Migrating songbirds feeling global warming impacts

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

New evidence that a changing climate is disrupting feeding and breeding cycles of migrating birds

Purple martins and other songbirds may not be able to keep up with a changing climate. Photo courtesy USFWS.

Purple martins and other migrating songbirds may not be able to keep up with a changing climate. Photo courtesy USFWS.

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — In another sign that climate disruption will have cascading effect on ecosystems, researchers with York University have shown how migrating songbirds are affected by warmer spring temperatures in the northern hemisphere.

In a five-year study, biologists used tiny geolocator ‘backpacks” to track purple martins from their winter habitat in South America to breeding sites in eastern North America. The birds consistently left South America at the same time each year, not having any idea that warmer spring temperatures at their breeding sites was affecting the availability of food. (more…)

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EPA takes small step toward addressing ocean acidification

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
A pteropod shell damaged by corrosive water. Photo courtesy British Antarctic Survey.

A pteropod shell damaged by corrosive water. Photo courtesy British Antarctic Survey.

Work group to discuss possible new water quality standards that would help assess acidification threats

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — The EPA is taking a step toward tackling the issue of ocean acidification, which is leading toward a huge marine biodiversity catastrophe. The agency recently said it will task a panel of scientists to discuss a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity that requests new water quality standards to enable better detection and monitoring of acidification.

Some of the carbon dioxide pollution in the atmosphere is finding its way to the seas, where it’s changing the basic chemistry of the water and starting to have an impact on corals, shelfish and other marine organisms. One recent study showed exactly how ocean acidification is dissolving the shells of tiny sea snails in the Southern Ocean.

The federal government also has an interagency working group, with scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other agencies working on the issue. (more…)

Filed under: Environment, global warming, Marine biology, biodiversity, climate and weather, ocean conservation | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Global warming will decimate California’s native fish

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

UC Davis study says more than 80 percent of state’s native fish species could be extinct within 100 years

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UC Davis Professor Peter Moyle holds a pike minnow. Photo courtesy UC Davis.

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — Climate change could drive more than 80 percent of California’s native fish to extinction in the next 100 years. Many species will be replaced by non-native fish and others will simply disappear, according to a new study by scientists from the Center for Watershed Sciences at the University of California, Davis.

The study, published online in May in the journal PLOS ONE, assessed how vulnerable each freshwater species in California is to climate change and estimated the likelihood that those species would become extinct in 100 years.

“If present trends continue, much of the unique California fish fauna will disappear and be replaced by alien fishes, such as carp, largemouth bass, fathead minnows and green sunfish,” said Peter Moyle, a professor of fish biology at UC Davis who has been documenting the biology and status of California fish for the past 40 years. (more…)

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Environment: Endangered sea turtles’ feeding grounds overlap with degraded areas in the Gulf of Mexico

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
Photo: Kim Bassos-Hull, Mote Marine Laboratory

A Kemp’s ridley sea turtle. Photo courtesy Kim Bassos-Hull, Mote Marine Laboratory.

Federal study may help conservation efforts

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — While Kemp’s ridley sea turtles mostly nest in protected areas, they may still be subject to threats in their key feeding grounds, according to National Park Service and U.S. Geological Survey researchers.

After tracking the turtles for 13 years, biologists found that the favored feeding grounds of the endangered turtles coincide with some Gulf of Mexico waters that are subject to oil spills, extensive commercial fishing and oxygen depletion.

The study is the first to offer details on foraging locations and migration patterns of the Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, considered to be the most endangered hard shell sea turtle in the world. (more…)

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Biodiversity: Frogs, toads and salamanders vanishing fast

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

New study tracks alarming rate of population decline, spurs call for immediate conservation action

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Boreal toads have all but disappeared from parts of the Rocky Mountains. Photo courtesy USFWS.

