{"id":37066,"date":"2018-07-23T12:44:48","date_gmt":"2018-07-23T11:44:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/?p=37066"},"modified":"2018-07-30T10:39:57","modified_gmt":"2018-07-30T09:39:57","slug":"ecosystems-across-australia-collapsing-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/2018\/07\/23\/ecosystems-across-australia-collapsing-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Ecosystems across Australia are collapsing under climate change"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our research, recently published in Nature Climate Change<\/a>, describes a series of sudden and catastrophic ecosystem shifts that have occurred recently across Australia.<\/strong><\/p>\n

These changes, caused by the combined stress of gradual climate change and extreme weather events, are overwhelming ecosystems\u2019 natural resilience.<\/span><\/p>\n

Variable climate<\/strong><\/p>\n

Australia is one of the most <\/span>climatically variable places<\/span><\/a> in the world. It is filled with ecosystems adapted to this variability, whether that means living in scorching heat, bitter cold or a climate that cycles between the two.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite land clearing, mining and other activities that transform the natural landscape, Australia retains large tracts of <\/span>near-pristine natural systems<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many of these regions are iconic, sustaining tourism and outdoor activities and providing valuable ecological services \u2013 particularly fisheries and water resources. Yet even here, the combined stress of gradual climate change and extreme weather events is causing environmental changes. These changes are often abrupt and potentially irreversible.<\/span><\/p>\n

They include wildlife and plant population collapses, the local extinction of native species, the loss of ancient, highly diverse ecosystems and the creation of previously unseen ecological communities invaded by new plants and animals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Australia\u2019s average temperature (both air and sea) has increased by about <\/span>1\u00b0C since the start of the 19th century<\/span><\/a>. We are now experiencing <\/span>longer, more frequent and more intense heatwaves<\/span><\/a>, more <\/span>extreme fire weather and longer fire seasons<\/span><\/a>, changes to rainfall seasonality, and droughts that may be <\/span>historically unusual<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The interval between these events has also shortened, which means even ecosystems adapted to extremes and high natural variability are struggling.<\/span><\/p>\n

As climate change accelerates, the <\/span>magnitude and frequency of extreme events<\/span><\/a> is expected to continue increasing.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is ecosystem collapse?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gradual climate change can be thought of as an ongoing \u201cpress\u201d, on which the \u201cpulse\u201d of extreme events are now superimposed. In combination, \u201cpresses\u201d and \u201cpulses\u201d are more likely to push systems to collapse.<\/span><\/p>\n

We identified ecosystems across Australia that have recently experienced catastrophic changes, including:<\/span><\/p>\n