NWS, 2017: Detailed Meteorological Summary on Hurricane Irma [web page]. 20: U.S. Caribbean).33,34 The Southeast is also the region with the greatest projected increase in cases of West Nile neuroinvasive disease under both a lower and higher scenario (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5).35,36, Poor air quality directly impacts human health, resulting in respiratory disease and other ailments. Jacobson, E. R., D. G. Barker, T. M. Barker, R. Mauldin, M. L. Avery, R. Engeman, and S. Secor, 2012: Environmental temperatures, physiology and behavior limit the range expansion of invasive Burmese pythons in southeastern USA. NOAA National Weather Service (NWS), Key West, FL, accessed February 27. Among U.S. regions, the Southeast is projected to experience the highest costs associated with meeting increased electricity demands in a warmer world.35, The people of the rural Southeast confront a number of social stresses likely to add to the challenges posed by increases in climate stresses.283 Rural communities tend to be more vulnerable due to factors such as demography, occupations, earnings, literacy, poverty incidence, and community capacities (Ch. A., S. V. Stehman, and T. R. Loveland, 2003: Landscape trends in mid-Atlantic and southeastern United States ecoregions. ), The Cherokee have been harvesting ramps, a wild onion (Allium tricoccum), in the southern Appalachians, their ancestral homelands, for thousands of years.264,265 Collecting ramps for food sustenance is only one aspect of this cultural tradition. Many indicators of vulnerability are dynamic, so that adaptation and other changes can affect the patterns of vulnerability to heat and other climate stressors over time. Robinet, C., and A. Roques, 2010: Direct impacts of recent climate warming on insect populations. The city has responded by making physical modifications, developing a more robust disaster response plan, and improving planning and monitoring prior to flood events. Morton, J. F., 1978: Brazilian pepperIts impact on people, animals and the environment. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, MD, 37 pp. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Atmospheric Programs, Washington, DC, 93 pp. EPA, 2017: Multi-model Framework for Quantitative Sectoral Impacts Analysis: A Technical Report for the Fourth National Climate Assessment. Easterling, K.E. Although the appearance of tropical recreational fish, like snook for example, may be favorable for some anglers, the movement of tropical marine species is expected to greatly modify existing food webs and ecosystems (Ch. Models are limited in their ability to incorporate adaptation that may reduce losses. SFRCCC, 2017: Regional Climate Action Plan 2.0 [web tool]. The scope and scale of adaptation efforts, which are already underway, will affect future vulnerability and risk. Since then, annual average temperatures have warmed to levels above the 1930s; the decade of the 2010s through 2017 has been warmer than any previous decade (App. Natural ecosystems are complex and governed by many interacting biotic and abiotic processes. A. Martinich, K. C. Shouse, and C. W. Wobus, 2013: Quantifying and valuing potential climate change impacts on coral reefs in the United States: Comparison of two scenarios. McKee, K. L., I. ), disagreement or lack of opinions among experts. By the end of the century under a higher scenario (RCP8.5), projections indicate approximately double the number of heavy rainfall events (2-day precipitation events with a 5-year return period) and a 21% increase in the amount of rain falling on the heaviest precipitation days (days with a 20-year return period).19,81 These projected increases would directly affect the vulnerability of the Southeasts coastal and low-lying areas. Technical Report 02-15. Credits Dale, V. H., L. A. Joyce, S. McNulty, R. P. Neilson, M. P. Ayres, M. D. Flannigan, P. J. Hanson, L. C. Irland, A. E. Lugo, C. J. Peterson, D. Simberloff, F. J. Swanson, B. J. B. C. Jackson, 2017: Ghost reefs: Nautical charts document large spatial scale of coral reef loss over 240 years. Comeaux, R. S., M. A. Allison, and T. S. Bianchi, 2012: Mangrove expansion in the Gulf of Mexico with climate change: Implications for wetland health and resistance to rising sea levels. Fayetteville, AR. Office of Sustainability, Louisville, KY, 24 pp. doi: Fei, S., J. M. Desprez, K. M. Potter, I. Jo, J. Irmas intensity was impressive by any measure. Rural Sociology 62 (3): 363-384. Columbia University Press, New York,. An analysis of ecological changes that have occurred in the past can help provide some context for anticipating and preparing for future ecological changes. