Search

As a consequence of global climate change, sea level rise (SLR) presents notable risks to both urban and natural areas located near coastlines. For developing effective strategies to mitigate and adapt to these risks, it is essential to evaluate the potential impacts of SLR in coastal areas. While substantial research has been conducted on mapping the broad-scale impacts of SLR based on scenarios of Global Mean Sea Level (GMSL), consideration of regional scenarios, systematic classification, and distinct stages of SLR have been largely overlooked. This gap is significant because SLR impacts vary by region and by the level of SLR, so adaptations, planning, and decision-making must be adapted to local conditions. This paper aims to precisely identify the landscape and urban morphology changes caused by the impact of SLR for each foot of elevation increase based on remote sensing technologies, focusing on St. Johns County, Florida, and Chatham County, Georgia. These two counties are both situated along the southeastern coastline of the United States but with completely different urban forms due to distinct historical and cultural developments. Regional forecasting SLR scenarios covering the period from 2020 to 2100 were utilized to assess the landscape transformation and urban changes, incorporating selected landscape and urban metrics to calculate quantitative data for facilitating comparative analyses. This study investigated gradual alterations in urban morphology and green infrastructure both individually and in combination with the effect on wetlands due to SLR. The mapping outcomes of this research were generated by employing comprehensive remote sensing data. The findings of this research indicated that, when the sea level rose to 3 feet, the wetlands would experience notable alterations, and the level of fragmentation in urban built areas would progressively increase, causing most of the metric data to exhibit a pronounced decline or increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most important interactions between humans and climate is in the demand and supply of water. Humans withdraw, use, and consume water and return waste water to the environment for a variety of socioeconomic purposes, including domestic, commercial, and industrial use, production of energy resources and cooling thermal-electric power plants, and growing food, fiber, and chemical feed stocks for human consumption. Uncertainties in the future human demand for water interact with future impacts of climatic change on water supplies to impinge on water management decisions at the international, national, regional, and local level, but until recently tools were not available to assess the uncertainties surrounding these decisions. This paper demonstrates the use of a multi-model framework in a structured sensitivity analysis to project and quantify the sensitivity of future deficits in surface water in the context of climate and socioeconomic change for all U.S. states and sub-basins. The framework treats all sources of water demand and supply consistently from the world to local level. The paper illustrates the capabilities of the framework with sample results for a river sub-basin in the U.S. state of Georgia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significance of environmental governance is increasing worldwide, and Georgia is no exception. This article uses wide-ranging sources to provide comprehensive qualitative and quantitative data to discuss the most important aspects of environmental policy directions in Georgia. The results of the study show that: (a) it is crucial to increase public awareness about the importance of climate change and environmental protection; (b) introducing environmental and climate-related goals and objectives and green budgeting principles in national priorities is as important as implementing them effectively into practice; and (c) the practice of regulatory impact assessment needs further development in Georgia, especially in the environment and climate-related areas. Finally, the paper concludes that the lack of historical data is the main limitation for the current research, and proposes that scientific and practical work continues in the future to further explore the relationships between the country’s environmental policies and aspects of sustainable development on both an individual and public level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is posing a significant threat to the coastal counties of Georgia. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources and Hagerty Consulting have recognised this threat and are facilitating a nine-year project aimed at developing a disaster recovery and redevelopment plan for the state's coastal communities, and providing state-wide technical assistance. This paper provides an overview of this planning initiative and summarises the many insights into the pre-disaster recovery and resilience planning process gained from this project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The marketplace of climate solutions has grown considerably. Three technologies, in particular, exhibit strong potential for disruptive change and advancement in the residential sector: electric vehicles (EVs), rooftop photovoltaics (RPVs), and efficient heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Many scholars have studied the adoption of these technologies; we address their co-adoption. Using a survey conducted in Georgia, we examine pro-environmental behavior, risk tolerance, and energy-related knowledge as social-psychological drivers for the co-adoption of RPVs, EVs, and efficient HVACs (including heat pumps). We conclude that some but not all of these drivers are relevant to the adoption and co-adoption of the three transformational climate