Jacques Auger’s Post

Dear colleagues and friends, we, from the SDG News Group would like to bring to your attention 2 new research items: The first, a new approach on the freshening energy of forests, offers a re-evaluation of surface albedo (the fraction of light that a surface reflects) effects and suggests that carbon sequestration and cloud formation offers the two fundamental ingredients for cooling both the land surface and the planet. Coupled with decarbonization of the energy and industrial sectors, including local and regional water availability and wind and weather trends, we find there is high prospect to employ mitigating strategies for climate change based on large forest landscape restoration. The second examines the unique importance of forest for water and offers a meta-analysis of the hydrologic impacts of land use conversions, reforestation and forest disturbances. We insinuate the ET regime and water availability more broadly have been considerably changed by human interventions and forest landscape modifications. Nonetheless, forest landscape restoration has the capacity to restore ecosystem functioning and further intensify the water cycle and ET regime.

Excited to share our latest publication in MDPI "Projected Heat Waves in Ecuador under Climate Change: Insights from HadGEM-RegCM4 Coupled Model," a collaborative effort among a diverse team of researchers from Ecuador, Colombia and Brazil. This comprehensive study examines the projected impacts of climate change on heatwave patterns across Ecuador's Coastal, Highlands, and Amazon regions through the end of the century under various Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) scenarios. Our findings reveal a stark increase in both the intensity of heatwaves and maximum air temperatures, especially under the RCP 8.5 scenario. Notably, the Coastal region is expected to face the most severe impacts. By analyzing the correlation between maximum air temperatures and climate indices like the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and the Oceanic Niño Index (ONI), we've uncovered significant regional climatic influences on heatwave trends. These insights are crucial for developing integrated climate adaptation strategies in Ecuador, focusing on mitigating health risks, agricultural vulnerabilities, and ecosystem disruptions. Our study proposes actionable measures such as urban forestry initiatives, the promotion of cool surfaces, and enhancing public awareness and access to cooling resources. It underscores the urgency of adopting targeted adaptation and resilience strategies to combat the effects of urban heat islands in Ecuador's urban centers. This research contributes to a broader understanding of climate change impacts in Latin America, emphasizing the importance of timely and informed action to ensure the sustainability of our communities and ecosystems. We encourage professionals, policymakers, and researchers in the fields of environmental science, urban planning, and climate adaptation to explore our findings and join the conversation on developing effective solutions for these pressing challenges. Read the full paper here: https://lnkd.in/e3TEvMqh Universidad Agraria del Ecuador UNISARC INPE Universidade Federal de Santa Maria #ClimateChange #Heatwaves #Sustainability #EnvironmentalScience #UrbanPlanning

As winters warm and freeze events become less frequent, #mangroves are expanding northward, replacing salt marshes. How will climate change impact their spread? To predict this, understanding mangrove responses to freeze events is essential, yet field-based data remains limited. In a new study led by Yiyang Kang, researchers assessed the damage and recovery of three mangrove species after freeze events, analyzing resistance and resilience by species and strata. They identified cold tolerance thresholds, finding black mangroves to be the most resistant, followed by red, with white mangroves being the least resistant. Projected warming trends suggest that all three species will likely expand and grow faster in north Florida. Read the full paper: https://lnkd.in/eZtK8SkP Yiyang Kang David Kaplan Michael Osland UF Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment UF/IFAS - School of Natural Resources and Environment

As winters warm and freeze events become less frequent, #mangroves are expanding northward, replacing salt marshes. How will climate change impact their spread? To predict this, understanding mangrove responses to freeze events is essential, yet field-based data remains limited. In a new study led by Yiyang Kang, researchers assessed the damage and recovery of three mangrove species after freeze events, analyzing resistance and resilience by species and strata. They identified cold tolerance thresholds, finding black mangroves to be the most resistant, followed by red, with white mangroves being the least resistant. Projected warming trends suggest that all three species will likely expand and grow faster in north Florida. Read the full paper: https://lnkd.in/eZtK8SkP Yiyang Kang David Kaplan Michael Osland UF Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment UF/IFAS - School of Natural Resources and Environment

