Human Accelerated Environmental Change

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Human Accelerated Environmental Change
Photo Heather Malcom
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Humans
Global climate change
Loss of biodiversity
Land-use changes
Stratospheric ozone depletion
Invasions of Exotic Species
Toxification of the Biosphere
From Likens 1998
Environmental change caused by multiple and
interacting human activities.
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Four Global Trends

• Increasing human population
• Increasing atmospheric CO2
• Increased use of land water
• Changes in species

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Why did they cut down all those trees? -ship
masts wood for Europe -tanning -paper process
INDUSTRY COLLAPSE late 1800s
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Is the world overpopulated?
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World Population Projections
Fig. 7-3, p. 131
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Impact of developing countries
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Paraguay
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Las Vegas Fastest growing metropolitan area in
the United States

• 1973 A small settlement

• 2000-2006The landscape is now dramatically
  modified

Images courtesy USGS
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Las Vegas
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2006 carbon dioxide is at 381 ppm
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Land Use Change
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More land was converted to cropland in the 30
years after 1950 than in the 150 years between
1700 and 1850.
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Consequences of Increasing Cropland
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IUCN Red List
Threatened Critically endangered, endangered,
vulnerable
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Amphibians (Frogs, Toads, Newts, Salamanders,
Caecilians) Are Declining Globally
Total Species 5 Categories 2250 Total Number of
Species 5743
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Causes

• Land Use Change
• Toxification (UV radiation, pollution)
• Climate change
• Exotic species (disease)
• Loss of biodiversity (Exploitation)

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Coral Reef Decline

• Figure Map of the Indo-Pacific study region.
  Green dots are the reefs that were surveyed
  between 1980 and 2004. Inset graphic illustrates
  the loss of coral (left axis is the percentage of
  the bottom covered by living corals) over a 25
  year period. There is substantial uncertainty
  about regional reef health in the 1970s and about
  the historical baseline of coral cover before
  humans began altering reefs across the region in
  the 20th century. There is also no way to know
  what the near-term future of reefs will be.
  Credit for graphic J. Bruno and E. Selig. Data
  are based on Bruno and Selig 2007

Source www.noaa.gov
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• Causes
• Climate change (bleaching)
• Toxification (ocean acidification)
• Land use change (sedimentation)
• Exotics (disease)
• Loss of biodiversity (Exploitation)

Source www.aims.gov.au
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Invasive Species in the Hudson River

• What are they?
• Where did they come from?
• When did they arrive?
• Freshwater parts
• more than 113 species
• Beginning around 1800
• Continues at about 7species/10 years

Source www.clearwater.org
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Inbocht Bay, south of Catskill on the Hudson River
Photos courtesy of IES
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http//www.dgif.state.va.us/zebramussels/
www.zeestop.com
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A map showing the distribution of zebra mussels
and quagga mussels, another invasive. (USGS,
2007. Zebra Mussel Information U.S. Distribution
Maps, http//nas.er.usgs.gov/zebra.mussel/).
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Dutchess County is the second fastest growing
county in the Hudson Valley (Orange is 1).
Property values in Dutchess County have grown by
more than two thirds between 2000-2004.
Source Scenic Hudson
94 of Dutchess County growth took place in rural
communities
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Built Tax Parcels in Dutchess County
2004
1940
1970
Source K. Menking, M.A. Cunningham
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Figure 4 (a).
Source K. Limburg
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Figure 4 (b).
Source K. Limburg
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Institute of Ecosystem Studies
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Biodiversity and Lyme Disease -Fragmentation -The
Dilution Effect
Institute of Ecosystem Studies
USDA
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Institute of Ecosystem Studies
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What are the implications of this data on Lyme
disease risk?
Keesing, F., R. D. Holt, and R. S. Ostfeld.
2006. Effects of species diversity on disease
risk. Ecology Letters, 9485-498.
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Atlantic Tomcod
Daniels, R.A., K.E. Limburg, R.E. Schmidt, D.L.
Strayer, and R.C. Chambers. 2005. Changes in
Fish Assemblages in the Tidal Hudson River, New
York. American Fisheries Society Symposium,
45471-503.
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What is the potential impact of this trend on the
rivers ecosystem?
Seekell, D.A., and M.L. Pace.  Analysis of a
Warming Trend in the Hudson River Estuary. 
Estuaries and Coasts (submitted ms.)
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Arrival of zebra mussels in the Hudson River is
shown by the dashed line
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What are the potential impacts of these changes
on the rivers ecosystem?
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Percentage of the most common 11 marsh dependant
bird species surveyed at each marsh in 2005 Iona
Island is the only one with the high density of
common reed (Phragmites)
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Native submerged plant in the Hudson Water
celery Vallisneria americana
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Why does the dissolved oxygen change so much?
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Caraco et.al., 2006
Green Line Vallisneria water celery
(native) Red Line Trapa water chestnut
(invasive) Blue Line Channel measurement, no
plants
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Trapa natans, water chestnut
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