Skip to main content
Advanced Search

Filters: Date Range: {"choice":"month"} (X) > Categories: Publication (X)

Folders: ROOT > ScienceBase Catalog ( Show direct descendants )

17 results (136ms)   

View Results as: JSON ATOM CSV
Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) has increased the extent and frequency of fire and negatively affected native plant and animal species across the Intermountain West (USA). However, the strengths of association between cheatgrass occurrence or abundance and fire, livestock grazing, and precipitation are not well understood. We used 14 years of data from 417 sites across 10,000 km(2) in the central Great Basin to assess the effects of the foregoing predictors on cheatgrass occurrence and prevalence (i.e., given occurrence, the proportion of measurements in which the species was detected). We implemented hierarchical Bayesian models and considered covariates for which > 0.90 or < 0.10 of the posterior predictive mass...
The rapid loss of arctic sea ice is forcing a larger proportion of the Southern Beaufort Sea polar bear (Ursus maritimus) population to spend more time on land, increasing chances of negative interactions between people and bears. In the United States, the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) protects polar bears from incidental disturbance from human activities. For the remote and roadless areas of northern Alaska, USA, effective management of small aircraft activity is necessary to limit disturbance, but effects of overflights on polar bear behavior are largely unknown. During 2021 and 2022, we intentionally exposed polar bears (n = 115) to systematic aircraft activity (helicopter, fixed-wing) until we observed...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
We aimed to improve the scientific capacity to estimate climate extremes, evaluate their effects on natural resources, and enhance a platform for derivation of and access to customized climate information for the full extent of the Southwest. Extreme climate can have substantial effects on species, ecological and evolutionary processes, and the health of visitors to public lands. Researchers generally can specify the climate-extreme metrics, and the extents and resolutions of those metrics, most relevant to their scientific objectives and the practical applications of their work. However, such application-specific data rarely are available. We screened global climate models (GCMs) on the basis of their realism...
A rapidly changing climate and expanding human footprint is driving changes in the Pacific Northwest landscape that have profound implications for our region’s wildlife. The pace of change often exceeds manager’s ability to monitor environmental conditions that affect at-risk species and assess the status and trends of their habitat. This makes it challenging for managers to know if and to what extent recovery goals and conservation plans for at-risk species need to be modified to account for shifting habitat conditions. Addressing this challenge requires accurate, up-to-date information about how disturbances, shifting climates and land-use affect the amount and distribution of habitat across the region. Importantly,...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
Precipitation amounts and frequencies are major regulators of soil heat-load profiles as the interval between rainfall events allows for increased heat storage during cloudless periods. The extreme drought of 2011 and the subsequent Flash Drought that occurred in summer, 2012, developed in part due to soil temperature dynamics across the landscape of the Southern High Plains. The negative impacts of highly variable soil temperatures on ecosystem process can be easily seen in family gardens. Most gardeners across the SHP realize that mulching has a beneficial impact on the success of any gardening effort as mulch reduces the heat storage of the soil thereby providing for a more stable temperature while also reducing...
NC State University (NCSU) has largely met target objectives described in the Term Sheet (provided by NCASC) for the Phase 2 reporting period from August 1, 2017 - August 1, 2024. Over this period, NCSU has augmented the scope of work due to leveraged activity, new partnerships across the university, and new consortium members. We welcomed five new consortium members at the start of this phase. This includes four university partners – Auburn University, Duke University, University of Florida, and University of Tennessee – that have specific contractual activities associated with the new host agreement; University of South Carolina continued research and development on partner projects initiated in Phase I. This...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
As climate change accelerates, understanding which species are most vulnerable and why they are vulnerable will be vital to inform conservation action. Climate change vulnerability assessments (CCVAs) are tools to assess species' responses to climate change, detect drivers of vulnerability, and inform conservation planning. CCVAs are commonly composed of three elements: exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. Incorporating all three elements can be challenging, and including only two of the three elements may be a more feasible approach in many systems. Although two-element CCVA approaches have become more common, their utility and procedures remain poorly documented. We conducted a literature review to explore...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
The University of Arizona Native Nations Climate Adaptation Program (NNCAP) and Center for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions (CCASS) hosted the NNCAP Tribal Leaders Summit on Climate Change: A Focus on Climate Adaptation Planning and Implementation at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona on November 12 and 13, 2015. The summit was sponsored by the Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative, the Agnese Nelms Haury Program in Environment and Social Justice, the Southwest Climate Science Center, and the UA Institute of the Environment (see Appendix D). The primary objective of the Tribal Summit was to convene tribal environmental managers and leaders who have approved climate adaptation plans to share...
