impact of global warming on the existing tropical and deciduous forests of the states maharashtra and odisha
Answers
Answer:
Global warming stresses ecosystems through temperature rises, water shortages, increased fire threats, drought, weed and pest invasions, intense storm damage and salt invasion, just to name a few. Some of Australia's great natural icons, such as the Great Barrier Reef, are already threatened.
Explanation:
It also refers to sea level rise caused by the expansion of warmer seas and melting ice sheets and glaciers. Global warming causes climate change, which poses a serious threat to life on earth in the forms of widespread flooding and extreme weather. Scientists continue to study global warming and its impact on Earth.
Answer:
Climate is one of the most important determinants of vegetation patterns globally and has
significant influence on the distribution, structure and ecology of forests (Kirschbaum et al.
1996). Several climate–vegetation studies have shown that certain climatic regimes are
associated with particular plant communities or functional types (Walter 1985). It is
therefore logical to assume that changes in climate would alter the distribution of forest
ecosystems. Based on a range of vegetation modeling studies, IPCC 2007 suggests potential
forest dieback towards the end of this century and beyond, especially in tropics, boreal and
mountain areas (Miles 2002; McClean et al. 2005). The most recent report from
International Union of Forest Research Organization (Seppälä et al. 2009) paints a rather
gloomy picture about the future of the world forests in a changed climate as it suggests that
in a warmer world, the current carbon regulating services of forests (as carbon sinks) may
be entirely lost, as land ecosystems could turn into a net source of carbon dioxide later in
the century.
Assessments of potential climate change impacts on forests in India (Ravindranath and
Sukumar 1996; Ravindranath and Sukumar 1998; Ravindranath et al. 2006) were based on
BIOME model (versions 3 and 4)—which being an equilibrium model, does not capture the
transient responses of vegetation to climate change. The recent study (Ravindranath et al.
2006) concludes that 77% and 68% of the forested grids in India are likely to experience shift
in forest types for climate change under A2 and B2 scenarios, respectively. In addition there
have been two regional studies, the first focusing on potential climate change impacts on
forests in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh (Deshingkar 1997) and the second in the
Western Ghats (Ravindranath et al. 1997). These studies indicated moderate to large-scale
shifts in vegetation types with implications for forest dieback and biodiversity. The studies
conducted for India so far have had several limitations, e.g., coarse resolution of the input
data as well as the use of BIOME which is an equilibrium model with limited capability in
categorizing plant functional types and dynamic representation of growth constraints.
Impacts of climate change on forests have severe implications for the people who
depend on forest resources for their livelihoods. India is a mega-biodiversity country where
forests account for more than one fifth of the geographical area. With nearly 173,000
villages classified as forest villages, there is a large dependence of communities on forest
resources in India (Kishwan et al. 2009). India has a large afforestation programme of over
1.32 Mha per annum (Ravindranath et al. 2008), and more area is likely to be afforested
under programmes such as ‘Green India mission’ and ‘Compensatory Afforestation Fund
Management and Planning Authority’ (CAMPA). Thus it is necessary to assess the likely
impacts of projected climate change on existing forests and afforested areas, and develop
and implement adaptation strategies to enhance the resilience of forests to climate change.
The present study investigates the projected impacts of climate change on Indian forests
using a dynamic global vegetation model (DGVM). It specifically assesses the boundary
shifts in vegetation types, changes in NPP and soil carbon stocks, as well as the
vulnerability of existing forests to future climate change.