solutions. Pro-environmental behaviors, for instance, appear to create conditions for "positive spillover," propelling consumers toward adopting multiple climate solutions, whereas energy knowledge has no clear relationship with co-adoption. At the same time, the = influence of these drivers are unique to different combinations of technologies – one notable example is the significance of risk tolerance when RPV is added to technology bundles. Our paper contributes to the literature by broadening the understanding of the adoption of bundled (or co-adopted) climate solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Southeastern Geographer is the property of University of North Carolina Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Ecosystems vary broadly in their responses to disturbance, ranging from highly impacted to resilient or resistant. We conducted a large‐scale analysis of hurricane disturbance effects on coastal marshes by examining 20 years of data from 10 sites covering 100,000 ha at the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems Long‐Term Ecological Research site distributed across gradients of salinity and proximity to the ocean. We analyzed the impacts of Hurricanes Matthew (in 2016) and Irma (in 2017) on marsh biota (plants, crabs, and snails) and physical attributes (erosion, wrack deposition, and sedimentation). We compared these variables prior to the storms (2000–2015) to years with storms (2016, 2017) to those after the storms (2018–2020). Hurricanes generated storm surges that increased water depth and salinity of oligotrophic areas for up to 48 h. Biological variables in the marsh showed few effects of the hurricanes. The only physical variable affected was creek bank slumping; however, slumping had already increased a year before the hurricanes, suggesting that slumping could have a different cause. Thus, our study uncovered only minor, ephemeral impacts on Georgia coastal marshes, highlighting their resistance to hurricane disturbance of the lower magnitude that typically confronts this region of coastline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Air pollution risk assessments do not generally quantify health impacts using multipollutant risk estimates, but instead use results from single-pollutant or copollutant models. Multipollutant epidemiological models account for pollutant interactions and joint effects but can be computationally complex and data intensive. Risk estimates from multipollutant studies are therefore challenging to implement in the quantification of health impacts. OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to conduct a case study using a developmental multipollutant version of the Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program—Community Edition (BenMAP-CE) to estimate the health impact associated with changes in multiple air pollutants using both a single and multipollutant approach. METHODS: BenMAP-CE was used to estimate the change in the number of pediatric asthma emergency department (ED) visits attributable to simulated changes in air pollution between 2011 and 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia, applying risk estimates from an epidemiological study that examined shortterm single-pollutant and multipollutant (with and without first-order interactions) exposures. Analyses examined individual pollutants (i.e., ozone, fine particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter components) and combinations of these pollutants meant to represent shared properties or predefined sources (i.e., oxidant gases, secondary pollutants, traffic, power plant, and criteria pollutants). Comparisons were made between multipollutant health impact functions (HIF) and the sum of single-pollutant HIFs for the individual pollutants that constitute the respective pollutant groups. RESULTS: Photochemical modeling predicted large decreases in most of the examined pollutant concentrations between 2011 and 2025 based on sector specific (i.e., source-based) estimates of growth and anticipated controls. Estimated number of avoided asthma ED visits attributable to any given multipollutant group were generally higher when using results from models that included interaction terms in comparison with those that did not. We estimated the greatest number of avoided pediatric asthma ED visits for pollutant groups that include NO2 (i. e., criteria pollutants, oxidants, and traffic pollutants). In models that accounted for interaction, year-round estimates for pollutant groups that included NO2 ranged from 27.1 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.6, 52.7; traffic pollutants] to 55.4 (95% CI: 41.8, 69.0; oxidants) avoided pediatric asthma ED visits. Year-round results using multipollutant risk estimates with interaction were comparable to the sum of the single-pollutant results corresponding to most multipollutant groups [e.g., 52.9 (95% CI: 43.6, 62.2) for oxidants] but were notably lower than the sum of the single-pollutant results for some pollutant groups [e.g., 77.5 (95% CI: 66.0, 89.0) for traffic pollutants]. DISCUSSION: Performing a multipollutant health impact assessment is technically feasible but computationally complex. It requires time, resources, and detailed input parameters not commonly reported in air pollution epidemiological studies. Results estimated using the sum of single-pollutant models are comparable to those quantified using a multipollutant model. Although limited to a single study and location, assessing the trade-offs between a multipollutant and single-pollutant approach is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many high school students learn about nutrient cycling during biology, environmental science, and agriculture classes. These lessons often focus on soil and plants, and nutrient cycling is