https://phys.org/news/2024-04-mountains-high-biodiversity-climate.html
"Species living in 17 mountains around the world are facing the risk of
extinction due to the rapid rate of warming attributed to climate change.
However, the establishment of additional meteorological monitoring stations in
mountainous areas globally is essential for a deeper understanding of the
extent of these threats, according to a study published in
Nature.
An international team led by Research Fellow Sheng-Feng Shen from the
Biodiversity Research Center of Academia Sinica in Taiwan developed a new
methodology to estimate climate velocities, highlighting 17 mountain regions at
significant risk due to global warming, including Brazilian highlands,
Iran-Pakistan region, Western America and Mexico, Mediterranean basin and
Northeast Asia.
Climate velocities track the rate of climate condition changes, illustrating
the speed at which species must move to stay within their survivable habitats.
This research emphasized the pressing need for strategies specifically designed
for biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation within these
habitats.
Setting up meteorological observation stations in mountainous areas is
challenging, leading to a global shortfall in long-term climate data for
mountain regions. This gap, compounded by the complex topography, has limited
the understanding of warming trends.
Sheng-Feng Shen pointed out that this study incorporates the theories of
atmospheric science, considering two important factors that influence the
climatic speeds in mountainous areas: the degree of surface warming and
humidity. The approach compensates for the lack of station data and assesses
shifts in temperature isotherms in mountain regions under climate change.
The study identified regions with notably high climate velocities encompassing
17 mountain areas, ranging from the Alaska-Yukon territory to Sumatra and from
the Mediterranean to Japan, overlapping with several biodiversity hotspots."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
