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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Bryophyte Species Composition Over Moisture Gradients In The Windmill Islands, East Antarctica: Development Of A Baseline For Monitoring Climate Change Impacts, J Wasley, S A. Robinson, J D. Turnbull, D H. King, W Wanek, M Popp Oct 2012

Bryophyte Species Composition Over Moisture Gradients In The Windmill Islands, East Antarctica: Development Of A Baseline For Monitoring Climate Change Impacts, J Wasley, S A. Robinson, J D. Turnbull, D H. King, W Wanek, M Popp

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Extreme environmental conditions prevail on the Antarctic continent and limit plant diversity to cryptogamic communities, dominated by bryophytes and lichens. Even small abiotic shifts, associated with climate change, are likely to have pronounced impacts on these communities that currently exist at their physiological limit of survival. Changes to moisture availability, due to precipitation shifts or alterations to permanent snow reserves, will most likely cause greatest impact. In order to establish a baseline for determining the effect of climate change on continental Antarctic terrestrial communities and to better understand bryophyte species distributions in relation to moisture in a floristically important Antarctic …


Seed Bank Persistence And Climate Change, Mark K. J Ooi Feb 2012

Seed Bank Persistence And Climate Change, Mark K. J Ooi

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

"The strong mechanistic relationship between climatic factors and seed dormancy and germination suggests that forecast climatic changes will significantly affect seed bank persistence. This review focuses on the potential impact of changing temperature, rainfall and fire regimes on the longevity of long-term persistent seed-banks. Currently, there are few studies investigating the mechanistic responses of demographic processes, such as seed-bank dynamics, to forecast climate change. However, from the work that has been published, several key points have been highlighted. First, increased air temperatures will produce significantly higher soil temperatures in open and sparsely vegetated habitats. Some evidence shows that this could …


Radiocarbon Bomb Spike Reveals Biological Effects Of Antarctic Climate Change, Laurence J Clarke, Sharon A. Robinson, Quan Hua, David J. Ayre, David Fink Jan 2012

Radiocarbon Bomb Spike Reveals Biological Effects Of Antarctic Climate Change, Laurence J Clarke, Sharon A. Robinson, Quan Hua, David J. Ayre, David Fink

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

The Antarctic has experienced major changes in temperature, wind speed and stratospheric ozone levels during thelast 50 years. However, until recently continental Antarctica appeared to be little impacted by climate warming, thusbiological changes were predicted to be relatively slow. Detecting the biological effects of Antarctic climate changehas been hindered by the paucity of long-term data sets, particularly for organisms that have been exposed to thesechanges throughout their lives. We show that radiocarbon signals are preserved along shoots of the dominant Antarcticmoss flora and use these to determine accurate growth rates over a period of several decades, allowing us toexplore the …


Manipulating Thermal Stress On Rocky Shores To Predict Patterns Of Recruitment Of Marine Invertebrates Under A Changing Climate, Justin A. Lathlean, Todd E. Minchinton Jan 2012

Manipulating Thermal Stress On Rocky Shores To Predict Patterns Of Recruitment Of Marine Invertebrates Under A Changing Climate, Justin A. Lathlean, Todd E. Minchinton

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

For rocky intertidal organisms, temperature is often considered the most influential factor governing early survival and growth. Nevertheless, our review of the literature revealed that few studies have manipulated temperatures in the field to test for effects on these critical early life history processes. Here, we present the results from a novel manipulation of substratum temperature using settlement plates of different colour (black, grey and white) and infrared measurements of temperature to test hypotheses that temperature influences the early survival and growth of recent settlers of the intertidal barnacle Tesseropora rosea. Mean surface temperatures of black and grey plates …


Becoming Differently Modern: Geographic Contributions To A Generative Climate Politics, Lesley M. Head, Christopher R. Gibson Jan 2012

Becoming Differently Modern: Geographic Contributions To A Generative Climate Politics, Lesley M. Head, Christopher R. Gibson

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Anthropogenic climate change is a quintessentially modern problem in its historical origins and discursive framing, but how well does modernist thinking provide us with the tools to solve the problems it created? On one hand even though anthropogenic climate change is argued to be a problem of human origins, solutions to which will require human actions and engagements, modernity separates people from climate change in a number of ways. On the other, while amodern or more-than-human concepts of multiple and relational agency are more consistent with the empirical evidence of humans being deeply embedded in earth surface processes, these approaches …


Meteorological Modes Of Variability For Fine Particulate Matter (Pm2.5) Air Quality In The United States: Implications For Pm2.5 Sensitivity To Climate Change, A. P K. Tai, L J. Mickley, D J. Jacob, E M. Leibensperger, L Zhang, J A. Fisher, H. O T. Pye Jan 2012