The devastating wildfires that swept through Massachusetts this fall, fueled by record-breaking droughts, have brought the realities of climate change to the forefront in the northeastern United States. With over 600 fires scorching 1,900 acres in just two months, it's clear that our ecosystems are undergoing dramatic shifts. How can we prepare for an uncertain environmental future? Enter ecological forecasting, an innovative approach led by Boston University’s Michael Dietze, a professor of Earth and environment at the Boston University College of Arts & Sciences. Dietze directs BU’s Ecological Forecasting Laboratory and founded the Ecological Forecasting Initiative, a global network of scientists predicting environmental changes. His research uses mathematical models to understand and anticipate events like wildfires, biodiversity shifts, and carbon storage fluctuations. This work is critical as climate change drives extreme weather patterns and intensifies natural disasters. 🌐📊 Recently, Dietze and his team secured a contract with California to model carbon emissions from farmlands, using NASA data and computational tools to guide climate mitigation efforts. He advocates for scaling ecological forecasting worldwide, emphasizing its necessity for managing ecosystems, from Brazilian rainforests to South African shrublands. 🌿🌾 “Climate change isn’t happening in the future—it’s happening now,” Dietze reminds us. “Forecasting is vital for making informed decisions and being effective stewards of our planet.” 🌎 ➡️ http://spr.ly/6005QnEuc

#regenerativeagriculture is critical to achieving #decarbonization goals, but it is difficult to estimate #carbon reduction potentials in a cost-effective way. A stellar team of Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers with support from the MIT Climate & Sustainability Consortium (MCSC) have published a white paper on the uncertainties and data gaps in soil carbon sequestration potentials. They worked closely with MCSC member companies who have identified gaps in this space because they want reliable soil carbon sequestration estimates to decarbonize value chains and support robust voluntary carbon markets. Reliable and low-cost measurement of soil carbon is critical to advancing nature-based solutions to #climatechange. The paper highlights some gaps and solutions.

Nature-based solutions (NBS) to #climatechange are becoming increasingly central to #climate action plans because of their multifaceted benefits and potential for immediate scalability. A new MCSC white paper explores the classes of #ecosystem intervention that present these opportunities to mitigate climate change — and explores different yet complementary sides of the multifaceted measurement and NBS conversations. Read more about this work by Maria Elisabeth Macfarlane, Ruofei Jia, Leila Mirzagholi, Helena Vallicrosa, Evan Fricke, Evan Coleman, Elsa Olivetti, and Cesar Terrer.

Next week at the American Geophysical Union #AGU24. Early snowmelt creates longer vernal windows—transitional periods before tree leaf-out. Research in temperate forests like Hubbard Brook reveals how these shifts warm soils and boost carbon release through respiration, underscoring the impact of changing winters on carbon and water cycles. Understanding this dynamic is critical for predicting ecosystem responses to climate change.

Source: Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Study on Gobi Desert vegetation diversity amid climate change; 79 plots analyzed in Dunhuang North and Mazong Mountains. Findings: (1) Significant geographic and community differences; β-diversity driven by replacement components. (2) Climate most influential, followed by soil and geographic distance. (3) Habitat filtering and dispersal limitations affect β-diversity, with habitat filtering being more impactful.

Source: (Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America) Climate change is reducing ecological resilience and invasion resistance in the Western U.S. sagebrush region, exacerbating heat, drought, and wildfire effects. Restoration is hindered by moisture limits and invasive species. A study used ecohydrological models to project declines in resilience and resistance across 1.16 million km², with 24%-34% expected decreases, primarily linked to rising temperatures. High ecological integrity areas may face significant R&R declines, presenting challenges for resource management. Future projections could improve with more data from extreme conditions.