usually taught independently from climate change. Scientists know that animals, including fish, can have strong effects on nutrient cycling (i.e., nitrogen and phosphorus) in ecosystems. Additionally, research has shown that nitrogen and phosphorus excretion rates of animals increase with water temperatures. We worked with high school students to design and conduct nutrient excretion experiments using common fish (zebrafish) to explore the impact of climate change on nutrient cycling. This allowed students to have hands-on laboratory experience. In 2021, we worked with students participating in a residential summer program in Georgia. Meanwhile, in 2022, students enrolled in the local high school visited the university campus on two occasions to participate in the experiments, and we once again worked with students in Georgia. Students from all three groups showed an increased understanding of the role of animals in nutrient cycling and ways climate change may impact these processes, despite variable results from the excretion experiments. Students also showed increased understanding of science processes and were more likely to feel like part of the science community. We believe that these experiments can be done in high school classrooms to expand students' understanding of the scientific process, nutrient cycling, and climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long, S.A.; Mango-Mutiti, C.; Mutiti, S., and Weese, D.A., 2023. Investigating the effects of increasing water salinity on an endemic crayfish. Journal of Coastal Research, 39(5), 816–822. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. The greatest diversity of freshwater crayfish is found in the southeastern United States, home to nearly 75% of the world's known crayfish species. Many of the freshwater habitats for these crayfish are threatened by human activities and face degradation from multiple fronts, one being climate-related sea-level rise. This threat is significant for island populations that are unable to disperse to favorable locations. The goal of this study was to investigate the salinity tolerance of Procambarus lunzi (Hobbs 1940b), a species endemic to a small coastal region in the southeastern United States, to predict how sea-level rise might affect vulnerable coastal populations. A total of 171 crayfish was collected from a barrier island in Georgia and exposed to three treatments: freshwater, a slow salinity increase (salinity raised by 1.5‰ weekly), and a fast salinity increase (salinity raised by 3‰ weekly). Weekly mortalities were recorded and used to compute percent survivorship. Individual body masses were also monitored weekly and the average change in body mass between treatment groups was compared using one-way analysis of variance. Regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between initial body mass and the salinity level tolerated before mortality occurred. There was no significant difference in body mass change between the control group and the salinity treatment groups. The salinity level tolerated before mortality occurred was not correlated with individuals' body mass at the start of the treatments. The first mortality occurred at 30‰ salinity and 50% mortality occurred when salinity was >39‰. These results indicate a high tolerance to salinity that was unexpected for a freshwater species. The implication is that P. lunzi may be able to withstand habitat degradation due to sea-level rise given its relatively high tolerance to increases in salinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study delves into how climate change affects nature-based tourism in Georgia, focusing on its impact on winter and Seaside tourism. Concerns arise from observed snow cover trends at pivotal ski resorts such as Bakuriani and Gudauri, indicating potential threats to the winter tourism calendar. The escalation of climate-induced natural disasters and coastal erosion poses immediate economic risks, necessitating prompt adaptation strategies. Economic models project adverse impacts on tourism and GDP, emphasizing the need for tailored mitigation measures. Variances in climate impacts across diverse tourist zones underscore the vital requirement for unified and comprehensive adaptation approaches. The article advocates for multifaceted strategies encompassing business, consumer behavior, and destination dynamics, stressing the integration of climate research into policy frameworks and awareness initiatives. This integration is vital to foster resilient and sustainable tourism development in Georgia amid the exigencies posed by climate change, ensuring the safeguarding of the state’s tourism future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely recognised that humankind is facing serious environmental challenges that can only be addressed and overcome through international cooperation and the creation of an appropriate legal framework that is compatible with EU legislation and in line with European best practices. Accordingly, since 2014, the approximation process with the EU environmental acquisinGeorgia starteddirectlyafter the signing of the “Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and Georgia, of the other part” (hereinafter “Association Agreement”), which is an obligation of the said EU-Georgia Association Agreement. However, on the way of legal approximation, in addition to the legislative progress, significant challenges were identified. Identification and overcoming of these challenges are a prerequisite for a successful environmental legislation and a national policy. The government of Georgia, through the Association Agreement, undertook the obligationto harmonise various, including environmental protection and climate change, directives (EU-Georgia Association Agreement, Article 306, 312). Ratification