has reduced its deforestation but continues its drive for economic growth and global recognition. A leftist group led by Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador decries the injustice of climate change but is highly dependent on the export of fossil fuels. A new group, including Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru and supported by Mexico, offers sharp reductions in their carbon emissions in return for greater action by others; these countries now have to deliver on their promises. Weaving together issues of politics and economy, trade, foreign policy, civil society, and environmental protection, A Fragmented Continent offers a long-missing perspective on one of this century's greatest challenges and neglected regions.

Past Climate Variability in South America and Surrounding Regions

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Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 904812672X
Total Pages : 424 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (481 download)

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Book Synopsis Past Climate Variability in South America and Surrounding Regions by : Francoise Vimeux

Download or read book Past Climate Variability in South America and Surrounding Regions written by Francoise Vimeux and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-08-04 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: South America is a unique place where a number of past climate archives are ava- able from tropical to high latitude regions. It thus offers a unique opportunity to explore past climate variability along a latitudinal transect from the Equator to Polar regions and to study climate teleconnections. Most climate records from tropical and subtropical South America for the past 20,000 years have been interpreted as local responses to shift in the mean position and intensity of the InterTropical Conv- gence Zone due to tropical and extratropical forcings or to changes in the South American Summer Monsoon. Further South, the role of the Southern Hemisphere westerly winds on global climate has been highly investigated with both paleodata and coupled climate models. However the regional response over South America during the last 20,000 years is much more variable from place to place than pre- ously thought. The factors that govern the spatial patterns of variability on millennial scale resolution are still to be understood. The question of past natural rates and ranges of climate conditions over South America is therefore of special relevance in this context since today millions of people live under climates where any changes in monsoon rainfall can lead to catastrophic consequences.

Earth System Responses to Global Change

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Author :
Publisher : Academic Press
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 400 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (318 download)

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Book Synopsis Earth System Responses to Global Change by : Harold A. Mooney

Download or read book Earth System Responses to Global Change written by Harold A. Mooney and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 1993-08-03 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the differences and similarities in the earth system components - the ocean, atmosphere, and the land - between western portions of the northern and southern Western Hemispheres, past, present, and projected. The book carefully examines the physical and biological patterns and responses of given biomes, or ecological communities in the two regions. Special emphasis is placed on the relationship of physicial and biotic systems to biogeochemistry and the evolving biota patterns of land margins and surfaces. The text concludes with an assessment of the direct impact on humans on these biomes, giving full consideration to the land-use drivers of global change. * Integrated view of earth system processes on the west coasts of North and South America