Ecosystem Forests South Western Australia -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Ecosystem Forests South Western Australia? Answer: Introduction Climate is known for its changing character over geological period due to the result of a natural cycle and other happenings which comprise volcanic eruptions etc (Anderegg and Leander 2013). Presently, it has been assessed that global climate change has resulted mostly due to release of certain gas and forest clearing, agricultural production and practices. Changes in the intensity and frequency of severe weather conditions have been assessed throughout the world. Present essay revolves around Climate change and ecosystem in the forests of SouthWestern Australia. Climate change can be seen as both an economic problem and an environmental one.Damage cost to all the organisms of the economics from more severe weather and health problems related to high temperatures have taken a major stake. A shift from a fossil fuel-based energy system to low-carbon technologies will require significant investment which will also have an economic impact on the world. Present- Day Environment of the South-West Australia The climate of SWWA has moist cool winters and warm dry summers. The forests have received rainfallmore than 1,200mm on annual basis and the reason behind same is various environmental reasons. Rainfall in these areas is strongly seasonal with 80% of the rainfall evaluated during period between May to October. The area also receives monthly rainfall below 25mm during December to Februarywhich are the three driest months of the area. In the recent years, SWWA has experienced a turn down in rainfall due to increase in temperature. According to Gilbertand et.al. 2014 Such anthropological changes are able to significantly affect biodiversityand strengthof the ecosystem, theproductivity of the forest, services of ecosystem and amenities in SWWA. The forest management planning will have to get ready for preventing the effect of foreseeablechanges in climate. In accordance with Department of Environment and Conservation (2012), SWWAs organization relating to forest ecosystems is headed by the FMP (Conservation Commission of Western Australia which was founded in 2004. The FMP has adopted a framework known as Montreal Criteria of sustainability for identifying management actions for prolonging forest management. The standard are selected by the team are- Biodiversity preservation, Maintaining productive capacity, Preservation of strengthof the ecosystem, The preservation and safeguarding of soil and water, The upholding of the global carbon cycle, The protection of socio-economic values related to heritage. Figure 1: Conserving the Ecosystem (Source: Burrows and Lachlan McCaw, 2013) Factors responsible for Change in Climate in South-West Western Australia Recent decades, the weather of SWWA has been characterised by warm and dry months most of the year. Since 1970s, thetemperature has increased every year and that too at an alarming rate in all seasons including summer. Perhaps decreases in early winter rain have also been observed. A major decline in the very high rainfall years is a matter of concern as it became usual in the previous century. There has also been a decrease in late winter rainfall. A serious implication of these reduced rainfalls is the reduction of streamflow andsurface water. Figure 2: Factors causing Global Warming Outcrops of prospected climate in south-west Western Australia In SWWA, the elongated duration of dry surroundings and the evident greenhouse effect is forcing the agencies of natural reserve management to arrange for an unpredictable future. These preparations are based on the estimation of the climate in terms of Whether or not there are chances of wetter conditions? Will the dry season continue for more years? The answer to these questions is of greatestimplication for the agricultureadministration,conservation of biodiversity and managing forests and water funds. The main instrument for estimating future climate change is theGlobal Climate Models (GCMs). These models are acombination of numerical symbols of the physical procedures that happen in an ecosystem and interactions between the Earths surface, atmosphere and oceans. Each GCMoperates with different assumptions. As a consequence, all the GCMs in operation reflect major differences in the projections of future climate. Similarly, the extent of future emissions of the greenhouse gas is also uncertainbecause different society may respond differently to climate change. Projecting the future climate usually involves theuse of various methods with multiple emissions for specifying a variety of suspicions. By 2030 all models indicate an increase in warmth and lower rainfall for the region. The outcrops also reflect a warming for the period during half-year winter. Increases in temperature are projected for the half-year summer. Moreover, variations in climate conditions for a particular area, the projections also reveal anincrease in the existence of droughts;high range of maximum temperatures and prolonged heat waves. The real climate change for SWWA will be in accordance with the rate at which the world curbs the emission of greenhouse gases. Currently, the global emissions are increasing at an alarming rate. Impacts of Climate change on the Ecosystem A profound effect is been exerted by Climate on the patterns of forest biodiversity in SWWA. As per Theconversation (2012), the current patterns and adaptations reflect the effects of climate oscillationsof the past. The indirect impacts will be analternationininteractions of different species, hydrology and stream flow and the intensity of existing threats to biodiversity. Water Stress in SWAA The deficit in rainfall has altered the ecosystem of SWWA in terms of composition and productivity. Warm temperatures and reduced level of groundwater have impacted the availability of water to plants which have been suffering from water stress. The projected increase in thefrequency of droughts in further expected to exaggerate the condition (Spalding and et.al 2013). This will cause thelarge rate of