HR: 15:10h
AN: B53E-07    [Abstracts]
TI: Thresholds of Climate Change in Ecosystems - Synthesis and Assessment
AU: * Charles, C
EM: colleen_charles@usgs.gov
AF: U.S. Geological Survey, 12202 Sunrise Valley Dr, Reston, VA 22019, United States
AU: Fagre, D
EM: dan_fagre@usgs.gov
AF: USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Glacier National Park, West Glacier, MT 59936, United States
AB: The Global Change Research Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-606) calls for the periodic assessment of the impacts of global environmental change in the U.S. The U.S. Climate Change Science Program is helping to meet the fundamental need of providing a periodic synthesis and assessment of cumulative knowledge and the evaluation of the implication of that knowledge for scientific research and policy formulation through a series of 21 "synthesis and assessment products"(SAP). The SAPs will integrate research results focused on important issues and questions frequently raised by decision makers. SAP 4.2: Thresholds of Change in Ecosystems is addressing and synthesizing the present state of scientific understanding regarding potential abrupt state changes or regime shifts in ecosystems in response to climate change. Issues to be addressed include recognizing thresholds of climate changes; are thresholds commonly crossed in Nature; identifying appropriate ecological variables or indicators for measuring such changes; effectively ‘managing' and or adapting to thresholds and state changes; and our ability to recognize sudden changes in ecosystems with varying spatial and time scales of observation and analysis. The process followed and progress to date will be presented.
DE: 1630 Impacts of global change (1225)
SC: Biogeosciences [B]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting