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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 3, NUMBER 7, JULY 1990

PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS...
IMPACTS

Item #d90jul14

"Addressing the Biological Effects of Decreased Ozone on the Antarctic Environment," M.A. Voytek (273 Applied Sci., Univ. Calif., Santa Cruz CA 95064), Ambio, XIX(2), 52-61, Apr. 1990.

Preliminary experiments in Antarctica indicate that the marine phytoplankton are already UV stressed and investigations from other regions suggest that other components of both the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are very susceptible to increased UV exposure. Recommends actions necessary to provide ecological information for sound policy making to protect Antarctica's resources.

Item #d90jul15

"Bringing the Global Warming Issue Closer to Home: The Challenge of Regional Impact Studies," S.J. Cohen (Canadian Clim. Ctr., Atmos. Environ. Serv., Downsview, Ont. M3H 5T4, Can.), Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 71(4), 520-526, Apr. 1990.

Presents a brief overview of the application and development of climate change scenarios for regional impacts work. Such studies at present can identify general sensitivities, data gaps and research needs, and can provide quantitative assessments of scenario impacts. Regional studies cannot yet identify sensitivities of specific systems and policies.

Item #d90jul16

"The Sensitivity of Some High-Latitude Boreal Forests to Climatic Parameters," G.B. Bonan (NCAR, POB 3000, Boulder CO 80307), H.H. Shugart, D.L. Urban, Clim. Change, 16, 9-29, 1990.

A gap model of environmental processes and vegetation patterns in boreal forests was used to examine the sensitivity of permafrost and permafrost-free forests in interior Alaska to air temperature and precipitation changes. A number of specific forest changes were identified, but these were mitigated by increases in precipitation, which offset the effects of increased potential evapotranspiration.

Item #d90jul17

"Potential Coastal Impacts of Contemporary Changing Climate on South Asian Seas States," F.J. Gable (Coastal Res. Ctr., Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst., Woods Hole MA 02543), D.G. Aubrey, Environ. Mgmt., 14(1), 33-46, 1990.

Assumes that, because global change is inevitable, the South Asian seas region should begin the appropriate research and planning studies to set forth a reasoned response to global change, for implementation when scientific evidence for global change is more quantitative. Similarities and differences of national settings must be identified now to form the basis for local response strategies.

Item #d90jul18

"Hydrologic Sensitivities of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Basin, California, to Global Warming," D.P. Lettenmaier (Dept. Civil Eng., Univ. Washington, Seattle WA 98195), T.Y. Gan, Water Resour. Res., 26(1), 69-86, Jan. 1990.

Analyzes the hydrologic sensitivities of four medium-sized mountainous catchments, all dominated by spring snowmelt runoff, which were simulated by the coupling of the snowmelt and the soil moisture accounting models of the U.S. National Weather Service River Forecast System. In all four catchments, the global warming pattern produced a major seasonal shift in the snow accumulation pattern. Under the alternative climate scenarios, more winter precipitation fell as rain instead of snow, and winter runoff increased while spring snowmelt runoff decreased.

Item #d90jul19

"Effects of Stratospheric Ozone Depletion on Marine Organisms," R.C. Worrest (U.S. EPA, 401 M St. SW, Washington DC 20460), D.-P. Häder, Environ. Conserv., 16(3), 261-263, Autumn 1989.

A review discussing effects on phytoplankton, zooplankton, and fisheries; possible changes in species composition and diversity; and implications for greenhouse warming through alteration of the marine planktonic sink for carbon dioxide.

Item #d90jul20

"Climate Change: Water Rights and Electric Utilities," K.A. Miller (NCAR, POB 3000, Boulder CO 80307), Energy Policy, 17(4), 420-424, Aug. 1989.

The impacts on electric utilities of possible changes in precipitation runoff (needed for hydroelectric generation or cooling steam-powered plants) will depend on the pre-existing nature and distribution of water rights, and on the adaptability of water institutions to changing conditions. Describes the major features of the two systems of water rights in use in the U.S., and a potential model for institutional adjustment to climate change.