of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement created a longterm perspective for the development of the national policy in various fields, including the direction of environmental protection and climate change. The Association Agreement between Georgia and the European Union created a solid legal basis for the future law-making and law-enforcement process. Within the framework of this article, is discussed the way of transforming the Georgian environmental legislation after the entry into force of the Association Agreement, the challenges that exist in the process of legislative approximation in the environmental direction are identified, and the authors’ recommendations in order to overcome the mentioned challenges are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As global temperatures warm, species must adapt to a changing climate or transition to a different location suitable for their survival. Understanding the extent to which species are able to do so, particularly keystone species, is imperative to ensuring the survival of key ecosystems. The ribbed mussel Geukensia demissa is an integral part of salt marshes along the Atlantic coast of North America. Spatial patterns of genomic and phenotypic divergence have been previously documented, although their link with coastal environmental variation is unknown. Here, we study how populations of G. demissa in the northern (Massachusetts) and southern (Georgia) portions of the species range respond to changes in temperature. We combine assays of variation in oxygen consumption and RNA transcriptomic data with genomic divergence analyses to identify how separate populations of G. demissa may vary in distinct thermal environments. Our results show differences in constitutive oxygen consumption between mussels from Georgia and Massachusetts, as well as shared and disparate patterns of gene expression across temperature profiles. We also find that metabolic genes seem to be a strong component of divergence between these two populations. Our analysis highlights the importance of studying integrative patterns of genomic and phenotypic variation in species that are key for particular ecosystems, and how they might respond to further changes in climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest insect pest phenology and infestation pressure may shift as temperatures continue to warm due to climate change, resulting in greater challenges for sustainable forest management. The Nantucket pine tip moth (NPTM) (Rhyacionia frustrana Comstock) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) is a native forest regeneration pest in the southeastern U.S. with multiple generations per year. Changes in NPTM voltinism may result from temperature-induced shifts in NPTM phenology. Degree-day models have been used to develop optimal spray dates (OSDs) for NPTM. The 2000 Spray Timing Model (STM), based on temperature data from 1960 to 2000, provided generation-specific 5-d OSDs to effectively time applications of contact insecticides. An updated degree-day model, the 2019 STM, is based on temperature data from 2000 to 2019 and was used to detect changes in voltinism as well as shifts in phenology and OSDs. Based on the model, increased voltinism occurred at 6 of the 28 study locations (21%). Changes in voltinism occurred in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain of Georgia, U.S. with shifts from three to four or four to five generations a year, depending on location. The OSDs from the 2019 STM were compared to the 2000 STM OSDs. Over half (57%) of the OSDs differed by 5–15 d, with the majority (66%) resulting in earlier spray dates. The 2019 STM will help growers adapt NPTM control tactics to temperature-induced phenology shifts. NPTM serves as an example of temperature-induced changes attributed to climate change in a forest insect pest with important implications to forest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is occurring in the Southeastern United States, and one manifestation is changes in frequency and intensity of extreme events. A vulnerability assessment is performed in the state of Georgia (United States) at the county level from 1975 to 2012 in decadal increments. Climate change vulnerability is typically measured as a function of exposure to physical phenomena (e.g., droughts, floods), sensitivity to factors affecting the social milieu, and the capacity of a given unit to adapt to changing physical conditions. The paper builds on previous assessments and offers a unique approach to vulnerability analyses by combining climatic, social, land cover, and hydrological components together into a unified vulnerability assessment, which captures both long-term and hydroclimatic events. Climate change vulnerability indices are derived for the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s. Climate change exposure is measured as: 1) departure of decadal mean temperature and precipitation from baseline temperature and precipitation (1971–2000) using the United States Historical Climatology Network version 2.5 and 2) extreme hydroclimatic hazards indicated by flood, heat wave and drought events. Sensitivity and adaptive capacity are measured by well-established conceptualizations and methods built derived from socioeconomic variables. Impervious surface and flood susceptibility area are also incorporated to account for place-based vulnerability. Anomalies in temperature and precipitation with an overall trend towards drying and warming have been observed. The anomalous cooling period in Georgia during the 1970–1980 period as well as the post-1980 warm-up have been captured with a clearly established increase in extreme hydroclimatic events in recent decades. Climate vulnerability is highest in some metropolitan Atlanta and coastal