Matching the Multiple Scales of Conservation with the Multiple Scales of Climate Change

Abstract:  To anticipate the rapidly changing world resulting from global climate change, the projections of climate models must be incorporated into conservation. This requires that the scales of conservation be aligned with the scales of climate-change projections. We considered how conservation has incorporated spatial scale into protecting biodiversity, how the projections of climate-change models vary with scale, and how the two do or do not align. Conservation planners use information about past and current ecological conditions at multiple scales to identify conservation targets and threats and guide conservation actions. Projections of climate change are also made at multiple scales, from global and regional circulation models to projections downscaled to local scales. These downscaled projections carry with them the uncertainties associated with the broad-scale models from which they are derived; thus, their high resolution may be more apparent than real. Conservation at regional or global scales is about establishing priorities and influencing policy. At these scales, the coarseness and uncertainties of global and regional climate models may be less important than what they reveal about possible futures. At the ecoregional scale, the uncertainties associated with downscaling climate models become more critical because the distributions of conservation targets on which plans are founded may shift under future climates. At a local scale, variations in topography and land cover influence local climate, often overriding the projections of broad-scale climate models and increasing uncertainty. Despite the uncertainties, ecologists and conservationists must work with climate-change modelers to focus on the most likely projections. The future will be different from the past and full of surprises; judicious use of model projections at appropriate scales may help us prepare.     

Designing Climate-Smart Conservation: Guidance and Case Studies

Abstract:  To be successful, conservation practitioners and resource managers must fully integrate the effects of climate change into all planning projects. Some conservation practitioners are beginning to develop, test, and implement new approaches that are designed to deal with climate change. We devised four basic tenets that are essential in climate-change adaptation for conservation: protect adequate and appropriate space, reduce nonclimate stresses, use adaptive management to implement and test climate-change adaptation strategies, and work to reduce the rate and extent of climate change to reduce overall risk. To illustrate how this approach applies in the real world, we explored case studies of coral reefs in the Florida Keys; mangrove forests in Fiji, Tanzania, and Cameroon; sea-level rise and sea turtles in the Caribbean; tigers in the Sundarbans of India; and national planning in Madagascar. Through implementation of these tenets conservation efforts in each of these regions can be made more robust in the face of climate change. Although these approaches require reconsidering some traditional approaches to conservation, this new paradigm is technologically, economically, and intellectually feasible.     

热带增宽及其对中国东部亚热带森林植被的影响

全球气候变暖已是不争的事实,现今气候变暖的趋势已由每百年（1901--2000）增加0．6℃的记录升高为0．74℃（1906—2005）。其中高纬度地区增温特别显著,成为世界关注的热点。与之对比,热带地区的气候变化以及热带森林对它的反应报道甚少。事实上,自1970s中期以来,热带温度是每lO年升高0．26oC;同时气候模型预测到本世纪末热带地区温度将上升2．1-4．5℃。这些预测是有根据的,但究竟不是直接的证据。因此,本文综合了许多专家对热带地球物理学和大气层特性的多年观测、分析和研究的成果,其结论认为：至少自1979年以来许多热带大气层固有的特征发生变化并向地球极地推进和位移,这些根据是：（1）热带高空的哈德利环流增强并向极地扩展;（21位于热带边缘的亚热带射流向极地移动;（3）热带亚热带对流层顶高度和位置的变化;（4）热带高空平流层臭氧柱总量浓度的变化。据上述特征的变化证明数十年来热带向极地增宽纬度2°～5°（～8°）,一般确认为2．5°。由于热带增宽的驱动,广东50年的气温记录表明气候持续变暖,按增暖趋势推算,预估到2020年,现在的雷州半岛南部可能变成中热带;广东东南沿海将由目前的南亚热带变为北热带（占全省面积约1／3）;其余大部分地区为南亚热带;中亚热带基本上将退出广东（仅剩下东北角一偶）。此预测意味着南岭地区将成为南亚热带的边缘地。     

辽宁省气候-植被指标时空变化特征及森林适宜性分析

基于辽宁省56个气象站的气象资料,利用Kira的温暖指数（WI）、寒冷指数（CI）和徐文铎的湿度指数（HI）分析辽宁省近40年（1967-2006年）气候-植被指标的时空变异。结果表明,就辽宁省区域平均值而言,WI指数呈升高趋势,每10年增加幅度为2.47℃·月,CI指数呈下降趋势,每10年下降幅度为2.31℃·月,HI总体呈下降趋势,波动较WI和CI明显,从气候—植被指数变化趋势看,对红松Pinus koraiensis Sieboldet Zuccarini、长白落叶松Larixolgensis等不利,而对油松Pinu stabulaeformis Carr、栓皮栎Quercus vari abilis Blume等树种有利。空间变化特征表现为,温暖指数界限呈向西北移动的趋势,表明暖温带落叶阔叶疏林带的适宜面积增加,而温带针阔叶混交林带的适宜面积减小;HI指数减小并且向东移,表明随着指数带的北移和东移缩小限制了原有针叶树种的生长,而对栎树Phytophthora ramorum等阔叶树种有利。     

