Digital Commons Network^™

Incorporating Biodiversity-Ecosystem Function Relationships Into Models And Conservation Planning, Sarah R. Weiskopf

Doctoral Dissertations

Unsustainable use of nature and climate change are leading to unprecedented biodiversity declines. These declines have cascading impacts on ecosystem function and ecosystem services, and ultimately on human well-being. International agreements have been adopted that aim to address both crises. The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, set global emission reductions targets. In 2022, most countries agreed to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). The GBF sets 23 ambitious targets for 2030 ranging from reducing threats to biodiversity, meeting people’s needs through sustainable use and benefit sharing, and solutions for implementation. Although adopting global goals and targets is an important first …

Timing Is Everything: Climate Change Implications For Phenological Events And Reproductive Success In River Herring, Meghna N. Marjadi

Doctoral Dissertations

Anadromous river herring (alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis)) make annual spring spawning migrations from the ocean to freshwater, where juveniles reside before emigrating to the ocean. Climate change may alter environmental and biological cues that prompt both adult migration and juvenile emigration, with implications for adult spawning success and offspring survival for these imperiled species. Shifts in adult migration have been observed in some rivers, while impacts on reproductive success and juvenile survival remain unknown. Cues for juvenile emigration are poorly understood as they have been explored at limited spatial and temporal scales. …

Water Resources Planning Under Deep Uncertainty For Physically, Socially, And Politically Complex Systems, Sarah St. George Freeman

Doctoral Dissertations

Water supply systems, particularly those of large cities, are complex systems linking supply, regulatory and distribution infrastructure, and points of use. Despite their physical complexities, it is infrequent that full supply, distribution, end use, and feedbacks therein are considered in an integrated manner. These complex systems-of-systems face large uncertainties related to physical aspects such as degradation of infrastructure, changing demand, and climate variability and change. Though great, such physical uncertainties often pale in comparison to the those related to the human systems in place to manage them and yet uncertainty in the decision-making landscape is often grossly simplified in our …

2023 Update Mtg Jan 25: Climate Change Update, Hilary A. Sandler

Cranberry Station Extension meetings

No abstract provided.

Appendix 1. Database Of Eicat Impact Assessment Summaries For 169 Potential Sleeper Invasive Plants In The Northeast United States, Ayodelé C. O'Uhuru, Bethany A. Bradley, Toni Lyn Morelli, Justin Salva

Data and Datasets

Environmental Impacts Classification of Alien Taxa (EICAT) assessments for 169 introduced, established plants in the Northeast (states of CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, VT) that could become invasive with climate change.

Appendix 2. Database Of Eicat Impact Assessment Summaries For 104 Invasive Plants Likely To Shift Into The Mid-Atlantic United States With Climate Change, Justin Salva, Bethany A. Bradley

Data and Datasets

No abstract provided.

Climate Change And Modern Education: Preparing For A Sustainable Future, Poulomi Chakravarty, Sai Gattupalli, Stephen Mcginty

College of Education Student Publication Series

Climate change is a global phenomenon that has attracted widespread attention in recent decades due to its profound impact on the environment and society. Although climate change is a phenomenon occurring since the inception of Earth, anthropogenic activities such as fossil fuel consumption due to industrialization, transportation and domestic usage, deforestation and land use changes due to urbanization have accelerated the process. Climate education has become an important part of modern education as it helps raise awareness of the issue and promote behavior of climate consciousness which leads to climate action in a positive direction. The authors highlight the values …

Identifying New England’S Underutilized Seafood Species And Evaluating Their Market Potential In A Changing Climate, Amanda G. Davis, Michelle D. Staudinger, Katherine E. Mills

Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series

Developing and diversifying market opportunities for lesser known yet abundant seafood species has been a successful strategy for seafood businesses in the Northeast United States. Since climate change and other stressors are currently threatening the economic vitality of New England’s seafood industry, it is important to identify if there are lesser-known species that could simultaneously support additional market opportunities and remain resilient in a warming climate. We developed a quantitative definition for the term “underutilized species’’ based on five criteria derived from science-based sustainable fishing metrics. Using this definition, we evaluated 47 stocks in the Northeast United States during the …

Key Issues In Assessing Threats To Sea Turtles: Knowledge Gaps And Future Directions, Lisa M. Komoroske, Et. Al.

Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series

Sea turtles are an iconic group of marine megafauna that have been exposed to multiple anthropogenic threats across their different life stages, especially in the past decades. This has resulted in population declines, and consequently many sea turtle populations are now classified as threatened or endangered globally. Although some populations of sea turtles worldwide are showing early signs of recovery, many still face fundamental threats. This is problematic since sea turtles have important ecological roles. To encourage informed conservation planning and direct future research, we surveyed experts to identify the key contemporary threats (climate change, direct take, fisheries, pollution, disease, …

The Oak & The Mailbox: The Social Impacts Of Tree Loss, Madeline D. Fabian

Student Showcase

Last fall, I was strolling through the woods near Sylvan Residential Area and stumbled upon a mysterious mailbox residing about 20 feet away from a marvelous oak tree. Inside, the mailbox held a black-and-white composition notebook containing poetry, artwork, and love stories left by passersby. While reading, I was struck by the soulful connection so many strangers had felt to the large oak tree, and. I began to contemplate the social impacts of trees-- and tree loss. I tracked down the artist who started the notebook and decided to pursue the story for my Narrative Journalism class. I spoke with …

Predicting Water Quality Vulnerability Under Climate Change With Machine Learning, Khanh Thi Nhu Nguyen

Doctoral Dissertations

Water quality deterioration is a global and pervasive issue due to pollution caused by industrialization, urbanization, agriculturalization, and human population growth in the modern era. This issue is even more challenging in the context of climate change due to warming temperatures and the intensification of precipitation. Therefore, assessing the potential impacts of climate change on water quality is a concern. Assessment is necessary so that planners can prepare for and reduce the negative impacts on water quality. At present, climate change impact assessment frameworks are relatively adolescent. Most studies rely on climate projections from General Circulation Models for simulations of …

The Roles Of Identity And Beliefs About Social Change In Decision Making Processes For Identity-Laden Social Change Efforts, Joel Ginn

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents three investigations into distinct processes that attempt to explain people’s decision making around social change action in three identity-laden domains. Chapter 1 reviews existing literature and theory on how social identity and social change beliefs can impact social change action. Chapter 2 examines identity-based motivated cognition by showing how identification as a meat-eater leads to biased estimates of meat reduction’s climate change impacts. Chapter 3 examines cisgender student reactions to faculty who use gender pronouns as an inclusion strategy for transgender and gender nonconforming students to examine if this action leads to stereotyping and judgement. Chapter 4 …

The Global Impact Of The Antarctic Ice Sheet In A Warming World: Using Numerical Modeling And Critical Physical Geography To Assess Climate Change, Sea Level Rise, And Climate Justice

Doctoral Dissertations

Anthropogenic climate change is causing disruptions in the Earth system with negative ramifications for life on our planet. Increasing atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations lead to accumulated heat content and the cryosphere is one of the earliest places to show changes in response to rising temperatures. The melting of the Antarctic Ice Sheet will have myriad effects on global climate due to interconnections and feedbacks between the ice sheet, ocean, and atmosphere. In this dissertation I use numerical modeling and critical geography to assess future climate conditions that occur in response to changes in Antarctic Ice Sheet melt as well as …

Coping With Climate Change, Andrea Yj Mah

Masters Theses

Climate change is a source of anxiety and stress. To be resilient to the changes that are occurring, individuals must cope with that stress. Because there are many ways that people might manage stress we examined variation in coping strategy use among Americans who reported some concern about climate change to understand generally how people cope with such stress, and whether it can be predicted from individual difference factors, namely degree of climate change concern and political ideology. We examined these variables specifically because in the study of responses to climate change, conservatives and liberals often report divergent beliefs, attitudes, …

Utilizing Climate Change Refugia For Climate Change Adaptation And Management In The Northeast, Sara A. Wisner

Masters Theses

To account for the effects of climate change, management plans in the northeast need to incorporate climate adaptation. Conserving climate change refugia is one adaptation strategy. Climate change refugia are areas buffered by climate change that enable the persistence of valued physical, ecological, and cultural resources; preserving these areas could be a potential adaptation strategy. Using a translational ecology approach where researchers and managers from the National Park Service, US Geological Survey, the University of Massachusetts, and elsewhere worked together, we focused on identifying refugia for tree, herbaceous plant, mammal, and bird species in order to prioritize them for conservation …

The Influence Of Climate Change On The Ecology Of The Arctic Ground Squirrel In Denali National Park, Ak., Nigel A. Golden

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation research focuses on the ecology of the Arctic ground squirrel (Urocitellus parryii) in Denali National Park and Preserve, AK. The Arctic ground squirrels is a species of interest for monitoring efforts under the National Park Services’ Vital Signs Monitoring Program under the Vital Signs Monitoring program. The focus of this program is to monitor what is considered to be the most significant indicators of ecological conditions of the specific park resources that are of the greatest concern. The CAKN designated the Arctic ground squirrel (Urocitellus parryii) as one indicator species of park ecosystems. Despite being easy to observe …

