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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 6, DECEMBER 1988

PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS...
IMPACTS

Item #d88dec55

"Atmospheric CO₂ Enrichment and Plant Dry Matter Content," S.B. Idso (U.S. Water Conserv. Lab., 4331 E. Broadway, Phoenix AZ 85040), B.A. Kimball, J.R. Mauney, Agric. & Forest Meteorol., 43(2), 171-181, July 1988.

While studies have shown that increasing the CO₂ content of the atmosphere generally increases the rates at which plants grow and the harvestable yields they produce, effects on plant dry matter have rarely been considered. Results of a number of CO₂ enrichment experiments with six terrestrial plants and two aquatic species, and similar data from the literature, show that, in general, CO₂ enrichment has little effect on plant percentage dry matter. An exception is under conditions conducive to starch accumulation in leaves, when it causes an increase.

Item #d88dec56

"The Potential Impacts of a Scenario of CO₂-Induced Climatic Change on Ontario, Canada," S.J. Cohen (Atmos. Environ. Svc. CCAI, 4905 Dufferin St., Downsview, Ont. M3H 5T4, Can.), T.R. Allsopp, J. Climate, 1(7), 669-681, July 1988.

Describes a pilot study conducted by Environment Canada, which emphasized the approach and process required to investigate potential regional impacts in an interdisciplinary manner, rather than producing a forecast. A climate scenario was adapted from results of the NASA-GISS model; monthly mean temperatures and precipitation predicted at grid points were used with existing physical and statistical models to project effects on Great Lakes net basin supplies, levels and outflows, subbasin streamflow, snowfall and length of season. The study then addressed impacts on natural resources and related activities such as commercial navigation, water use, tourism and residential heating. Recommendations were made for adaptation strategies and future research.

Item #d88dec57

"Climate Fluctuations and Record-High Levels of Lake Michigan," S.A. Changnon Jr. (Ill. State Water Survey, Champaign IL 61820), Bull. Amer. Meteorol. Soc., 68(11), 1394-1402, Nov. 1987.

Reviews development and impact of high water levels reached during 1985 and 1986. Most impacts on the lake have been disastrous with beaches destroyed, shorelines eroded, and near-shore structures badly damaged. Costly adjustments are underway by individuals, communities and state agencies. The situation illustrates how our complex society is vulnerable to climate fluctuations; in such a regional case, when any extreme has advantages and disadvantages to different economic interests, resolution is most likely to be successful at the regional policy level.

Item #d88dec58

"Soil Moisture and Runoff in the USSR During Global Warming," K.Ya. Vinnikov (State Hydrol. Inst.), N.A. Lemshko, Soviet Meteor. & Hydrol., No. 12, 79-85, 1987. (Translation of Meteorologia i Gidrologiya, No. 12, 96-103, 1987.)

Gives estimates of the variations of annual runoff and summer soil moisture content for three climate scenarios in the USSR, corresponding to global warmings of 0.5, 1.2 and 2 ·C from the present climate. Calculations are based on a comprehensive method of determining evaporation from the land surface; scenarios are based on analysis of empirical data on modern climate variations, and on paleoclimatic reconstructions.