科尔沁沙地土地利用变化对土壤特性的影响

在中国科学院奈曼沙漠化研究站放牧试验场周围,选取了不同利用方式和类型的草地（封育和放牧）、林地（乔木和灌木）和农田（灌溉和非灌溉）为研究样地,调查了0～30cm土层每隔10cm的土壤水分质量分数和有机养分（有机碳和全氮）,分析了土地利用变化对土壤水分质量分数和有机养分的影响。结果发现,垂直空间分布上,无论哪种土地类型样地,土壤水分质量分数和有机养分各土层间均无显著差异性（P〉0.05）,土层垂直变化对土壤特性影响均较小。在不同土地利用方式水平空间分布上,土壤水分质量分数和有机养分（土壤有机碳和全氮）灌木林地均显著高于乔木林地（P〈0.05）,而封育草地和放牧草地间以及灌溉农田与非灌溉农田间土壤水分质量分数和有机养分均无显著差异性（P〉0.05）。不同土地利用类型水平分布上,草地土壤水分质量分数显著低于林地和农田（P〈0.05）,而土壤养分质量分数草地显著高于林地和农田（P〈0.05）。分析表明,对沙质草地进行围栏封育和旱作农田退耕还林还草的同时,对水浇农田实行保护性耕作和精细管理,有利于沙地土壤环境改善与生态系统恢复。     

江苏省植被NPP时空特征及气候因素的影响

利用2000—2006年的EOS/MODIS卫星遥感资料,对江苏省植被净初级生产力（NPP）时空特征及气候变化对其影响进行分析。在ArcGIS软件中,建立线性回归方程获得NPP的变化斜率,分析7 a间各像元NPP的空间变化趋势。计算各像元的NPP数值与气候要素的线性相关系数,为定量阐述气候变化对植被生长的影响提供依据。结果表明,江苏省植被NPP 7 a平均值为506.6 g.m-2.a-1（以C计）,比全国同期NPP数值高出约40%。NPP表现出明显的年际变化,2004年植被年均NPP最大为530.6 g.m-2.a-1（以C计）,2000年最小,为481.1 g.m-2.a-1（以C计）。空间分布上NPP表现为东南高于西北,沿海高于内陆。2000—2006年江苏省有76%的区域植被NPP表现为显著增加,仅江苏南部少数区域表现出减少的趋势。除苏南少数区域外,气候因素控制着NPP的时空变化规律。其中气温的升高和太阳辐射的增加促进NPP提高,而降水量的增加引起NPP的降低。     

松辽流域生态流量赤字及其成因

水资源的过度开发导致了水短缺和水生态退化,因此,提供适宜的生态流量对维护河流健康具有重要意义.以往研究聚焦断面尺度的生态流量及其保障程度,尚未有效剥离上游子流域的影响.本研究以松辽流域为研究对象,运用VMF法、Tessmann-adapted法和Smakhtin-adapted法3种水文学法核算二级水资源区生态流量及1...     

Safety Climate in Finnish- and Swedish-Speaking Companies

The aim of this study was to compare assessments made by Finnish- and Swedish-speaking workers in Finland about the safety climate in their companies, because an earlier study showed that the accident frequency of Swedish-speaking workers was one third lower than that of Finnish-speaking workers. 148 Finnish-speaking and 138 Swedish-speaking workers from 14 small and medium-sized companies participated in this study. They filled out a Finnish safety climate questionnaire, the reliability of which was above the acceptable level. There were no differences between the language groups in the total variables of safety climate and safety action. Based on the differences in single items, we interpreted that Swedish-speaking workers stressed collective safety more, whereas Finnish-speaking workers put more emphasis on their personal responsibility for safety.     

Relationship of safety climate perceptions and job satisfaction among employees in the construction industry: the moderating role of age

This study examines the degree to which construction sector employees perceive that safety is important in their organizations/sites and how job satisfaction affects these perceptions when age is introduced as a moderator variable. Two-way analysis of variance demonstrated that job satisfaction has a strong effect on perceived management commitment to work safety and that this relationship was moderated by respondents’ age. Job satisfaction was associated with perceived accident rate and safety inspection frequency, but the proposed role of age in this linkage was not confirmed. Consequently, the findings indicated that by increasing the level of job satisfaction, perceptions of these safety climate aspects proved to be more positive. The conclusion is that these relationships could further lead to a lower percentage of accidents and injuries in the workplace and better health among employees. A significant relationship between job satisfaction, age and perceived co-workers’ commitment to work safety was not found.     

The Effect of Protective Gloves on Manual Dexterity in the Cold Environments

This article presents a study on the effect of different protective gloves (which are commercially available and commonly used in the cold) on manual dexterity in cold environments. The experiments compared statistically four different types of gloves and two different types of gloving (outer or double) at +19 °C and -10 °C. Performance was determined both objectively and subjectively using two manual dexterity tasks: bolt-nut and pick-up tasks. The response measured was the time of performing each task. Statistical analysis showed that all independent factors such as glove type, participant, object size, and temperature had significant effects on the hand cooling reaction. A significant difference in the performance between the gloves was found in the bolt-nut task. It was also found that outer-inner combination gloving may be an approach to use for precision tasks.