counties. However, the southwestern region of Georgia, and part of the rural Black belt region are found to be especially vulnerable to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The campus of the University of West Florida (UWF) was constructed among second-growth longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) stands that survived extensive logging in the Florida Panhandle. Previous studies on longleaf pine on the main UWF campus have estimated, based on a model from old-growth longleaf in southern Georgia, that oldest stems were just under 200 yr old and that > 80% of stems on the main UWF are between 50 and 125 years old. More accurate age data can be obtained from disks collected locally from recently fallen trees. On 16 September 2020, Hurricane Sally impacted UWF as a Category 2 storm, with winds reaching 49 m/sec. Our study took advantage of longleaf pine blowdowns by Sally to obtain cross-sections for age determinations. Two natural areas of the UWF campus were chosen for sampling: the Edward Ball Nature Trail and the Baars-Firestone Wildlife Sanctuary. For each sampled section, diameter at breast height (DBH) and number and width of annual rings were recorded. Based on a total of 50 sampled trees, linear regression revealed a statistically significant (P < 0.00001; R2 = 0.82) relationship between DBH and age. Applying this to DBH measurements of 2,165 stems on the main campus indicates that the oldest longleaf pines are ~ 130 years old (mean age = 63.9 ± 0.4 yr), consistent with cessation of historically widespread harvesting in the region. Mean age for the Trails site (55.7 ± 1.6 yr) was significantly lower than that of the Sanctuary (66.7 ± 2.0 yr), suggesting that they represent sites of contrasting land-use history. Annual growth rates of older pines were mostly negatively correlated with temperature. Directions of stem windthrows did not vary between natural areas and were consistent with characteristics of the eyewall of Hurricane Sally with strongest wind gusts moving from a southeast to northwest direction. This study confirms that college/university campuses can be used as a units of ecological study in a way that takes advantage of stochastic events such as tropical cyclones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This research was aimed at developing a method for evaluating and monitoring revetment rock emplacements used for protection of ocean beaches. The method was tested by applying it to identification of potentially vulnerable portions of beach and revetment rocks at Jekyll Island State Park in Georgia. Revetment rocks were placed along the Jekyll Island beach in the 1960s to protect against storm surges. In some stretches this revetment has been buried by sand and no longer provides protection for the island''s ocean side beach. Revetment rocks are commonly used to mitigate storm damage to structures, facilities and wildlife habitats. Because islands and beaches are dynamic, monitoring the condition and protection potential of revetment can be highly important. This research demonstrates that tracking shoreline changes using LiDAR and other data sources can identify whether stretches of beach and revetment rocks are vulnerable to storm surges and sea level rise. Shoreline movement data included historical tide records for the years 1857–1870, 1924–1971 (at the high water levels), 1971–73, 1999 and 2008 (at the mean high water levels). This research demonstrated that data and methods are available to guide coastal managers and planners in long-term conservation planning, such as for Jekyll Island State Park, which is an Atlantic coastal barrier island. Using the approach described in this paper, high tides and storm surges can be simulated and interpreted for current shoreline and revetment conditions. Perhaps even more important, tide and surge simulations can show possible future inundation patterns under different sea level rise scenarios. Being able to predict future inundation patterns is likely to become more important over time as climate change continues and sea levels rise. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Given the increasing expansion of human dominated landscapes it often becomes necessary to relocate endangered and at-risk species from existing habitat areas. Further, there is growing research stating that climatic and atmospheric changes attributed to climate change are already affecting species distributions and geographic ranges, requiring endangered species to be relocated. Existing reserve design models mostly focus on choosing the optimal land area given existing species distributions and have not incorporated species relocation as a criterion. This paper introduces linear integer programming formulations for the relocation of multiple populations of a species at risk to clustered conservation areas. We present a basic clustered relocation model and extend the model to minimize the distances of relocation. We apply the models to a dataset related to Gopher Tortoise (GT), a keystone species currently considered ‘at risk’, at Ft. Benning Georgia where expanding military training needs require the relocation of GTs. We present the results and discuss the trade-off between compactness and relocation considerations using an efficiency frontier. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Urbanization can cause changes in carbon fluxes, which, in turn, impacts atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations and possibly global surface temperatures. Using the Atlanta, Georgia, region as a case study, this paper explores the impact of urban expansion from 1973 to 2002 on land-atmosphere carbon exchange. The major objectives were to estimate net ecosystem production (NEP) values for multiple land-cover classes and to link urbanization-induced changes in land-cover to changes in NEP and overall carbon fluxes. The principal data were daily climatic data, year-specific land-cover data, annual net ecosystem exchange (NEE) values, and annual anthropogenic carbon emissions estimates. The principal methods were testing for climatic trends, determining the composition of the land-cover classes, estimating annual NEP values for the land-cover classes, and estimating the overall carbon exchange. The major findings: (1) there were no significant trends for any of the climatic variables; (2) the region was only ∼16% urbanized in 1973; however, by 2002, the region was ∼38% urbanized; (3) the NEP in 1978–1980 of 443 g C m-2 yr-1 may have continued until 1996–1998, despite the substantial loss of forest land; and (4) net carbon emissions increased from ∼150 g in 1978–1980 to ∼940g C m-2 yr-1 in 1996–1998. Therefore, urban expansion greatly increased the carbon emissions of the Atlanta region; however, it is possible that, through increasing the growing-season length as well as increasing nitrogen and CO2 fertilization, urban expansion may not decrease the region-wide NEP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Threats to public health and environmental quality from septic systems are more prevalent in areas with poorly draining soils, high water tables, or frequent flooding. Significant research gaps exist in assessing these systems' vulnerability and evaluating factors associated with higher rates of septic systems replacement and repair. We developed a novel GIS-based framework for assessing septic system vulnerability using a database of known septic system specifications and a modified Soil Topographic Index (STI) that incorporates seasonal high groundwater elevation to assess risks posed to septic systems in coastal Georgia. We tested the hypothesis that both the modified STI and septic system specifications such as tank capacity per bedroom and drainfield type would explain most of the variance in septic system repair and replacement using classification inference tree and generalized logistic regression models. Our modeling results indicate that drainfield type (level vs. mounded) is the most significant variable (p-value < 0.001) in predicting septic systems functionality followed by septic tank capacity per bedroom (p-value < 0.01). These show the importance of septic system design regulations such as a minimum requirement for horizontal separation distance between the bottom of trenches and seasonal water table, and adequate tank capacity design. However, for septic systems with a mounded drainfield and a larger tank capacity per bedroom, the modified STI representing hydrological characteristics of septic system location is a significant predictor of a high septic system repair and replacement rate. The methodology developed in this study can have important implications for managing existing septic systems and planning for future development in coastal areas, especially in an environment of rapid climatic change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the increase of the concern for food security in the world, mainly caused by water resources shortages, the forecast and determination of crop yield at regional scale has been considered as a strategic topic. This study has been conducted to assess the possible impacts of the climate change on cereal crops productivity and irrigation requirement for two main producing regions of Georgia, according to the current crop pattern, and for the 2050s periods. With this aim, water-driven FAO-AquaCrop model has been used. Furthermore, ongoing and forecasted changes, up to the end of the century, in agro-climatic zones relevant for cereals production have been assessed. The climate change data was generated for RCP4.5 scenario through the global circulation model ECHAM4.1, dynamically downscaled on the region via regional climate model (RegCM4.1). Results show overall increase in cereal crop yields, but also enhancement in water shortages even considering optimum management practices under rainfed conditions. Based on the results obtained, recommendations have been developed for adaptation measures to the climate change for the Georgia Agriculture sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expansion of irrigated agricultural production can be appropriate for the southeast region in the U.S. as a climate change adaptation strategy. This study investigated the effect of supplemental development of irrigated agriculture on the regional economy by applying the supply side Georgia multiregional input-output (MRIO) model. For the analysis, 100% conversion of non-irrigated cultivable acreage into irrigated acreage for cotton, peanuts, corn, and soybeans in 42 counties of southwest Georgia is assumed. With this assumption, the difference in total net returns of production between the non-irrigation and irrigation method is calculated as input data of the Georgia MRIO model. Based on the information of a 95% confidence interval for each crop's average price, the lower and upper bounds of estimated results are also presented. The total impact of cotton production was $60 million with the range of $35 million to $85 million: The total impact of peanuts, soybeans, corn was $10.2 million (the range of $3.28 million to $23.7 million), $6.6 million (the range of $3.1 million to $10.2 million), $1.2 million (the range of -$6 million to $8.5 million), respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grey wolf and golden jackal are both common in Georgia, although they have different habitat preferences. The wolf is more common in mountain areas of the country, and jackals are more common in the lowland part of Georgia, with its milder and warmer climate. In recent decades, the abundance of both species increased. Simultaneously, the