Another item of interest
http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=13-P13-00049&segmentID=4
<snip>
"CURWOOD: Generally, why do you think we’re seeing so many disruptions
in the animal migration patterns?
WILCOVE: We’re seeing disruptions in the animal migration in large
part because we’re disrupting the environment. You have to remember
that migratory animals really connect different parts of the world,
and so they’re sensitive to changes in any of those parts. When due to
things like climate change or habitat alteration we change their
summering grounds, wintering grounds or even the stopover
sites...they’re going to respond. In some cases, their numbers are
going to decline, or crash completely; in other cases, they’re going
to have to find new places to go to. Either way, there are useful
early warning signs of the types of disruptions that we’re creating in
the environment.
CURWOOD: So far, climate change amounts to less than two degrees
centigrade, about a degree centigrade around the world. How do you
think climate change going forward would impact migration?
WILCOVE: It’s not just changes in temperature. It’s changes in
precipitation, which can be very important for animals because those
precipitation changes affect vegetation. It’s also changes in the
extremes of heat, cold, drought, flood, all of that can be very
disruptive to animal populations. We’re really basically reshuffling
the deck and the consequences are going to be idiosyncratic and
difficult to predict."
<snip>
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