In the United States, the Global Change Research Act (GCRA) of 1990 mandates that every 4 years an assessment of the impacts of global change in the U.S. be conducted by the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) which represents the work of many agencies and experts. Between 2004 and 2009, the Climate Change Science program (CCSP), which incorporated the USGCRP, produced a series 21 studies culminating in today’s release by the White House of the 2009 Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States report which provides unequivocal scientific data regarding the impacts climate change is projected to have, and is already having, on our communities, ecosystems and wildlife.
You can access a copy of the report at: http://www.globalchange.gov/publications/reports/scientific-assessments/us-impacts/download-the-report.
Dr Jane Lubchenco, under-secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration concluded today’s White House press briefing on the report by stating: “Climate change is happening now, it’s happening in our own backyards, and it affects the kinds of things people care about."
The report is easy to read and has several chapters of particular relevance to Alaska and the work that we do at the Alaska SeaLife Center, viz:
Excerpt from the Alaska Chapter:
“Over the past 50 years, Alaska has warmed at more than twice the rate of the rest of the United States’ average. Its annual average temperature has increased 3.4°F, while winters have warmed even more, by 6.3°F.
Over much of the past decade, as air and water temperatures rose, sea ice in this region declined sharply. Populations of fish, seabirds, seals, walruses, and other species depend on plankton blooms that are regulated by the extent and location of the ice edge in spring. As the sea ice retreats, the location, timing, and species composition of the plankton blooms changes, reducing the amount of food reaching the living things on the ocean floor. This radically changes the species composition and populations of fish and other marine life forms, with significant repercussions for fisheries”
Next steps – our Response
This report has reaffirmed the strategic importance of our work on climate change research and education and will be a central plank in the formulation of our 2020 strategic plan next year as well as our immediate research, education, conservation and strandings program priorities in 2010. No issue is more important to the future of Alaska’s marine ecosystems nor to the future of the people who depend on them.
I encourage all staff to:
a. take the time to read the report – if nothing else, read the Alaska Chapter so that you can share the findings with friends and visitors and be informed about the data we will be using to make resource allocation and other strategic decisions in the next year; and
b. discuss how this knowledge impacts your work and how we might better contribute to both climate change mitigation and adaptation – I’ll likely convene a town hall meeting to discuss your ideas and recommendations in the fall.
Please don’t hesitate to post your ideas here or set up a time to chat with me if you’d like to discuss further what we might do to address this unprecedented global challenge.
Ian
You can access a copy of the report at: http://www.globalchange.gov/publications/reports/scientific-assessments/us-impacts/download-the-report.
Dr Jane Lubchenco, under-secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration concluded today’s White House press briefing on the report by stating: “Climate change is happening now, it’s happening in our own backyards, and it affects the kinds of things people care about."
The report is easy to read and has several chapters of particular relevance to Alaska and the work that we do at the Alaska SeaLife Center, viz:
Excerpt from the Alaska Chapter:
“Over the past 50 years, Alaska has warmed at more than twice the rate of the rest of the United States’ average. Its annual average temperature has increased 3.4°F, while winters have warmed even more, by 6.3°F.
Over much of the past decade, as air and water temperatures rose, sea ice in this region declined sharply. Populations of fish, seabirds, seals, walruses, and other species depend on plankton blooms that are regulated by the extent and location of the ice edge in spring. As the sea ice retreats, the location, timing, and species composition of the plankton blooms changes, reducing the amount of food reaching the living things on the ocean floor. This radically changes the species composition and populations of fish and other marine life forms, with significant repercussions for fisheries”
Next steps – our Response
This report has reaffirmed the strategic importance of our work on climate change research and education and will be a central plank in the formulation of our 2020 strategic plan next year as well as our immediate research, education, conservation and strandings program priorities in 2010. No issue is more important to the future of Alaska’s marine ecosystems nor to the future of the people who depend on them.
I encourage all staff to:
a. take the time to read the report – if nothing else, read the Alaska Chapter so that you can share the findings with friends and visitors and be informed about the data we will be using to make resource allocation and other strategic decisions in the next year; and
b. discuss how this knowledge impacts your work and how we might better contribute to both climate change mitigation and adaptation – I’ll likely convene a town hall meeting to discuss your ideas and recommendations in the fall.
Please don’t hesitate to post your ideas here or set up a time to chat with me if you’d like to discuss further what we might do to address this unprecedented global challenge.
Ian
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