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Centers for Environmental Information, 8 pp. Many of the people who live here still farm tobacco, corn, wheat and soybeans, Neumann, J. E., J. Moftakhari, H. R., A. AghaKouchak, B. F. Sanders, D. L. Feldman, W. Sweet, R. A. Matthew, and A. Luke, 2015: Increased nuisance flooding along the coasts of the United States due to sea level rise: Past and future. Score, and L. Hilberg, 2017: State of climate adaptation in water resources management: Southeastern United States and U.S. Caribbean. Hence, the loss and/or replacement of foundation plant species, like salt marsh grasses, will have ecological and societal consequences in certain areas.135,145,157,158,159,160,161,162,163,164 While salt marsh and mangrove wetlands both contain valuable foundation species, some of the habitat and societal benefits provided by existing salt marsh habitats will be affected by the northward expansion of mangrove forests.145,158,160,161,164,165. Doney, S. C., M. Ruckelshaus, J. E. Duffy, J. P. Barry, F. Chan, C. A. English, H. M. Galindo, J. M. Grebmeier, A. Wahl, T., S. Jain, J. Bender, S. D. Meyers, and M. E. Luther, 2015: Increasing risk of compound flooding from storm surge and rainfall for major US cities. Lane, D. R., R. C. Ready, R. W. Buddemeier, J. Increased access to high-quality education and workforce development programs can strengthen the labor force. Mitchell, R. J., Y. Liu, J. J. O'Brien, K. J. Elliott, G. Starr, C. F. Miniat, and J. K. Hiers, 2014: Future climate and fire interactions in the southeastern region of the United States. Balch, J. K., B. Newly emerging pathogens could increase risk of disease in the future, while successful adaptations could reduce public health risk. WebThe North Carolina Coastal Federation is working with federal, state and local leaders, economic developers, private businesses and coastal residents to create and implement Boon, J. D., 2012: Evidence of sea level acceleration at U.S. and Canadian tide stations, Atlantic Coast, North America. Wise, S., 2017: Virginia Governor declares state of emergency ahead of Hurricane Irma.. Walsh, J., D. Wuebbles, K. Hayhoe, J. Kossin, K. Kunkel, G. Stephens, P. Thorne, R. Vose, M. Wehner, J. Willis, D. Anderson, S. Doney, R. Feely, P. Hennon, V. Kharin, T. Knutson, F. Landerer, T. Lenton, J. Kennedy, and R. Somerville, 2014: Ch. Documenting Uncertainty: This assessment relies on two metrics to communicate the degree of Climate change thus acts to increase the vulnerability of this plant to the existing stressors. Lovelock, C. E., K. W. Krauss, M. J. Osland, R. Reef, and M. C. Ball, 2016: The physiology of mangrove trees with changing climate. Zhou, Y., and J. M. Shepherd, 2010: Atlanta's urban heat island under extreme heat conditions and potential mitigation strategies. The Coastal Plains have a varied economy. Most of the rural population does not depend on natural resources for their livelihoods. Cangialosi, J. P., A. S. Latto, and R. Berg, 2018: Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Irma (AL112017), 30 August-12 September 2017. WebAs a low-lying coastal plain, major crops include rice, sugar, coffee, cocoa, coconuts, edible oils, fruit, vegetables, and tobacco. Stevens, P. W., D. A. Blewett, R. E. Boucek, J. S. Rehage, B. L. Winner, J. M. Young, J. There is high confidence that increases in temperature are very likely to increase heat-related illness, deaths, and loss of labor productivity without greater adaptation efforts. 3 Fulton, John A., Fuguitt, Glenn V., and Richard M. Gibson. 4 North Carolina Broadband Infrastructure Office. WebToggle navigation. On the coastal plains of North Carolina, the main industries are Agriculture and defense. The Northeast Coastal non-metropolitan area includes Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Dare, Halifax, Hertford, Hyde, Martin, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell, Warren, and Washington counties. Figure 2. AJC Staff, 2017: Gov. Pierce, D. W., D. R. Cayan, and B. L. Thrasher, 2014: Statistical downscaling using Localized Constructed Analogs (LOCA). City of Fayetteville, 2017: Arkansans Can Take Steps to Respond to Climate Change. The most Already, in response to climate change, plant hardiness zones in certain areas are moving northward and are expected to continue their northward and upslope progression.139,142,146,147 Continued reductions in the frequency and intensity of winter air temperature extremes are expected to change which species are able to survive and thrive in a given location (Figure 19.15). Mitsch, W. J., and J. G. Gosselink, 2007: Wetlands. Doughty, C. L., J. 9: Oceans, KM 1). Flordia Science Source, Ocala, FL,. The freeze-free season lengthens