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Applied Sciences
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Climate Change and Aquatic Ecosystems: Impacts, Mitigation and Adaptation
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Climate Change and Aquatic Ecosystems: Impacts, Mitigation and Adaptation

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 November 2021) | Viewed by 20494

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Tiago Verdelhos

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Guest Editor
Department of Life Sciences, Marine and Environmental Sciences Center, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: marine, estuarine, and coastal ecosystems; biodiversity and ecosystem functioning; environmental risk; aquaculture and fisheries; ecological modeling; ecotoxicology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Helena Veríssimo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Life Sciences, MARE–Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre/ARNET-Aquatic Research Network, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: ocean and estuarine ecology; climate change; environmental policy and management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last decades, climate change has posed major challenges to natural environments and society, particularly affecting aquatic ecosystems. Further impacts are expected under the ongoing scenario of global warming, through several derived phenomena (e.g., sea level rise, extreme events, ocean acidification) that lead to changes in marine and freshwater ecosystems, promoting habitat loss and the disruption of their biodiversity and functioning, and put them at risk of severe deterioration.

Thus, serious concerns exist over the current and projected adverse effects of climate change on these environments, which generate urgency on addressing this problem. Wider understanding and immediate action are essential to reduce vulnerability and increase resilience of these ecosystems, together with the development and implementation of coordinated mitigation and adaptation measures promoting their sustainability.

For this Special Issue, we invite the submission of contributions addressing the most recent developments in climate change research. Papers dealing with the impacts and effects of climate change on marine and freshwater ecosystems in all their aspects as well as describing original proposals and strategies for mitigation and/or adaptation measures are welcome.

Dr. Tiago Verdelhos
Dr. Helena Veríssimo
Guest Editors

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • climate change
  • aquatic ecosystems
  • impacts
  • mitigation
  • adaptation

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1781 KiB  
Article
The Readiness Index for Climate Change Adaptation in Africa: The Role of Climate and Adaptive Capacity Proxies
by Terence Epule Epule, