Global Warming Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Global Warming, including details on causes, effects, impact, facts, myths, information.

Impacts of macroalgal spores on the dynamics of adult macroalgae in a eutrophic estuary: High versus low hydrodynamic seasons and long-term simulations for global warming scenarios.

Martins I, Marcotegui A, Marques JC

IMAR - Institute of Marine Research, Coimbra Interdisciplinary Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal.

A model describing macroalgal early life stages and adult dynamics was used to quantify the effects of non-adult forms on the productivity of adult macroalgae in a eutrophic estuary. Predictions indicate that during years with mild winters and low rainfall, spring blooms will occur at the expense of the growth and reproduction of overwintering adults and without the contribution of the spore bank. In these circumstances, there is a positive correlation between the intensity of the blooms and the biomass of overwintering adults until a maximum threshold value. On the contrary, in years with high rainfall and low or inexistent biomass of overwintering adults, the onset of adult's growth depends on the biomass of viable dormant spores, the growing season occurs later and adult productivity is very limited. Long-term predictions for climate change scenarios suggest that, in general, global warming will have adverse affects on Ulva intestinalis productivity, with the adults being more affected than the early life stages.

Published 14 May 2008 in Mar Pollut Bull, 56(5): 984-98.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

Articles on Global Warming published 12 May 2008:

Global farm animal production and global warming: impacting and mitigating climate change.   Environ Health Perspect, 116(5): 578-82.

BACKGROUND: The farm animal sector is the single largest anthropogenic user of land, contributing to many environmental problems, including global warming and climate change. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to synthesize and expand upon existing data on the contribution of farm animal production to climate change. METHODS: We analyzed the scientific literature on farm animal production and documented greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as well as various mitigation strategies. DISCUSSIONS: An ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Global Warming published 9 May 2008:

Increasing risk of Amazonian drought due to decreasing aerosol pollution.   Nature, 453(7192): 212-5.

The Amazon rainforest plays a crucial role in the climate system, helping to drive atmospheric circulations in the tropics by absorbing energy and recycling about half of the rainfall that falls on it. This region (Amazonia) is also estimated to contain about one-tenth of the total carbon stored in land ecosystems, and to account for one-tenth of global, net primary productivity. The resilience of the forest to the combined pressures of deforestation and global warming is therefore of great ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Global Warming published 8 May 2008:

Detecting genetic responses to environmental change.   Nat Rev Genet.

Changes in environmental conditions can rapidly shift allele frequencies in populations of species with relatively short generation times. Frequency shifts might be detectable in neutral genetic markers when stressful conditions cause a population decline. However, frequency shifts that are diagnostic of specific conditions depend on isolating sets of genes that are involved in adaptive responses. Shifts at candidate loci underlying adaptive responses and DNA regions that control their ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Clear Genetic Structure of Pinus kwangtungensis (Pinaceae) Revealed by a Plastid DNA Fragment with a Novel Minisatellite.   Ann Bot (Lond).

Background and Aims Pinus kwangtungensis is a five-needled pine, inhabiting isolated mountain tops, cliffs or slopes in the montane areas of southern China and northern Vietnam. Global warming and long-term deforestation in southern China threaten its existence and genetic integrity, and this species is listed as vulnerable in the China Species Red List. However, the level and distribution of genetic diversity in this vulnerable species are completely unknown. In this paper, the genetic ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Global Warming published 7 May 2008:

The role of amoeboid protists and the microbial community in moss-rich terrestrial ecosystems: biogeochemical implications for the carbon budget and carbon cycle, especially at higher latitudes.   J Eukaryot Microbiol, 55(3): 145-50.

Moss-rich terrestrial communities are widely distributed in low- and high-latitude environments, covering vast surface areas in the boreal forests and tundra. The microbial biota in these organic-rich communities may contribute substantially to the carbon budget of terrestrial communities and the carbon cycle on a global scale. Recent research is reported on the carbon content of microbial communities in some temperate and high-latitude moss communities. The total carbon content and potential ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Impacts of climate warming on terrestrial ectotherms across latitude.   Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 105(18): 6668-72.

The impact of anthropogenic climate change on terrestrial organisms is often predicted to increase with latitude, in parallel with the rate of warming. Yet the biological impact of rising temperatures also depends on the physiological sensitivity of organisms to temperature change. We integrate empirical fitness curves describing the thermal tolerance of terrestrial insects from around the world with the projected geographic distribution of climate change for the next century to estimate the ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Global Warming published 6 May 2008:

Environmental and health impact by dairy cattle livestock and manure management in the Czech Republic.   Sci Total Environ, 396(2): 121-31.

In this study we evaluate the potential environmental and health impact of dairy cattle livestock and manure management in the Czech Republic. We present a new approach for national assessments of the environmental impact of an agricultural sector. Emission estimates are combined with a country-specific set of indicators to assess the environmental impact in nine regions with specific environmental characteristics. We estimate the contribution of emissions of ammonia (NH(3)) and nitrogen oxides ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Global Warming published 5 May 2008:

Greenhouse Gas Fluxes from an Irrigated Sweet Corn (Zea mays L.)-Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Rotation.   J Environ Qual, 37(3): 759-71.

Intensive agriculture and increased N fertilizer use have contributed to elevated emissions of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide (CO(2)), methane (CH(4)), and nitrous oxide (N(2)O). In this study, the exchange of CO(2), N(2)O, and CH(4) between a Quincy fine sand (mixed, mesic Xeric Torripsamments) soil and atmosphere was measured in a sweet corn (Zea mays L.)-sweet corn-potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) rotation during the 2005 and 2006 growing seasons under irrigation in eastern Washington. Gas ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

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