Northern Shelf Bioregion Climate Change Assessment

A report on a regional assessment of climate change impacts and recommendations for adaptation strategies in the NE Pacific (British Columbia, Canada), conducted in collaboration with a regional planning organization (Marine Plan Partnership), aimed at bridging the gaps between climate science and regional adaptation planning.

https://northernshelf.docu.li/

News

Extreme weather events
ByNorthern Shelf Bioregion Climate Change Assessment April 1, 2019

Changes in wind and wave patterns may interact with other climate change projections such as sea level rise, but the…

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Observed Climate Associated Impacts
ByNorthern Shelf Bioregion Climate Change Assessment March 31, 2019

Climate change trends have in turn affected coastal ecosystems and economic sectors in BC. As of 2017, some observed impacts…

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Sea surface salinity
ByNorthern Shelf Bioregion Climate Change Assessment March 31, 2019

Empirical data from lighthouse station monitoring stations in 2016 reflect a long-term trend towards decreasing sea surface salinity (SSS) across…

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Ocean deoxygenation
ByNorthern Shelf Bioregion Climate Change Assessment March 31, 2019

Globally, dissolved oxygen levels in the ocean have been declining for more than two decades [53]. Declining ocean oxygen levels…

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Ocean acidification
ByNorthern Shelf Bioregion Climate Change Assessment March 31, 2019

Ocean acidification is caused by the dissolution of atmospheric carbon dioxide into the oceans, which results in a decrease in…

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Sea surface temperature
ByNorthern Shelf Bioregion Climate Change Assessment March 31, 2019

Sea surface temperatures are monitored at lighthouse stations along the BC coastline. Average annual sea surface temperatures have warmed between…

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Sea level rise
ByNorthern Shelf Bioregion Climate Change Assessment March 31, 2019

Sea level rise is the direct result of warming temperatures that trigger increased melting of glaciers and ice caps, as…

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Precipitation
ByNorthern Shelf Bioregion Climate Change Assessment March 31, 2019

Precipitation is a key indicator of climate change, and changes in precipitation will affect all sectors, ecosystems, and communities. In…

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Air temperature
ByNorthern Shelf Bioregion Climate Change Assessment March 31, 2019

Air temperatures have increased throughout BC by ~1.3⁰C over the past century (from 1900-2013; rates of 0.12 – 0.13⁰C per…

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North Vancouver Island
ByNorthern Shelf Bioregion Climate Change Assessment March 31, 2019

Air temperatures on the north portion of Vancouver Island are expected to increase by 2050 to the same range as…

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Sub-Regional Projections and Impacts
ByNorthern Shelf Bioregion Climate Change Assessment March 31, 2019

The previous section included climate change projections and impacts at the scale of the BC coast and MaPP region. Here,…

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Regional Climate Change Projections
ByNorthern Shelf Bioregion Climate Change Assessment March 31, 2019

This section describes the current state of knowledge of climate change projections which are likely to affect the MaPP region…

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Observed Climate Change Trends in British Columbia
ByNorthern Shelf Bioregion Climate Change Assessment March 31, 2019

Here, we categorize some observed climate change impacts for BC, and specifically the coastal region. Determining trends in climate conditions…

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Global and Regional Climate Change Trends
ByNorthern Shelf Bioregion Climate Change Assessment March 31, 2019

Rising emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from human populations and industries are causing the global climate to…

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Social-Ecological Context and Management: BC and the Northern Shelf Bioregion
ByNorthern Shelf Bioregion Climate Change Assessment March 31, 2019

In BC, the productive coastal marine food web supports rich First Nations and non-First Nations communities, cultures, and economies. Human…

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The Marine Plan Partnership for the North Pacific Coast
ByNorthern Shelf Bioregion Climate Change Assessment March 30, 2019

Through the Marine Planning Partnership, now Marine Plan Partnership (MaPP), provincial and First Nations governments in BC are working towards…

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Climate Change Threats
ByNorthern Shelf Bioregion Climate Change Assessment March 27, 2019

Global climate change is now widely recognized as the singular greatest threat to the world’s ecosystems, cultures, and economies. Increasing…

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Spatial Data Sources
ByNorthern Shelf Bioregion Climate Change Assessment March 26, 2019

For the maps of climate variables and projections, we sourced both global scale and regional scale data wherever it was…

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Methodology
ByNorthern Shelf Bioregion Climate Change Assessment March 26, 2019

This project synthesizes the current state of understanding of climate change projections, impacts, and vulnerabilities (exposure, specifically), risk, and adaptation…

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Limitations
ByNorthern Shelf Bioregion Climate Change Assessment March 26, 2019

This report is based on an extensive literature review and a series of discussions with experts involved in relevant research…

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Introduction
ByNorthern Shelf Bioregion Climate Change Assessment March 26, 2019

The world’s climate is changing at an increasingly rapid rate due to greenhouse gas emissions from human industrial activity and…

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Winds, waves, and extreme weather
ByNorthern Shelf Bioregion Climate Change Assessment March 26, 2019

Across the MaPP region, increasing intensity and frequency of storms is likely to increase inundation risk (flooding) and erosion risk…

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Marine Infrastructure
ByNorthern Shelf Bioregion Climate Change Assessment March 26, 2019

BC has three major international ports, four regional ports, and 40 local harbours [74]. Within the MaPP region, Prince Rupert…

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Human communities
ByNorthern Shelf Bioregion Climate Change Assessment March 25, 2019

Coastal First Nations and non-First Nations communities depend on the ocean and nearshore environments for economic, social, and cultural values….

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