A Tipping Point In The Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest: Current And Future Land-Use And Climate Change Trends, Alula Shields

Masters Theses

Many regions of the Amazon are experiencing drastic changes as deforestation and climate change drive the world’s largest continuous rainforest towards a ‘tipping point’. These disturbances are changing natural cycles that once past a critical threshold, will mark an unstoppable transition to an altered ecosystem. Losing areas of the Amazon rainforest will have implications for the global climate, global carbon budget, and global hydrological regimes. Scholars have projected these tipping points for areas of the eastern Amazon rainforest, but much less scholarship focuses on the headwaters of the Western Amazon, an area of great cultural and biological importance. Ecuador is …

2022 Update Mtg Jan 27: New Issues-Climate Change In Cranberry, Christopher Neill, Martha Sylvia

Cranberry Station Extension meetings

No abstract provided.

Planning And Management Of Complex Landscapes: The Case Of Rio De Janeiro, Carioca Landscapes, José Antonio Hoyuela Jayo

ISCCL Scientific Symposia and Annual General Meetings // Symposiums scientifiques et assemblées générales annuelles de l'ISCCL // Simposios científicos yy las Asambleas Generales Anuales

The PRODOC4018 project aimed to develop tools for the planning and management of the Carioca landscapes, a World Heritage Site since 2012. The proposal promotes a shared and integrated management of cultural heritage of excellence through preservation guidelines, with intervention criteria and protection and management tools incorporated in action plans and geo-referenced monitoring mechanisms. These analysed properties were located in the World Heritage area and its surroundings, 'Carioca Landscapes: between the mountain and the sea.

Landscape heritage must be evaluated, ordered and managed in its spatial and temporal context, but also in the social, environmental and economic context in which …

Shifting Hotspots: Climate Change Projected To Drive Contractions And Expansions Of Invasive Plant Abundance Ranges, Annette Evans, Evelyn M. Beaury, Peder S. Engelstad, Nathan B. Teich, Bethany A. Bradley

Data and Datasets

This file contains maps of current and future abundance suitable habitat for 144 invasive plant species in the United States. Each tiff file represents the current or future range prediction maps of habitat suitable for supporting abundant populations (greater than or equal to 5% cover) of 144 invasive plant taxa, projected across the lower 48 States of the United States. Each tiff file is named with the USDA species code (SpCode) (see '1Species_information_Nov15.xlsx' file for full species names), with species codes followed by .2c indicating maps related to future climatic conditions under a +2oC warming scenario. Areas predicted to be …

Data For "Breaking Down Barriers To Consistent, Climate-Smart Regulation Of Invasive Plants - A Case Study Of Northeast States", Bethany A. Bradley, Evelyn M. Beaury, Emily J. Fusco, Lara Munro, Carrie Brown-Lima, Benjamin Kesler, Nancy Olmstead, Jocelyn Parker

Data and Datasets

We evaluated regulatory weed risk assessment protocols for six northeast states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont) to identify potential barriers to 1) consistent regulated plant lists across state borders and 2) proactive regulation of species that are not yet present in the state (e.g., range-shifting invasive plant species). We present lists of evaluated, regulated, and range-shifting invasive species that northeast states could assess to achieve consistent and proactive regulation.

Breaking Down Barriers To Consistent, Climate-Smart Regulation Of Invasive Plants - A Case Study Of Northeast States, Bethany A. Bradley, Evelyn M. Beaury, Emily Fusco, Lara Munro, Carrie Brown-Lima, William Coville, Benjamin Kesler, Nancy Olmstead, Jocelyn Parker

Environmental Conservation Faculty Publication Series

Efforts to prevent the introduction and spread of new invasive plants are most effective when regulated species are consistent across jurisdictional boundaries and proactively prohibit species before they arrive or in the earliest stages of invasion. Consistent and proactive regulation is particularly important in the northeast U.S. which is susceptible to many new invasive plants due to climate change. Unfortunately, recent analyses of state regulated plant lists show that regulated species are neither consistent nor proactive. To understand why, we focus on two steps leading to invasive plant regulation across six northeast states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, …

Sleeper Species Database O'Uhuru Et. Al. 2022, Ayodelé O'Uhuru, Bethany A. Bradley, Toni Lyn Morelli

Data and Datasets

Thousands of non-native plant species have been introduced and naturalized outside of their native ranges. A small portion of these naturalized species go on to become invasive, spreading away from sites where they initially naturalized and causing negative ecological impacts. In some cases, abiotic limitations, such as cold temperatures, prevent naturalized species from becoming invasive within all or a portion of their non-native range. However, rising temperatures due to climate change could lead to rapid population growth of some naturalized populations, triggering new invasions of these ‘sleeper populations’. Here, we present a database of impact assessments for 179 species naturalized …

Model Data For 'The Paris Agreement And Climate Justice: Inequitable Impacts Of Sea Level Rise Associated With Temperature Targets', Shaina Sadai, Natalya Gomez, Robert Deconto

Data and Datasets

This is the data repository associated with the manuscript "The Paris Agreement and climate justice: inequitable impacts of sea level rise associated with temperature targets". The data contained here is related to the sea level rise fingerprints generated for the study. These include the projected sea level rise fingerprint data at years 2100, 2200, and 2300 under emissions scenarios RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. For RCP4.5 data are from ice sheet simulations which include marine ice sheet instability. For RCP8.5 data is presented for two scenarios- one which includes only marine ice sheet instability and one that includes both marine ice sheet …

Three Essays On The Political Economy Of Global Inaction On Climate Change, Tyler A. Hansen

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation contributes three essays exploring the political economy of global inaction on climate change. Chapter 1 asks whether climate stabilization means the end of capitalism. Two influential perspectives within environmental political economy—the “degrowth” perspective from ecological economics and the “revolution” perspective from ecological Marxism—answer in the affirmative. If they are right, climate policy programs within capitalism, like the Green New Deal, are non-solutions. I evaluate their arguments, concluding that while environmental sustainability in general likely requires moving beyond capitalism, climate stabilization in particular does not. Given the urgency of the climate crisis, I conclude the chapter by outlining a …

Climate Change And Impacts To Adventure Tourism On The Tatshenshini-Alsek River, John W. Colton Dr.

TTRA Canada 2021 Conference

No abstract provided.

Patterns And Mechanisms Of Intraspecific Trait Variation Across Thermal Gradients In A Marine Gastropod, Andrew R. Villeneuve

Masters Theses

As the earth’s climate changes due to anthropogenic emissions, it has increasingly become an imperative within the ecological community to understand existing species adaptations to climate change. Much focus has been paid to how a species might react to climate change, but the role of locally adapted traits and responsible environmental mechanisms have received less attention. Quantifying how sublethal (e.g. growth rates) and lethal (e.g. thermal tolerance) trait performance vary between populations can thus improve our understanding of how populations, and the entire species, will react to climate change. Here, I quantified the spatial patterns of performance of several traits …

The Role Of Vegetative Cover In Enhancing Resilience To Climate Change And Improving Public Health, Anastasia D. Ivanova

Masters Theses

Changing temperature and precipitation patterns are causing degraded soil, water, and air quality which is negatively affecting the safety and health of people, and the productivity of urban and rural communities. However, research shows that implementing urban forests and cover crops into urban and rural landscapes, respectively, can mitigate these effects by providing ecosystem services. As extreme precipitation and heat events continue to intensify, there is a need for comprehensively assessing these ecosystem services under changing climates and for this information to be easily accessible by communities for rapid land-use decision making. Therefore, I investigated the role of urban forests …

Getting The Message Across: Flexitarians As Messengers For Meat's Climate Change Impacts, Joel Ginn

Masters Theses

Meat consumption has been a prominent part of humanity’s dietary culture, particularly in modern, Western developed nations. However, recent research has shown that collectively reducing our consumption of animal products can have major benefits for mitigating our environmental footprint. Despite a consensus among climate scientists on its potential impact, the public does not recognize the effectiveness of this behavioral shift. Recent efforts to address this have created movements and organizations that focus on reduction of meat consumption (e.g. flexitarianism, reducetarianism, Meatless Mondays), rather than elimination of meat consumption (e.g. vegetarianism, veganism) with the intent of creating a more acceptable message, …

Plant Regulatory Lists In The U.S. Are Reactive And Inconsistent - Appendix 1, Evelyn M. Beaury, Emily J. Fusco, Jenica M. Allen, Bethany A. Bradley

Data and Datasets

This file includes supplemental information for Beaury, E.M.*, Fusco, E.J., Allen, J.M., Bradley, B.A. Plant regulatory lists in the U.S. are reactive and inconsistent. Journal of Applied Ecology. The file contains the sources for regulated plant lists, the lists themselves, and summarized findings of the study (whether taxa are listed proactively or as climate change proactive). Metadata are included in the file.

*corresponding author: Evelyn M. Beaury (ebeaury@umass.edu), 312B Holdsworth Hall, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01002.