Meteorological Modes Of Variability For Fine Particulate Matter (Pm2.5) Air Quality In The United States: Implications For Pm2.5 Sensitivity To Climate Change, A. P K. Tai, L J. Mickley, D J. Jacob, E M. Leibensperger, L Zhang, J A. Fisher, H. O T. Pye

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

We applied a multiple linear regression model to understand the relationships of PM2.5 with meteorological variables in the contiguous US and from there to infer the sensitivity of PM2.5 to climate change. We used 2004–2008 PM2.5 observations from ~1000 sites (~200 sites for PM2.5 components) and compared to results from the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model (CTM). All data were deseasonalized to focus on synoptic-scale correlations. We find strong positive correlations of PM2.5 components with temperature in most of the US, except for nitrate in the Southeast where the correlation is negative. Relative humidity (RH) is …


Environmental Effects Of Ozone Depletion And Its Interactions With Climate Change: Progress Report, 2011, Anthony L. Andrady, Pieter J. Aucamp, Amy T. Austin, Alkiviadis F. Bais, Carlos L. Ballare, Lars Olof Bjorn, Janet F. Bornman, Martyn Caldwell, Anthony P. Cullen, David J. Erickson, Frank R. De Gruijl, Donat-P Hader, Walter Helbling, Mohammad Ilyas, Janice Longstreth, Robyn Lucas, Richard L. Mckenzie, Sasha Madronich, Mary Norval, Nigel D. Paul, Halim Redhwi, Sharon Robinson, Min Shao, Keith R. Solomon, Barbara Sulzberger, Yukio Takizawa, Xiaoyan Tang, Ayako Torikai, Jan C. Van Der Leun, Craig Williamson, Stephen R. Wilson, Robert C. Worrest, Richard G. Zepp Jan 2012

Environmental Effects Of Ozone Depletion And Its Interactions With Climate Change: Progress Report, 2011, Anthony L. Andrady, Pieter J. Aucamp, Amy T. Austin, Alkiviadis F. Bais, Carlos L. Ballare, Lars Olof Bjorn, Janet F. Bornman, Martyn Caldwell, Anthony P. Cullen, David J. Erickson, Frank R. De Gruijl, Donat-P Hader, Walter Helbling, Mohammad Ilyas, Janice Longstreth, Robyn Lucas, Richard L. Mckenzie, Sasha Madronich, Mary Norval, Nigel D. Paul, Halim Redhwi, Sharon Robinson, Min Shao, Keith R. Solomon, Barbara Sulzberger, Yukio Takizawa, Xiaoyan Tang, Ayako Torikai, Jan C. Van Der Leun, Craig Williamson, Stephen R. Wilson, Robert C. Worrest, Richard G. Zepp

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

The parties to the Montreal Protocol are informed by three panels of experts. One of these is the Environmental Effects Assessment Panel (EEAP), which deals with two focal issues. The first focus is the effects of increased UV radiation on human health, animals, plants, biogeochemistry, air quality, and materials. The second focus is on interactions between UV radiation and global climate change and how these may affect humans and the environment. When considering the effects of climate change, it has become clear that processes resulting in changes in stratospheric ozone are more complex than believed previously. As a result of …


Incorporating Estuaries As A Source Or Sink Of Sediment Within Assessments Of Coastline Risk And Adaptation To Climate Change, K Rogers, C D. Woodroffe Jan 2012

Incorporating Estuaries As A Source Or Sink Of Sediment Within Assessments Of Coastline Risk And Adaptation To Climate Change, K Rogers, C D. Woodroffe

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Complex coastal landforms exhibit variable behaviour in response to sea-level rise. A proposed modelling framework that integrates shoreline changes associated with longterm recession, short-term variability and sea-level rise advocates that coastal risk assessment be undertaken within the context of a geomorphologically-based modelling framework whereby a coastline is subdivided into coastal compartments or cells, thereby recognising the sedimentary links between compartments. For example, the Narrabeen coastline includes bounding headland compartments, a bay compartment and an estuary compartment; and the behaviour of the coastline varies according to the response of each of these compartments to variable climatic and oceanic conditions. This approach …


Will Climate Severity Ever Lead To Climate Action? Implications For Adaptation Policy And Practice, Bastian Seidel, Erica Bell Jan 2012

Will Climate Severity Ever Lead To Climate Action? Implications For Adaptation Policy And Practice, Bastian Seidel, Erica Bell

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

No abstract provided.


