April 21st, 2008, 4:19 pm
Ecosystem stress and global warming (VI) Stress on ecosystems exceeding adaptation, and including risk of extinction for many species, is a serious probable impact of global warming. Here, continued, is what the experts say. This is the last part of the Executive summary of Ch. 4 of the 2007 Impacts report (ref): Ecosystems and species are very likely to show a wide range of vulnerabilities to climate change, depending on imminence of exposure to ecosystem-specific, critical thresholds (very high confidence). Most vulnerable ecosystems include coral reefs, the sea-ice biome and other high-latitude ecosystems (e.g., boreal forests), mountain ecosystems and mediterranean-climate ecosystems (high confidence) [Figure 4.4, Table 4.1, 4.4.9, Box 4.4, 4.4.5, 4.4.6, Box 4.3, 4.4.7, 4.4.4, 4.4.10, 4.4.11]. Least vulnerable ecosystems include savannas and species-poor deserts, but this assessment is especially subject to uncertainty relating to the CO2-fertilisation effect and disturbance regimes such as fire (low confidence) [Box 4.1, 4.4.1, 4.4.2, Box 4.2, 4.4.3, 4.4.10, 4.4.11].Ref:2007 IPCC Report II: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Executive summary, pp. 213-214, Ch. 4: Ecosystems, their properties, goods and services. Notation [4.2] means Ch 4 Section 2, etc. -----------