Climate change and water
Abstract
The warming temperatures and changing precipitation regimes associated with global climate change have effects on the quantity and quality of water in rivers, lakes, and aquifers. Indeed, it is likely that aquatic systems are among the most sensitive of all ecosystems to climate change, as water temperatures track air temperatures closely, the majority of aquatic species are cold blooded and easily affected by changes in temperature, and many ecological processes such as productivity, decomposition, and nutrient cycling in waterways are closely linked to temperature (Ormerod 2009). These waterways are essential for the functioning of all of the planet’s ecosystems, as well as for the maintenance of human life. They also provide essential habitat for more than125,000 species of freshwater animals, representing 9.5% of all known animal species on the planet, along with associated high levels of plant diversity (Strayer 2010). Despite this richness and vulnerability, aquatic systems are often not well protected by traditional protected areas, and receive less conservation attention than terrestrial systems. At the global scale, warming temperatures increase humidity and precipitation, and precipitation has increased about 2% in the last century (Huntington 2006). However, this figure disguises regional differences, as precipitation is expected to increase at high latitudes, and decrease at low and mid latitudes (Malmqvist 2002). Global precipitation trends will also be driven…
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