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — The sudden decline of boreal toad populations in Colorado during the past couple of decades took state researchers by surprise, but it turns out that it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Globally, the loss of amphibian species has sent shock waves rippling through aquatic ecosystems and there’s no sign the decline is slowing down, according to U.S. Geological Survey scientists, who recently set out to measure amphibian losses in the United States. (more…)

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Shifting climate zones portend massive ecosystem upheaval

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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Polar regions are the Earth’s fastest-changing climatic zones. Photo courtesy Leigh Wadden.

For every 2 degrees of warming, 5 percent of the Earth’s land surface shifts to a new climate zone

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Many plants and animals are already have a tough time keeping up with rapid changes in their habitat due to global warming, and there are signs that even greater ecosystem climate upheaval is ahead.

Shifts in the Earth’s climate zones are accelerating, which means species inhabiting each zone will have less time to adapt to the climatic changes, according to a new study led by CIRES scientists.

“The warmer climate gets, the faster the climate zones are shifting.  This could make it harder for plants and animals to adjust,” said lead author CIRES scientist Irina Mahlstein, who works at NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colo. (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, climate and weather, Environment, global warming | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Climate: Are Rio Grande cutthroat trout living on the edge?

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

New study adds wealth of temperature and streamflow data to help guide cutthroat trout management and conservation decisions

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A Rio Grande cutthroat trout. Photo courtesy Andrew Todd.

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — Some of southern Colorado’s Rio Grande cutthroat trout are likely living on the edge of the climate cliff and will have a hard time surviving as global temperatures rise.

Flows are already very low in many streams where the rare fish live, so even a small change in flow could push some populations into the abyss. The long-term global warming forecast by most climate models could render many mainstem, connecting habitats unsuitable for the fish, which survive best in a narrow temperature range, according to a new study by U.S. Geological Survey scientists. (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, climate and weather, Colorado, Drought, endangered species, Environment, global warming | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Whales can die a slow death when tangled in fishing gear

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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North Atlantic right whales. Photo courtesy NOAA.

New study measures effects of entanglement

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Stray fishing gear has long been a problem in the ocean, and a new collaborative study shows exactly how whales struggle when they get wrapped up in abandoned lines. By carefully tracking tangled whales, the scientists documented how the predicament hinders whales’ ability to eat and migrate, depletes their energy as they drag gear for months or years, and can result in a slow death. (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, endangered species, Environment, Marine biology, ocean conservation | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Biodiversity: Scientists slam feds on possible wolf de-listing

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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Wolves are recovered in Yellowstone, but a possible plan to take them off the Endangered Species List is highly controversial. Photo courtesy Yellowstone NP.

Leaked plan doesn’t live up to intent of Endangered Species Act

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — A group of prominent scientists with expertise in wolf biology is taking issue with a draft plan to take wolves off the Endangered Species List. The document was leaked a few weeks ago, eliciting widespread criticism from wildlife advocates.

Federal wildlife agencies are under intense pressure from states to turn over wolf management. Congress has already set the stage for political interference in the wolf recovery process, and that step has put the the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service at the edge of a very slippery slope. Any proposal to de-list wolves is likely to face significant opposition and legal challenges from conservation advocates. (more…)

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Federal judge says Forest Service must consider critical habitat designations in regional forest plan guidance for lynx

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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Federal agencies rebuked for violating Endangered Species Act. Photo courtesy USFWS.

Decision will trigger new reviews of forest plans and projects in northern Rockies

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — The U.S. Forest Service has once again been called out for failing to live up to its legal obligations to protect endangered species, this time by a federal judge in Montana, who ruled last week that the agency violated the Endangered Species Act when it failed to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on a regional forest plan amendment.

Dana L. Christensen, chief judge for the U.S. District Court for the State of Montana, ordered the Forest Service to re-initiate consultation, but did not block any specific projects on the affected forests, saying that plaintiffs couldn’t show any “irreparable harm.” (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, endangered species, Environment, public lands, Uncategorized, US Forest Service | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

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