Seasick: Why Value Ecosystems Severely Threatened by Sea-Level Rise?
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Seasick: Why Value Ecosystems Severely Threatened by Sea-Level Rise? Elizabeth C. Braun de Torrez 1 & Catherine F. Frock 1 & Wesley W. Boone IV 1
&
Adia R. Sovie 1,2 & Robert A. McCleery 1
Received: 7 April 2020 / Revised: 8 September 2020 / Accepted: 8 October 2020 # Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation 2020
Abstract Climate change will alter natural areas on a global scale within the next century. In areas vulnerable to climate change, scientists are regularly challenged to justify the resources needed for research and conservation. We face what may seem like a losing battle, especially in low-lying coastal areas where sea-level rise is predicted to severely degrade or destroy many ecosystems. Using sea-level rise in the low-elevation state of Florida, USA, as a case study, we argue that it is critical to remain engaged in the research, restoration, and conservation of natural areas threatened by climate change for as long as possible. These areas will continue to provide invaluable ecological and societal benefits. Additionally, uncertainty surrounding climate change forecasts and their ecological impact leaves room for optimism, research, and actions that are necessary for developing adaptation plans and mitigating further sea-level rise and other consequences of climate change. We urge scientists and particularly students beginning their careers not to forego research and conservation efforts of these imperiled lands but to face this unprecedented challenge with determination, creativity, and solution-based strategies. Keywords Anthropocene . Conservation . Florida . Research . Sea-level rise
Introduction We have entered the Anthropocene, an epoch of unprecedented human-induced alteration of our planet (Zalasiewicz et al. Communicated by Kenneth L. Heck * Wesley W. Boone, IV [email protected] Elizabeth C. Braun de Torrez [email protected] Catherine F. Frock [email protected] Adia R. Sovie [email protected]; [email protected] Robert A. McCleery [email protected] 1
Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, 110 Newins-Ziegler Hall, P.O. Box 110430, Gainesville, FL 32611-0430, USA
2
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture Food and the Environment, Thomas Poe Cooper Building, 730 Rose St., Lexington, KY 40546, USA
2008). Humans have polluted the air and oceans, facilitated exotic species invasions, and simplified ecosystems (Hooper et al. 2012; Zalasiewicz et al. 2008). However, the greatest threat to the planet’s ecology may be climate change, which is expected to alter global weather patterns, species distributions, and ecosystem function within our lifetime (IPCC 2014; Scheffers et al. 2016). Many of these effects already are being felt (Soja et al. 2007; Rowe et al. 2015; Trenberth et al. 2015). Temperatures are already rising, leading to the melting of polar ice caps and expanding water volume in the oceans (Gornitz et al. 1982; Mörner 2017; van den Broeke et al. 2016). These conditions put coastal are
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