Questioning complacency: climate change impacts, vulnerability, and adaptation in Norway

Most European assessments of climate change impacts have been carried out on sectors and ecosystems, providing a narrow understanding of what climate change really means for society. Furthermore, the main focus has been on technological adaptations, with less attention paid to the process of climate change adaptation. In this article, we present and analyze findings from recent studies on climate change impacts, vulnerability, and adaptation in Norway, with the aim of identifying the wider social impacts of climate change. Three main lessons can be drawn. First, the potential thresholds and indirect effects may be more important than the direct, sectoral effects. Second, highly sensitive sectors, regions, and communities combine with differential social vulnerability to create both winners and losers. Third, high national levels of adaptive capacity mask the barriers and constraints to adaptation, particularly among those who are most vulnerable to climate change. Based on these results, we question complacency in Norway and other European countries regarding climate change impacts and adaptation. We argue that greater attention needs to be placed on the social context of climate change impacts and on the processes shaping vulnerability and adaptation.     

Temperature, Salinity, and Fluorescence in Southern North Sea: High-Resolution Data Sampled from a Ferry

/ In 1991 and 1992, temperature, salinity, and fluorescence were measured by automatic continuous registration using instrumentation on a ferry crossing the southern North Sea daily along a transect between Zeebrugge, Belgium, and Hull, United Kingdom. The temperature ranged between 4 and 21 degrees C off the Belgian coast and between 6 and 17 degrees C in the middle of the transect. Salinity varied between 34 and 35.5 PSU in the offshore part of the transect, but showed much larger variation along the Belgian and UK estuarine coasts. Fluorescence, which was used as a measure of phytoplankton biomass, was highest at the continental coast and lowest near the English coast. Spring blooms of phytoplankton were found along the continental coast and in the channel-influenced water; in 1991 the blooms were denser than in 1992. Some summer blooms were also recorded. Water masses could be distinguished on the basis of salinity and fluorescence patterns. The general patterns in the data are compared with the literature and discussed in relation to river discharge, light penetration, and wind speed and direction. Finally, the value of automatic and frequent measurements of fluorescence for monitoring phytoplankton is compared with less frequent observations at selected stations. It is concluded that accurate information about phytoplankton biomass can only be established from the high-frequency data. KEY WORDS: Monitoring; Sampling; North Sea; Ferry; Fluorescence; Salinity; Temperature     

A method for facilitating the use of algae growing on tree trunks as bioindicators of air quality

The abundance of epiphytic green algae has been observed to correlate strongly with air quality in several studies. In contrast to lichens, the abundance of green algae is difficult to measure accurately by visual observation. A new method based on photography and digital image processing was developed to estimate the chlorophyll content of algae growing on the bark of pine. Calibration data for the method was collected from polluted areas by spectrophotometric analysis of chlorophyll density.     

A test of fluctuating asymmetry in Bluegills (Lepomis macrochirus Rafinesque) as a measure of pH-related stress

Fluctuating asymmetry of bilateral anatomical characters, previously proposed as an indicator of stress induced by agents affecting the calcium metabolism of fishes, was measured in bluegills (Lepomis macrochirus) from eleven Wisconsin lakes. The fluctuating asymmetries of three meristic characters-numbers of pored lateral line scales, pectoral fin rays and gill rakers on the outer arch-were either unrelated or only marginally related to either lake pH or waterborne calcium concentration. The asymmetry variance of gill raker counts was negatively correlated with both lake pH and waterborne calcium concentration; however, the overall asymmetry mean of gill raker counts in bluegills from five low pH lakes only slightly exceeded that in bluegills from six lakes with circumneutral pH. Fluctuating asymmetry in adult fishes was judged to be insensitive as a potential measure of pH-related stress.     

An interaction of extra- and intracellular osmoregulatory mechanisms in the bivalve mollusc Rangia cuneata

We have studied the interaction of extra- and intracellular osmoregulatory mechanisms which the estuarine bivalve Rangia cuneata utilize to tolerate salinities ranging from freshwater to 25 ppt. The normally occurring intracellular free amino acid (FAA) accumulation in hyperosmotically stressed R. cuneata isolated ventricles was significantly reduced in the presence of divalent cation concentrations lower than that normally found in the blood. The effect of the divalent cations was not on the intracellular biosynthetic pathways responsible for FAA synthesis but rather on the myocardial membrane permeability to FAA. These data indicate that the effectiveness of the intracellular FAA mediated volume regulatory response in R. cuneata is dependent on both intracellular FAA accumulation and on the extracellular regulation of blood divalent cation concentration. This dependency indicates one interaction of extra- and intracellular osmoregulation in R. cuneata.