by more than a month, and the frequency of freezing temperatures decreases substantially.20,21. High rainfall totals were experienced in many impacted areas, with Fort Pierce, Florida, receiving the highest rainfall of more than 21.5 inches100 and the Florida Keys receiving 12 inches of rain.84,102 Flooding occurred on most rivers in northern Florida and in many rivers in both Georgia and South Carolina to the point that rescues were required. To help gardeners and farmers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has produced plant hardiness zone maps that can be used to determine which species are most likely to survive and thrive in a given location. IPCC, 2013: Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Land is related to climate, growing season, and soil types. Starr, G., C. L. Staudhammer, H. W. Loescher, R. Mitchell, A. Whelan, J. K. Hiers, and J. J. O'Brien, 2015: Time series analysis of forest carbon dynamics: Recovery of Pinus palustris physiology following a prescribed fire. Gabler, C. A., M. J. Osland, J. Mazzotti, F. J., M. S. Cherkiss, M. Parry, J. Beauchamp, M. Rochford, B. Smith, K. Hart, and L. A. Brandt, 2016: Large reptiles and cold temperatures: Do extreme cold spells set distributional limits for tropical reptiles in Florida? More than 70% of precipitation recording locations show upward trends since 1950, although there are downward trends at many stations along and southeast of the Appalachian Mountains and in Florida (Figure 19.3). Poloczanska, E. S., C. J. Chavez-Ramirez, F., and W. Wehtje, 2012: Potential impact of climate change scenarios on whooping crane life history. View the list of North Carolina counties. Remote rural communities in the coastal area face fewer employment opportunities and longer distances to urban areas. While some climate change impacts, such as sea level rise and extreme downpours, are being acutely felt now, others, like increasing exposure to dangerous high temperatures, humidity, and new local diseases, are expected to become more significant in the coming decades. Percentage Change in Population of Non-Metropolitan Coastal Counties, 2010-2017. A. Throughout the southeastern United States, the impacts of sea level rise, increasing temperatures, extreme heat events, heavy precipitation, and decreased water availability continue to have numerous consequences for human health, the built environment, and the natural world. The following correlation chart illustrates the relation between North Carolina coastal plain aquifers, geologic time above fractured bedrock can improve yields to 200 gallons per minute or more. Sakai, A., and W. Larcher, 1987: Frost Survival of Plants: Responses and Adaptation to Freezing Stress. NOAA National Weather Service (NWS), Tallahassee, FL. EPA 430R17001. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, 1535 pp. 20: U.S. Caribbean, KM 3).204 With higher sea levels and increasing saltwater intrusion, the high winds, high precipitation rates, storm surges, and salts that accompany hurricanes will have large ecological impacts to terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems.209,210, An example of the effects of rising sea levels can be found in Louisiana, which faces some of the highest land loss rates in the world. 17: Southeast and the Caribbean. Many of these urban areas are rapidly growing and offer opportunities to adopt effective adaptation efforts to prevent future negative impacts of climate change (very likely, high confidence). Rehage, J. S., J. R. Blanchard, R. E. Boucek, J. J. Lorenz, and M. Robinson, 2016: Knocking back invasions: Variable resistance and resilience to multiple cold spells in native vs. nonnative fishes. ), competing schools of thought, Inconclusive evidence (limited sources, extrapolations, inconsistent findings, poor documentation and/or methods not tested, etc. | Zervas, C., 2009: Sea level variations of the United States 1854-2006. Persistent rural poverty stands out in the Southeast (Figure 19.22). Extreme rainfall events have increased in frequency and intensity in the Southeast, and there is high confidence they will continue to increase in the future (Figure 19.3).19 The region, as a whole, has experienced increases in the number of days with more than 3 inches of precipitation (Figure 19.3) and a 16% increase in observed 5-year maximum daily precipitation (the amount falling in an event expected to occur only once every 5 years).19 Both the frequency and severity of extreme precipitation events are projected to continue increasing in the region under both lower and higher scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5).

Valerie Gray Attorney, Dover Fire Department Scanner, Articles C