tree mortality in the forest through disruptions of water from leaf and stem. Reduced water level increases the risk of cavitation in theplant through thelow accounting of CO2 being transferred to tree stomata, thereby reducing photosynthesis resulting in thedeath of trees. Pests and pathogens According to Matusicz and et.al (2013), water stress in the tress might decrease their confrontation to insect and sickness outbreaks. Moreover, changes in climatic conditions tend to directly impact the inhabitants of forest creepy-crawly creatures and pathogens. Some of the enormous outbreaks of forest creepy-crawly creatures that lead to thedeath of trees can also be directly attributed to changed climate factors. Some of these pathogens attack and kill thehealthy trees over large areas. These beetles can only be killed at extreme cold winter temperatures which have now become a history. Altered fire regimes The fire regimes of forest play a major part in the cycling of nutrients, primary productivity and dynamics ecosystem in SWWA. The intensity, scale, season and frequency are together known as the fire regime. Fire regimes are dependent upon climate, vegetation and topography which serve as fuels and sources of ignition. As per Keenan and Rodney (2015), leaving aside the factor of topography, all other factors are subjected to modification by global weather variations. The survival of juvenile plants may adversely be impacted from post-fireFrost, drought or heavy grazing resulting in long term changes in the composition of species. Figure 3: Management of Forest Ecosystem (Source: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2014) Managing Climatic Variation Mitigation adaptation to the anthropogenic climatic changes areessential for coping with the same. Mitigation may include theintervention of human for reducing the sources of greenhouse gases and thereby reducingchanges in climate. Variationmay refer to an action that tends to reduce the exposure of natural and human systems against actual or forecasted effects of variations in climate. It is only through International Cooperation that mitigation can be achieved. On the other hand, adaptation is essentially a step on the local level. For future years, it has forecasted thatclimate changes which are unmitigated, are likely to go above the adaptable capacity of natural ecosystem. Current studies have suggested that to evade from the evilest effects of climate change, levels of atmospheric CO2, are to be reduced at every step (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2014). Figure 4: Structural Changes through Mitigation and Adoption (Source: Grimm and et.al. 2016) However, there is asignificant amount of uncertainty on how the ecosystems will become accustomed to the ever-changing climate and degree to which specified species are exposed to this change, small steps can be used to cause major changes in the present day ecosystem. Conclusion Although reducing or stabilising the emissions of greenhouse gasesmay, however, slows down the process of global warming, the past emissions are expected to continue contributing to an inescapable warming and relative climatic changes for at least more than a century. With projected climate modificationsclear signs of difficulty have been reflected in attainingworldwide alleviationin the short term. Thus, Adaptation on the local level to the inevitable climate is need of the hour. It is very complex to predict future effects which the climate changes may pose on the forest ecosystems. Thus it is very important to incorporate uncertainty into adaptation planning. For the purpose of identifying areas where the change is to affect the most, a basic approach to risk management can be used. Forest management to improve the flexibility of the mitigation and adaption plans is advised along with the use of appropriate tools for estimating the future changes. References Anderegg, William, Jeffrey Kane, and LeanderAnderegg. "Consequences of widespread tree mortality triggered by drought and temperature stress."Nature climate change3, no. 1 (2013): 30. Burrows, Neil, and Lachlan McCaw. "Prescribed burning in South-western Australian forests."Frontiers in economy and the Environment11. No. s1 (2013). Department Of Environment and Conservation. 2012. Vulnerability of Forests in South-West Western Australia to Timber Harvesting Under the Influence of Climate Change. [PDF]. Available through https://www.dpaw.wa.gov.au. [Accessed on 3rd October 2017]. Glibertand et.al. "Vulnerability of coastal ecosystems to changes in harmful algal bloom distribution in response to climate change: projections based on model analysis."Global change biology. 20. No. 12 (2014): 3845-3858. Grimm and et.al. "Climate change impacts on ecosystems and ecosystem services in the United States: process and prospects for sustained assessment."Climatic change13. No. 1 (2016): 97-109. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.Climate Change 2014Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability: Regional Aspects. Cambridge University Press. 2014. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.Climate Change 2014Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability: Regional Aspects. Cambridge University Press, 2014. Keenan and Rodney. "Climate change impacts and adaptation in forest management: a review."Annals of forest science72, no. 2 (2015): 145-167. Klve and et al. "Climate change impacts on groundwater and dependent ecosystems."Journal of psychology. 518 (2014): 250-266. 88Matusicz and et.al. "Sudden forest canopy collapse corresponding with extreme drought and heat in a Mediterranean-type eucalypt forest in south-western Australia."European Journal of Forest Research132. No. 3 (2013): 497-510. Spalding andet.al. "The role of ecosystems in coastal protection: adapting to climate change and coastal hazards."Ocean Coastal Management.90. (2014): 50-57. The conversation. 2012. Western Australias catastrophic forest collapse. [PDF]. Available through https://theconversation.com/western-australias-catastrophic-forest-collapse-6925. 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