Implementation Of A Motivational Climate - Classroom Or Physical Education Teachers: Examination Of Preservice Teachers Ability To Implement A Motivational Climate Within Physical Education, Dana J. Perlman, Kim Mckeen Jan 2012

Implementation Of A Motivational Climate - Classroom Or Physical Education Teachers: Examination Of Preservice Teachers Ability To Implement A Motivational Climate Within Physical Education, Dana J. Perlman, Kim Mckeen

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The purpose of this study was to examine the differences between preservice classroom and physical education teachers ability to implement a motivational climate. A total of 51 preservice teachers were enrolled in an elementary physical education methods course for (a) classroom teachers or (b) physical education specialists. Data were collected using a systematic observation instrument during their course field experience. Analysis of data utilized a one-way MANOVA with follow-up univariate ANOVAs to examine group differences. Results indicated that preservice physical education teachers were significantly more able to apply principles that developed a positive motivational climate.


The Role Of Beyond Zero Emissions In The Australian Climate Debate, Adam Robert Lucas Jan 2012

The Role Of Beyond Zero Emissions In The Australian Climate Debate, Adam Robert Lucas

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

Early in 2011, the Journal of Australian Political Economy (JAPE) published a special issue titled, ‘Challenging Climate Change’. It brought together a number of papers by climate change researchers and activists who had been invited during 2009 to contribute their perspectives to a one-day forum covering four different aspects of the climate change debate: carbon markets and the regulation of renewable energy; technological pathways toward sustainability versus a low-tech, ecosufficiency future; climate justice; and the experiences of a variety of environmental NGOs in campaigning for policy reform (Goodman & Rosewarne, 2011: 7). The aim of the forum and those who …


Development And Validation Of A Concept Inventory For Introductory-Level Climate Change Science, Lorna Jarrett, Brian Ferry, George Takacs Jan 2012

Development And Validation Of A Concept Inventory For Introductory-Level Climate Change Science, Lorna Jarrett, Brian Ferry, George Takacs

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

This paper follows on from Jarrett, Takacs and Ferry (2011) which reported the first stage in development of a high school level concept inventory (CI) for the science of climate change: the climate change concept inventory (CCCI). In order to develop a reliable and valid instrument, it is necessary to follow appropriate procedures. This paper details the process of CI item development; reports statistical results of initial field trials and outlines how these will be used to further refine the CCCI. Item difficulty, discrimination, and point biserial coefficient were calculated for each item. Cronbach's alpha and test-retest data were used …


Climate Change And Displacement: Multidisciplinary Perspectives - Book Review, Carol Farbotko Jan 2012

Climate Change And Displacement: Multidisciplinary Perspectives - Book Review, Carol Farbotko

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

In the small but growing field of research into climate change and migration, there is much debate about terms. Attempts to definitively count the numbers or pinpoint the characteristics of 'climate refugees' are being discarded in favour of more nuanced descriptors, such as climate-induced migration, that are better attuned to the agency and complexity of populations on the move in a warming world. The choice of the word 'displacement' in the title of this book, therefore, reveals much about its editor's intent.


Climate Change And Rural Child Health: Results And New Directions From An International Collaboration, Bastian Seidel Jan 2012

Climate Change And Rural Child Health: Results And New Directions From An International Collaboration, Bastian Seidel

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

No abstract provided.


Climate Change, Fuel And Fire Behaviour In A Eucalypt Forest, Stuart Matthews, Andrew L. Sullivan, Penny Watson, Richard J. Williams Jan 2012

Climate Change, Fuel And Fire Behaviour In A Eucalypt Forest, Stuart Matthews, Andrew L. Sullivan, Penny Watson, Richard J. Williams

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

A suite of models was used to examine the links between climate, fuels and fire behaviour in dry eucalypt forests in south-eastern Australia. Predictions from a downscaled climate model were used to drive models of fuel amount, the moisture content of fuels and two models of forest fire behaviour at a location in western Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. We found that a warming and drying climate produced lower fine fuel amounts, but greater availability of this fuel to burn due to lower moisture contents. Changing fuel load had only a small effect on fuel moisture. A warmer, drier …


The First Climate Refugees? Contesting Global Narratives Of Climate Change In Tuvalu, Carol Farbotko, Heather Lazrus Jan 2012

The First Climate Refugees? Contesting Global Narratives Of Climate Change In Tuvalu, Carol Farbotko, Heather Lazrus

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Climate change effects such as sea-level rise are almost certain. What these outcomes mean for different populations, however, is far less certain. Climate change is both a narrative and material phenomenon. In so being, understanding climate change requires broad conceptualisations that incorporate multiple voices and recognise the agency of vulnerable populations. In climate change discourse, climate mobility is often characterised as the production of 'refugees', with a tendency to discount long histories of ordinary mobility among affected populations. The case of Tuvalu in the Pacific juxtaposes migration as everyday practice with climate refugee narratives. This climate-exposed population is being problematically …