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Global Climate Change Digest
A Guide to Information on Greenhouse Gases and Ozone Depletion
Published July 1988 through June 1999

FROM VOLUME 1, NUMBER 2, AUGUST 1988

PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS...
IMPACTS

Item #d88aug36

"Ultraviolet Radiation Levels During the Antarctic Spring," J.E. Frederick (Dept. Geophys. Sci., Univ. Chicago, 5734 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago IL 60637), H.E. Snell, Science, 241, 438-440, July 22, 1988.

The decrease in atmospheric ozone over Antarctica during spring implies enhanced levels of UV radiation received at the earth's surface. Observations at McMurdo Station show biologically effective irradiance due to low ozone amounts comparable to December solstice amounts. Life indigenous to Antarctica thereby experiences a greatly extended period of summerlike UV radiation levels.

Item #d88aug37

"Interactive Effects of CO₂ and Environment on Photosynthesis of Azolla," S.G. Allen (U.S. Water Conserv. Lab., 4331 E. Broadway, Phoenix AZ 85040), S.B. Idso et al., Agric. For. Meteor., 42(2-3), 209-17, Mar. 1988.

The aquatic fern was grown outside between September and May in open-top CO₂ enrichment chambers continuously supplied with either 640 or 340 micro l CO₂/l air. Net photosynthesis was influenced by significant interactions between CO₂ level and short-wave solar radiation as well as air temperature. Under the more favorable conditions of high light intensity and high temperature, the net photosynthesis rates in the high CO₂ treatment were as much as 70% greater than for those in the low CO₂ treatment. Studies which attempt to predict plant responses to the rising atmospheric CO₂ concentration must also consider concurrent environmental changes.

Item #d88aug38

"Causes and Effects of Sea Level Rise," J.G. Titus (Sea Level Rise, U.S. EPA), Northeastern Environ. Sci., 6(2), 60-66, June 1987.

The worldwide average sea level depends primarily on the shape and size of ocean basins, the amount of water in the basins and the average density of seawater. Subsidence and emergence, due to natural factors such as isostatic and tectonic adjustments of the land surface as well as human-induced factors such as oil and water extraction, can cause trends in relative sea levels. Although the potential consequences of accelerated sea level rise are uncertain, it is possible to implement inexpensive protective coastal management measures now, particularly in terms of land use policy.

Item #d88aug39

"Barrier Evolution During Sea Level Rise: South Shore of Long Island, New York," S.P. Leatherman (Lab. Coastal Res., Univ. Maryland, College Pk. MD 20742), W. Panagetou, ibid., 76-81.

New evidence strongly suggests that the ancestral barriers have migrated landward continuously, albeit intermittently, during the Holocene, and that in-place drowning and shoreline skipping have not occurred. These findings have important implications for future barrier behavior during periods of accelerated sea-level rise caused by the greenhouse effect.

Item #d88aug40

"Relative Role of Stomatal and Aerodynamic Resistance in Transpiration of a Tomato Crop in a CO₂-Enriched Greenhouse," Y.A. Shaer (Dept. Soil Sci., Texas A&M Univ., College Sta. TX 77843), C.H.M. Van Bavel, ibid., 42(1-2), 77-85, Oct. 1987.

Three adjacent ventilated mini-greenhouses were planted with equal numbers of tomato plants at optimum levels of water and nutrients, and CO₂ levels were maintained during daytime at about 340, 700 or 1000 ppmv, to investigate the roles of epidermal and aerodynamic resistance at high CO₂ levels. Aerodynamic resistance dominated gas exchange by the plants even at the highest CO₂ levels.

Item #d88aug41

"Effects of Climatic Variability and Possible Climatic Change on Reliability of Wheat Cropping--A Modelling Approach," G.L. Hammer (Agronomy Dept., Kansas State Univ., Manhatten KS 66505), D.R. Woodruff, J.B. Robinson, ibid., 123-142.

Simulation studies, using an appropriate model of the cropping system and long-term (92-year) rainfall records, were used to derive yield probability distributions for sites throughout the Australian wheat belt and surroundings. The distributions and associated economic analyses indicated that expansion of wheat cropping in this area is likely. Trends in simulated yield sequences were compared with analyses of factors associated with recent climatic change; implications of this are discussed.