Climate Change Adaptation of Geo-Structures in Europe: Emerging Issues and Future Steps

Climate change is already being felt in Europe, unequivocally affecting the regions’ geo-structures. Concern over this is rising, as reflected in the increasing number of studies on the subject. However, the majority of these studies focused only on slopes and on a limited geographical scope. In this paper, we attempted to provide a broader picture of potential climate change impacts on the geo-structures in Europe by gathering the collective view of geo-engineers and geo-scientists in several countries, and by considering different geo-structure types. We also investigated how geo-structural concerns are being addressed in national adaptation plans. We found that specific provisions for geo-structural adaptation are generally lacking and mainly come in the form of strategies for specific problems. In this regard, two common strategies are hazard/risk assessment and monitoring, which are mainly implemented in relation to slope stability. We recommend that in future steps, other geo-structures are likewise given attention, particularly those assessed as also potentially significantly affected by climate change. Countries considered in this study are mainly the member countries of the European Large Geotechnical Institutes Platform (ELGIP).

Predicting the current and future global distribution of the invasive freshwater hydrozoan Craspedacusta sowerbii

The freshwater jellyfish Craspedacusta sowerbii is one of the most widespread invasive species, but its global distribution remains uncertain due to ephemeral appearances and general lack of information in various aquatic environments. The aim of this study was to map current and future distributions (2050 and 2100) using Species Distribution Models allowing to visualize the habitat suitability and make projections of its changes under potential climate change scenarios. Except in Oceania where the range decreased, an expansion of C. sowerbii was projected during the next century under modeled future scenarios being most intensive during the first half of the century. The present study shows that the expansion of C. sowerbii worldwide would be facilitated mainly by precipitation, vapor pressure, and temperature. The predictions showed that this species over the eighty years will invade high-latitude regions in both hemispheres with ecological consequences in already threatened freshwater ecosystems.

Response of Northern Populations of Black Spruce and Jack Pine to Southward Seed Transfers: Implications for Climate Change

A variety of responses to climate change have been reported for northern tree populations, primarily from tree-ring and satellite-based studies. Here we employ provenance data to examine growth and survival responses of northern populations (defined here as those occurring north of 52° N) of black spruce (Picea mariana) and jack pine (Pinus banksiana) to southward seed transfers. This space for time substitution affords insights into potential climate change responses by these important northern tree species. Based on previous work, we anticipated relatively flat response curves that peak at much warmer temperatures than those found at seed source origin. These expectations were generally met for growth-related responses, with peak growth associated with seed transfers to environments with mean annual temperatures 2.2 and 3.6 °C warmer than seed source origin for black spruce and jack pine, respectively. These findings imply that northern tree populations harbor a significant amount of resilience to climate warming. However, survival responses told a different story, with both species exhibiting reduced survival rates when moved to warmer and drier environments. Together with the growth-based results, these findings suggest that the warmer and drier conditions expected across much of northern Canada under climate change may reduce survival, but surviving trees may grow at a faster rate up until a certain magnitude of climate warming has been reached. We note that all relationships had high levels of unexplained variation, underlining the many factors that may influence provenance study outcomes and the challenges in predicting tree responses to climate change. Despite certain limitations, we feel that the provenance data employed here provide valuable insights into potential climate change outcomes for northern tree populations.

Diversity of nematodes on banana (Musa spp.) in Kenya linked to altitude and with a focus on the pathogenicity of Pratylenchus goodeyi