jackals are increasingly often sighted at higher elevations than previously recorded, and simultaneously, there are increased sightings of the wolves in lowlands of western Georgia, including the areas close to the Black Sea Coast. The analysis of partial mitochondrial DNA sequences and 20 microsatellite markers suggest substantially higher genetic diversity of wolves than the jackals in Georgia, which could be related to the late expansion of jackals into the Caucasus region (not before the Bronze Age). Clustering using a Bayesian approach based on the microsatellite markers suggests that the vast majority of both jackals and wolves sampled in western Georgia descend from recent migrants from the east of the country. The expansion of the two species may be related to the conservation efforts in the latest decades or/and climate change that explains the appearance of jackals in the mountain regions of Georgia, as well as in northern Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tidal fresh marshes are at least as productive as nearby salt marshes, but much less is known about controls on primary production in tidal fresh vs. salt marshes. We studied a tidal fresh marsh in Georgia, U.S.A., dominated by the C3 grass Zizaniopsis miliacea. We documented seasonal variation in Z. miliacea above‐ground biomass and below‐ground macro‐organic matter over 1 yr, and annual variation in end‐of‐season aboveground biomass over 15 yr in creekbank and midmarsh zones. Aboveground biomass showed a distinct peak in July and October. Belowground macro‐organic matter was much greater than aboveground biomass and peaked in October. Overall productivity was similar to that of salt marshes downstream. Z. miliacea end‐of‐season above‐ground biomass showed a classic hump‐shaped "subsidy‐stress" relationship with plot elevation, but on average the creekbank supported about twofold more above‐ground biomass than the midmarsh, and both zones varied in biomass about 1.7‐fold among years. Annual variation in above‐ground biomass was negatively correlated with maximum and mean temperature in both zones, and positively with river discharge in the creekbank zone. Sea level, precipitation and water column salinity showed biologically plausible trends with respect to biomass. The responses of Z. miliacea to abiotic drivers were muted compared with the responses of nearby salt marshes dominated by Spartina alterniflora. Temperature was more important for Z. miliacea, whereas drivers of porewater salinity were more important in the salt marsh. Likely future changes in temperature, precipitation, and river discharge may pose a threat to the high productivity of tidal fresh marshes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Changes in climate are predicted to influence parasite and pathogen infection patterns in terrestrial and marine environments. Increases in temperature in particular may greatly alter biological processes, such as host-parasite interactions. For example, parasites could differentially benefit from increased reproduction and transmission or hosts could benefit from elevated immune responses that may mediate or even eliminate infections. In the southeastern United States, the Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, is infected by the lethal protozoan parasite, Perkinsus marinus. Under field conditions, intertidal (air-exposed) oysters have been found to have significantly higher P. marinus infection intensity and marginally higher infection prevalence than subtidal (submerged) oysters. During summer, air temperatures are much warmer than water and this exposure of intertidal oysters to higher temperatures is a suggested mechanism for increased infection intensity. Methods. We simulated intertidal exposure using controlled laboratory experiments to determine how host traits (survival and immune response) and parasite infection intensity will respond to elevated air temperature ranging from 27 °C to 53 °C during emersion at low tide. In Georgia, where our work was conducted, the average summer water temperature is 29 °C and the average maximum high air temperature in July is 33 °C (though oysters have been shown to survive at much higher air temperatures). Results. Host survival declined as temperature increased, with a definitive drop-off between 39-43 °C. Negative effects of air temperature on host immune response (phagocytic activity) were detectable only at extremely high temperatures (47-50 °C) when hosts were suffering acute mortality. Parasite infection intensity peaked at 35 °C. Discussion. Our results suggest that an increase in average summer air temperature to 35 °C or higher could affect oyster survival directly through temperature-related impacts in the short-term and indirectly through increased P. marinus infection intensity over the long-term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of the dust on the climate in the Caucasus region, with a specific focus on Georgia, was investigated with a Regional Climate Model RegCM interactively coupled with a dust model. For this purpose we have executed sets of 30 years simulations (1985-2014) with and without dust effects by RegCM4.7 model with 16.7 km resolution over the Caucasus domain and with 50 km resolution encompassing most of the Sahara, the Middle East, and the Great Caucasus with adjacent regions. Results of calculations have shown that the dust aerosol is an active player in the climate system of Georgia. Mineral dust aerosol influences on temperature and aerosol optical depth spatial and temporally inhomogeneous distribution on the territory of Georgia and generally has been agreed with MODIS satellite data. Results of numerical calculations have shown that dust radiative forcing inclusion has improved simulated summer temperature. The mean annual