scholarly journals Natural resource mitigation, adaptation and research needs related to climate change in the Great Basin and Mojave Desert

2011 ◽  
pp. i-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debra L. Hughson ◽  
David E. Busch ◽  
Scott Davis ◽  
Sean P. Finn ◽  
Steve Caicco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Great Basin ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Mojave Desert ◽  
Research Needs

THE REGIONAL RESPONSE OF DESERT WETLANDS TO ABRUPT CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE MOJAVE DESERT AND SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen B. Springer ◽  
◽  
Jeffrey S. Pigati ◽  
Jeffrey S. Pigati ◽  
Craig R. Manker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Great Basin ◽  
Mojave Desert ◽  
Abrupt Climate Change ◽  
Desert Wetlands

Desert wetlands record hydrologic variability within the Younger Dryas chronozone, Mojave Desert, USA

2018 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey S. Pigati ◽  
Kathleen B. Springer ◽  
Jeffrey S. Honke
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Great Basin ◽  
Mojave Desert ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Younger Dryas ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Wetland Ecosystems ◽  
Hydrologic Variability ◽  
Dry Conditions ◽  
Wet And Dry Cycles

AbstractOne of the enduring questions in the field of paleohydrology is how quickly desert wetland ecosystems responded to past episodes of abrupt climate change. Recent investigations in the Las Vegas Valley of southern Nevada have revealed that wetlands expanded and contracted on millennial and sub-millennial timescales in response to changes in climate during the late Quaternary. Here, we evaluate geologic evidence from multiple localities in the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin that suggests the response of wetland systems to climate change is even faster, occurring at centennial, and possibly decadal, timescales. Paleowetland deposits at Dove Springs Wash, Mesquite Springs, and Little Dixie Wash, California, contain evidence of multiple wet and dry cycles in the form of organic-rich black mats, representing periods of past groundwater discharge and wet conditions, interbedded with colluvial, alluvial, and aeolian sediments, each representing dry conditions. Many of these wet-dry cycles date to within the Younger Dryas (YD) chronozone (12.9–11.7 ka), marking the first timeintra-YD hydrologic variability has been documented in paleowetland deposits. Our results illustrate that desert wetland ecosystems are exceptionally sensitive to climate change and respond to climatic perturbations on timescales that are relevant to human society.

Socioecological resilience, climate change, and natural resource management: A role for psychology

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia L. Winter ◽  
Susan Charnley ◽  
Jonathan W. Long ◽  
Frank K. Lake ◽  
Trista M. Patterson
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resource

Impacts on ecosystems, corrective restoration practices, and prospects for recovery: nine case studies in the continental United States

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 431 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. A. Jones
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Chesapeake Bay ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Great Basin ◽  
Mojave Desert ◽  
Flood Control ◽  
Colorado River ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Elwha River

Ecological restoration in the United States is growing in terms of the number, size, and diversity of projects. Such efforts are intended to ameliorate past environmental damage and to restore functioning ecosystems that deliver desired levels of ecosystem services. In nine current restoration case studies from across the continental United States, this paper details (1) the impacts of the original disturbance and compounding secondary issues that compel restoration, (2) the corrective practices applied to advance restoration goals, and (3) the prospects for recovery of ecosystem services, including those involving associated animal populations. Ecosystem-altering impacts include flood control (Kissimmee River), flood control and navigation (Atchafalaya Basin), damming for irrigation-water storage (Colorado River) and hydroelectric power (Elwha River), logging and fire suppression (longleaf pine forest), plant invasions that decrease fire-return intervals (Great Basin shrublands, Mojave Desert), nutrient and sediment loading of watersheds (Chesapeake Bay, Mississippi River delta), and conversion of natural lands to agriculture (tallgrass prairie). Animal species targeted for recovery include the greater sage-grouse (Great Basin shrublands), the red-cockaded woodpecker (longleaf pine forest), the south-western willow flycatcher (Colorado River and its tributaries), the desert tortoise (Mojave Desert), eight salmonid fish (Elwha River), and the blue crab and eastern oyster (Chesapeake Bay).

Exposure to climate change drives stability or collapse of desert mammal and bird communities

Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 371 (6529) ◽  
pp. 633-636 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. A. Riddell ◽  
K. J. Iknayan ◽  
L. Hargrove ◽  
S. Tremor ◽  
J. L. Patton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Heat Flux ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Mojave Desert ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Microhabitat Use ◽  
High Exposure ◽  
Species Occupancy ◽  
Mammal Communities

High exposure to warming from climate change is expected to threaten biodiversity by pushing many species toward extinction. Such exposure is often assessed for all taxa at a location from climate projections, yet species have diverse strategies for buffering against temperature extremes. We compared changes in species occupancy and site-level richness of small mammal and bird communities in protected areas of the Mojave Desert using surveys spanning a century. Small mammal communities remained remarkably stable, whereas birds declined markedly in response to warming and drying. Simulations of heat flux identified different exposure to warming for birds and mammals, which we attribute to microhabitat use. Estimates from climate projections are unlikely to accurately reflect species’ exposure without accounting for the effects of microhabitat buffering on heat flux.

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