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Global warming to hit prairies hard
February 27, 1998
A drier prairie means less open water and greater vegetative cover, which does not bode well for the millions of migratory birds that depend upon the wetlands for their survival
Web posted at: 6:02 p.m. EST (2302 GMT) By Environmental News Network staff
Global warming is endangering the Great Plains, home to thousands of wetland ecosystems and the millions of ducks, shorebirds and geese that inhabit them, a University of Toronto researcher says.
"Predictions are that global warming will have especially strong, negative impacts on prairie ecosystems in the near future with water shortages being a problem right off the bat," says Prof. Jay Malcolm of the forestry faculty.
Global warming --the increase in the average temperature of the Earth because of greater atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels -- is expected to result in drier conditions across the prairie lands of North America.
A drier prairie means less open water and greater vegetative cover, which does not bode well for the millions of migratory birds that depend upon the wetlands for their survival.
Certain kinds of animals, particularly shore birds and waterfowl, are extremely sensitive to water levels -- both the amount of water available and the timing of seasonal rainfalls. Their migration and breeding are threatened by a drier climate.
Many kinds of migratory birds take shelter in temporary marshes that form on farmland early in the year, Malcolm explains. As the climate warms, these marshes will dry up earlier and farmers will be tempted to use these dry conditions to cultivate their fields earlier. This will force the birds to fly farther north for acceptable nesting areas.
The problem is that the drier conditions are expected to extend into the northern prairie lands as well, forcing the birds to compete for scarce suitable habitat.
According to avian biologists, this decline in habitat will result in increased transmission of avian botulism and large-scale die-offs. The loss of waterfowl could have ripple effects in the recreational duck hunting and outfitting industries.
Another result of the drier climate is that plants would be under greater stress, allowing weeds to force out native species.
Copyright 1998, Environmental News Network, All Rights Reserved
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