Part 1 of this project aimed to provide a framework for a partnership between the UA Center for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions (CCASS), its Native Nations Climate Adaptation Program (NNCAP), and the DOI Southwest Climate Science Center that leverages previously existing and newly developing tribal engagement capacity within CCASS and identifies emergent opportunities possible with enhanced investment. Funds were to be used to a) build regional capacity for coordination and assessment in partnership with the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs), DOI Climate Science Centers, and other programs; b) conduct a preliminary assessment of tribal interest and capacity for adaptation across the Southwest;...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
The primary goal of the Nicholas Institute’s work under the SE CASC host award was to advance the integration of ecosystem services concepts into natural resource management practices that are relevant to SE CASC. Their activities addressed both state and federal needs, driven by two key workstreams: (1) regional ecosystem services mapping and the development of pilot ecosystem accounts for the southeastern U.S., and (2) opportunity mapping and benefits quantification for natural and working lands in North Carolina.
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
Climate change is altering the thermal habitats of freshwater fish species. We analyze modeled daily temperature profiles from 12,688 lakes in the US to track changes in thermal habitat of 60 lake fish species from different thermal guilds during 1980-2021. We quantify changes in each species’ preferred days, defined as the number of days per year when a lake contains the species’ preferred temperature. We find that cooler-water species are losing preferred days more rapidly than warmer-water species are gaining them. This asymmetric impact cannot be attributed to differences in geographic distribution among species; instead, it is linked to the seasonal dynamics of lake temperatures and increased thermal homogenization...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
Intermittency, or the expansion and contraction of surface water, is a natural phenomenon in many streams and results in periods of time when portions of the stream are dry. However, the frequency of stream drying is increasing due to climate change and human water diversion. When stream drying occurs, drought refuges or areas that continue to retain water and buffer fish from the effects of drying become important for survival and persistence. I evaluated sensitivity, exposure, and vulnerability of 50 fish species to the effects of stream drying. I found that species vary in their sensitivity to streamflow magnitude and permanence, aligning with species traits, but not all species are exposed to or threatened by...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
The purpose of our project was to identify needs and provide support for states in the North Central region and Idaho to integrate climate science and adaptation into their State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs). Our objectives were to: 1) engage with state wildlife agencies in the North Central region and Idaho to identify their needs for climate-informed planning support and 2) collaboratively develop products that will help them better integrate climate adaptation strategies into SWAPs.
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
Background Autumn and winter Santa Ana Winds (SAW) are responsible for the largest and most destructive wildfires in southern California. Aims (1) To contrast fires ignited on SAW days vs non-SAW days, (2) evaluate the predictive ability of the Canadian Fire Weather Index (CFWI) for these two fire types, and (3) determine climate and weather factors responsible for the largest wildfires. Methods CAL FIRE (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection) FRAP (Fire and Resource Assessment Program) fire data were coupled with hourly climate data from four stations, and with regional indices of SAW wind speed, and with seasonal drought data from the Palmer Drought Severity Index. Key results Fires on non-SAW...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
Climate change and invasive species alter freshwater fish assemblages globally, which could impact ecosystem services that benefit communities. The Caribbean island of Puerto Rico is an ideal system to study the effects of extreme events on native freshwater fishes in the presence of invasive fish species. Puerto Rico like other tropical islands is characterized by frequent flow disturbance; however, climate projections show that Puerto Rico will experience increased drying but also more intense flooding in the coming decades. We evaluated how extreme high and low flows affect native and non-native fishes and experimentally tested the interaction between a non-native fish and low and high flows on a native fish...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
The Native Nations Climate Adaptation Program (NNCAP) was founded in 2015 with the mission to build capacity to work collaboratively with Native American tribes and indigenous populations in the western United States and Mexico. NNCAP received funds from the DOI Southwest Climate Science Center to carry out a “Tribal Adaptation Initiative.” One of the objectives of this initiative was to conduct a preliminary assessment of tribal interest and capacity for adaptation across the Southwest. Twenty-six Native Nations participated in the NNCAP tribal climate change assessment and reported a wide array of involvement in climate change initiatives. This report highlights various strengths and capacity needs for climate...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation