Climate change shifts

Climatic change may occur as fluctuations in means and/or extremes of climatic variables. Most studies of climatic change, however, focus almost exclusively on trends in mean values of climatic variables (usually temperature). In fact, a climatic shift also may be manifest as an increase or decrease in the frequency of occurrence of extremes. That is, episodes of drought or excessive rainfall or record high or low temperatures may become more or less frequent. Changes in frequency of extremes may occur with little or no concurrent change in means. 

Taking this into account I look forward to a productive NATO Summer School with new motivation to shift to energy conservation techniques of the new millennium in meeting Kyoto Targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in order to combat climate change. 

Research is needed to evaluate the interactions of all cultivation variables that influence plant product composition. Climate induces a large variation in levels of phytochemicals and so data from more than one year are needed. This is reinforced by the global climatic changes we are currently facing and also based on future predictions of climate shifts. 

In addition to climate change, the increased atmospheric concentration of C02 is likely to have wide-spread ecological effects in various environments, since C02 is a physiologically active gas, in plants as well as animals. The acidic nature of C02 will also lead to changes in the chemistry of the ocean s surface, which is in equilibrium with the atmosphere. Once the shift in the oceanic chemical balance becomes significant, it will affect ecosystems. It has been shown, for example, that doubling C02 concentration in the atmosphere will reduce the rate of calcium carbonate deposition in coral reefs by 30-40% (Langdon et al., 2000). 

The Atlas provides a basis for further research into factors that affect natural groundwater chemistry. It also serves as a baseline for comparing shifts in water quality overtime due to climatic changes and other factors. 

Climate change leads to shifts of species distribution ranges towards the poles (Parmesan and Yohe 2003) and influences the success of invasive species. 

Davis, M.B. Shaw, R.G. (2001) Range shifts and adaptive responses to quaternary climate changes. Science, 292, 673-9. 

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