Summary Bananas (Musa spp.) are considered the most important fruit crop in Kenya, grown mostly by smallholder farmers. However, in the past two decades production has declined and has largely been attributed to plant pathogens, including plant-parasitic nematodes. To assess the understanding and awareness that banana farmers have of nematodes, a survey was conducted. The incidence, abundance and distribution of nematodes in relation to altitude were determined for different banana types on 180 farms and the pathogenicity of Pratylenchus goodeyi, originating from three different altitudinal locations, was compared on two banana cultivars. Just 2.3% of farmers were aware of nematode damage and symptoms, none of whom applied any management measures. The highest abundance of nematodes was recorded at an altitude range of 1601-2000 m a.s.l., with Pratylenchus, Meloidogyne and Helicotylenchus being the predominant genera. Across all altitudinal locations, cooking banana had higher densities of nematodes than dessert bananas. In pots, P. goodeyi populations from Embu (1300 m a.s.l.) appeared more aggressive and with higher levels of multiplication than the population from Oyugis (1100 m a.s.l.). Cooking banana (‘Ng’ombe’) was more susceptible than dessert banana (‘Sukari Ndizi’). Nematode damage is more prominent in areas at higher altitude and on cooking banana cultivars. The findings provide key information in guiding informed and suitable management decision thresholds in relation to potential climate change.

Erratum: Mostafa et al. Potential Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources in Egypt. Water 2021, 13, 1715

In the original article, there were mistakes in Figure 7 and Figure 9 as published [...]

Comprehensive dataset of shotgun metagenomes from oxygen stratified freshwater lakes and ponds

Stratified lakes and ponds featuring steep oxygen gradients are significant net sources of greenhouse gases and hotspots in the carbon cycle. Despite their significant biogeochemical roles, the microbial communities, especially in the oxygen depleted compartments, are poorly known. Here, we present a comprehensive dataset including 267 shotgun metagenomes from 41 stratified lakes and ponds mainly located in the boreal and subarctic regions, but also including one tropical reservoir and one temperate lake. For most lakes and ponds, the data includes a vertical sample set spanning from the oxic surface to the anoxic bottom layer. The majority of the samples were collected during the open water period, but also a total of 29 samples were collected from under the ice. In addition to the metagenomic sequences, the dataset includes environmental variables for the samples, such as oxygen, nutrient and organic carbon concentrations. The dataset is ideal for further exploring the microbial taxonomic and functional diversity in freshwater environments and potential climate change impacts on the functioning of these ecosystems.

Differential Sensitivities of Electricity Consumption to Global Warming Across Regions of Argentina

The description of the relationship between temperature (T) and electricity consumption (EC) is key to improve our understanding of a potential climate change amplification feedback and, thus, energy planning. We sought to characterize the relationship between the EC and daily T of different regions of Argentina and use these historical relationships to estimate expected EC under T future scenarios. We used a time series approach to model, remove trends and seasonality of EC accounting for breaks and discontinuities. EC and T data were obtained from Argentine Wholesale Market Administrator Company and global databases, respectively. We evaluated the T-EC model for the period between 1997 and 2014 and two sub-periods: 1997–2001 and 2011–2014. We used modelled temperature projections for the 2027–2044 period based on the Representative Pathway Concentration 4.5 together with our region specific T-EC models to predict changes in EC due to T changes. The shape of the T-EC relationships was quite stable between periods and regions but varied according to the temperature gradient. We found large increases in EC in warm days (from 40 to 126 Wh/cap/ºC) and a region specific response to cold days (from flat to steep responses). The T at which EC was minimum varied between 14 and 20°C and increased in time as mean daily T also increased. Estimated temperature projections translate into an average increase factor of 7.2 in EC with contrasting relative importance between regions of Argentina. Results highlight potential sensitivity of EC to T in the developing countries.

Climate Change Impact in Flores Island, a Dry Region in Indonesia

Climate change impacts have gained great attention to be studied in various fields. In this paper, an investigation of rainfall pattern change is performed using three statistical methods, i.e., simple linear regression, t-test, and Mann-Kendall’s test. The analysis is performed at 10- and 20-year time scales of daily, monthly, and annual rainfall in Flores Island, a dry region in Indonesia. In general, an increasing monthly rainfall trend is detected in the rainy season (October – April) at a 20-year period, using all three methods. Specifically, a significant increasing trend in March 1989 – 2008 is observed, and it contributes to the significant increasing trend of annual rainfall. The findings presented in this paper should be an alert for potential climate change impacts in the region. The positive consideration of having more rainfall in a dry region might turn into a negative reality when adaptation measures are not well-prepared.