temperature increased across the whole territory of Georgia in simulations when dust direct effect was considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the role that civic agriculture in Georgia (US) plays in shaping attitudes, strategies, and relationships that foster both sustainability and adaptation to a changing climate. Civic agriculture is a social movement that attracts a specific type of 'activist' farmer, who is linked to a strong social network that includes other farmers and consumers. Positioning farmers' practices within a social movement broadens the understanding of adaptive capacity beyond how farmers adapt to understand why they do so. By drawing upon qualitative and quantitative data and by focusing on the cosmological, organizational, and technical dimensions of the social movement, the study illuminates how social values and networks shape production and marketing strategies that enable farmers to share resources and risks. We propose a conceptual framework for understanding how technical and social strategies aimed to address the sustainability goals of the movement also increase adaptive capacity at multiple timescales. In conclusion, we outline directions for future research, including the need for longitudinal studies that focus on consumer motivation and willingness to pay, the effects of scale on consumer loyalty and producer cooperation, and the role of a social movement in climate change adaptation. Finally, we stress that farmers' ability to thrive in uncertain climate futures calls for transformative approaches to sustainable agriculture that support the development of strong social networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is critical to understand the ability of water management to prepare for and respond to the likely increasing duration, frequency, and intensity of droughts brought about by climate variability and change. This article evaluates this ability, or adaptive capacity, within large urban community water systems (CWSs) in Arizona and Georgia. It analyzes interview data on the bridges and barriers to adapting water management approaches in relation to extreme droughts over the past decade. This study not only finds levers for building adaptive capacity that are unique to each state but also identifies several unifying themes that cut across both cases. The interviews also show that a particular bridge or barrier, such as state regulation, is not universally beneficial or detrimental for building adaptive capacity within each state. Such knowledge is useful for improving water and drought management and for understanding how CWSs might prepare for future climate variability and change by removing the barriers and bolstering the bridges in efforts to build adaptive capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

. Climate change may lead to changes in several aspects of the distribution of climate variables, including changes in the mean, increased variability and severity of extreme events. We propose the use of spatiotemporal quantile regression as a flexible and interpretable method for simultaneously detecting changes in several features of the distribution of climate variables. The spatiotemporal quantile regression model assumes that each quantile level changes linearly in time, permitting straightforward inference on the time trend for each quantile level. Unlike classical quantile regression which uses model-free methods to analyse a single quantile or several quantiles separately, we take a model-based approach which jointly models all quantiles, and thus the entire response distribution. In the spatiotemporal quantile regression model, each spatial location has its own quantile function that evolves over time, and the quantile functions are smoothed spatially by using Gaussian process priors. We propose a basis expansion for the quantile function that permits a closed form for the likelihood and allows for residual correlation modelling via a Gaussian spatial copula. We illustrate the methods by using temperature data for the south-east USA from the years 1931-2009. For these data, borrowing information across space identifies more significant time trends than classical non-spatial quantile regression. We find a decreasing time trend for much of the spatial domain for monthly mean and maximum temperatures. For the lower quantiles of monthly minimum temperature, we find a decrease in Georgia and Florida, and an increase in Virginia and the Carolinas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a speech by Thomas Pogge, Leitner Professor of Philosophy and International Affairs at Yale University, delivered at the 2010 Conference on International Human Rights and Climate Change, held at Georgia School of Law, wherein he spoke about poverty, climate change, and overpopulation.

ABSTRACT Researchers have come to differing conclusions about multi-decadal changes in the position of the western ridge of the Bermuda High during the summer. This communication examines trends for 72 periods within the entire period of record (1948-2012), while also comparing variances in the Western Bermuda High Index ( WBHI) and the latitudinal position of the western ridge. The western ridge has not moved significantly eastward or westward over either 1948-2012 or the past 60 years. The western ridge underwent a major westward shift from 1976 to 1977, but it did not stay in that western position during subsequent decades. Over the past 30-40 years, the western ridge has moved significantly eastwards and southwards. Finally, the WBHI, rather than the latitude of the western ridge, has had a definitive increase in variance over time and is the likely cause of increased summer rainfall variability in the southeastern United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]