No description available.

The climate of the Earth is expected to warm due to increasing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide (CO 2). The impact of this change on terrestrial ecosystems is uncertain, yet these ecosystems contain three times more carbon (C) than the atmosphere and could considerably augment anthropogenic CO2 emissions. This thesis aimed to quantify the terrestrial C stored in an area of Pennine moorland and predict its response to changes in climate and management. The area of soil and vegetation types was determined using existing maps of the study site and a geographical information system. Vegetation C was assessed using results from published productivity studies, and soil C was evaluated from a programme of field sampling. Most C was contained in peat soils and comparison of the results with the UK's national C inventory identified inaccuracies in the national values. The impact of sheep grazing and moorland burning on C storage was investigated by utilising long-term experiments at the site. Areas where sheep had been excluded for forty years were compared to grazed areas and burning was investigated using a randomised block experiment. Grazing had little impact on terrestrial C storage, but regular burning significantly reduced C sequestration in peats. The response of the C store to climate change was investigated by i) determining the impact of past climate on C storage and ii) developing a predictive model by measuring the underlying processes of C input and output in the ecosystem. Both approaches illustrated the sensitivity of the ecosystems C balance to climate, suggesting that global warming will reduce C accumulation at the site and, therefore, augment atmospheric CO 2 concentrations. The novel use of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy to characterise peat samples was also demonstrated, indicating opportunities for application of this technique in palaeoecological studies of peats.

This thesis examines children’s (aged 11-12) ideas about climate change. Seventh grade children in 9 schools in Ontario were interviewed and submitted illustrated responses about climate change over a one year period of data collection. Qualitative grounded theory was used to allow themes from the data to emerge, and the use of computer software, NVivo7, was used to code and classify themes. The data were analyzed to answer three main research questions. First, the thesis explored if there were common similarities or differences between the children’s and adults’ responses (as gained from the literature). Second, children’s responses were grouped by geographical location. These locations included rural, urban, and suburban school. This was conducted in order to determine if any group differences exist among children in these three areas. The study found that children’s and adults perceptions are quite similar, and that in some situations, both groups tend to use substitution of other environmental knowledge (cultural models) in lieu of knowledge of climate change but that children also tended to use different cultural models to explain their ideas about climate change. The thesis concluded that no group differences existed among rural, urban, and suburban children and children in all groups tended to have much more detailed knowledge of mitigation strategies than the effects and causes of climate change. The thesis also concluded that a new educational framework, modeled after the Causes, Effects, and Mitigation Strategies of Climate Change (CEM Framework) ought to be used to redistribute this knowledge across these three areas.

Climate change is a type of prisoner’s dilemma. Reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are a public good and are costly to provide. Consequently, nation-states generally have done little to curb their emissions. Countries could be encouraged to reduce their emissions if the international community of states were to sanction, or the world were to shame, states that did not act. However, financial and technological aid is more likely to induce states to impose tougher restrictions on GHG emissions. In order for Copenhagen to precipitate major action on climate change the treaty must either compel countries to fulfill their obligations or assist states in transitioning their economies away from fossil fuels toward alternative energy sources. If the treaty fails to do both of these things then we can only hope that the largest producers of greenhouse gases either take steps to reduce their emissions voluntarily or are forced to take action in response to domestic pressure from their citizens and/or sub-national governments. Otherwise, we will have no choice but to adapt to an increasingly warmer planet and the consequences thereof.

This study addresses the need for an improved approach to the resettlement of communities threatened with environmental hazards. Such an approach will become increasingly important in adapting to the predicted effects of climate change. The focus is upon coastal communities in developing countries as they extremely vulnerable to the effects of sea-level rise and enhanced storm activity. Resettlement is identified as the adaptation approach with the most potential for vulnerability reduction and ecosystem rehabilitation.

<p> College football stadiums host anywhere from 15,000 to 115,000 people each Saturday from late summer to early winter and leave fans exposed to ambient conditions. Amplified heat from stadium infrastructure substantially impact attendants&rsquo; thermal comfort. In order to assess personal heat exposure and mitigate exposure misclassification, temperature and relative humidity sensors (iButtons) were placed throughout Mississippi State University&rsquo;s Davis Wade Stadium during the 2016 Football Season. iButton measurements established a micro-climate and compared its readings to the Soil Climate Analysis Network site 1.2 miles north of the stadium. The program RayMan Pro modeled a Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) micro-climate to create an individualized heat metric. The results of this study assess stadium occupants&rsquo; thermal comfort through Heat Index and PET. Heat-related health outcomes were examined regarding thermal comfort and the stadium micro-climate using data from the stadium&rsquo;s EMS calls and First Aid stations during game days. </p><p>

This study examines the importance of short-term climate variability when simulating forest succession using ecological process models. A version of the FORSKA2 forest gap model was modified for use with daily climate data and applied along a transect of sites crossing the boreal region in central Canada, including the aspen-parkland and forest-tundra ecotones where impacts of climatic change on forest ecosystems could be particularly significant. The model's sensitivity to forcing with daily climate observations compared to monthly mean and long term averages of monthly mean climate data was investigated. Inclusion of daily climate (minimum and maximum temperature and total precipitation) improved the simulations of key characteristics of present-day forest along the transect, and was particularly important at the ecotones. The results demonstrate that changes in variability associated with future change in mean climate are likely to be important when trying to predict boreal forest responses to projected future climate change. Ideally, the use of projected daily climate data or data based on the statistical characteristics of daily climate is highly recommended for future impact studies. A number of approaches to further improve the functioning of the model are also presented.

<p> How do firms adapt to the intensity of adverse conditions stemming from the natural environment (ecological adversity intensity)? In this dissertation, I develop several lines of inquiry in exploring this question. First, I seek to contribute to generally diverging perspectives on organizational adaptation, which view firms as either inherently constrained or capable of continuous adaptation to fit their environment. To do this, I examine the conditions under which firms are more likely to adapt to different levels of ecological adversity intensity. My findings from a 13-year longitudinal analysis of western U.S. ski resorts&rsquo; adaptation to temperature conditions indicate that firms facing moderate ecological adversity intensity appear more likely to engage in higher adaptation levels while those experiencing low and high ecological adversity intensity show a tendency for lower adaptation levels. That is, both diverging perspectives may predict part of firms&rsquo; adaptive responses to ecological adversity intensity. My findings also suggest firms may encounter limits to adaptation when facing increasing ecological adversity intensity. I also undertake a post hoc exploration of firm and institutional environment level factors that may moderate the relationship between ecological adversity intensity and firm adaptation. Second, I use an interdisciplinary approach that draws from resilience theory in socioecology to suggest that the existing conceptualization of organizational resilience could be expanded to include transformative change, which may allow firms to mitigate the operational impacts of reaching adaptation limits. Third, I also consider the resilience implications of the interdependency between firms and the broader ecosystems in which they operate. I conclude with potential avenues for future research in this area.</p><p>

No description available.

<p> This research investigates the existence of and potential challenges to the development of a transdisciplinary approach to the climate change mitigation technology research focusing on carbon dioxide capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) in North America. The unprecedented challenge of global climate change is one that invites a transdisciplinary approach. The challenge of climate change mitigation requires an understanding of multiple disciplines, as well as the role that complexity, post-normal or post-modern science, and uncertainty play in combining these various disciplines. </p><p> This research followed the general discourse of transdisciplinarity as described by Klein (2014) and Augsburg (2016) which describe it as using transcendence, problem solving, and transgression to address wicked, complex societal problems, and as taught by California School of Transdisciplinarity, where the research focuses on sustainability in the age of post-normal science (Funtowicz &amp; Ravetz, 1993). </p><p> Through the use of electronic surveys and semi-structured interviews, members of the North American climate change mitigation research community shared their views and understanding of transdisciplinarity (Kvale &amp; Brinkmann, 2009). The data indicate that much of the research currently being conducted by members of the North American CCUS research community is in fact <i>transdisciplinary.</i> What is most intriguing is the manner in which researchers arrived at their current understanding of transdisciplinarity, which is in many cases without any foreknowledge or use of the term transdisciplinary. </p><p> The data reveals that in many cases the researchers now understand that this transdisciplinary approach is borne out of personal beliefs or emotion, social or societal aspects, their educational process, the way in which they communicate, and in most cases, the CCUS research itself, that require this transdisciplinary approach, but had never thought about giving it a name or understanding its origin or dimensions. Much of this new knowledge has come from the analysis and understanding of the Tier 1, Tier 2 and Emergent traits of the transdisciplinarian.</p><p>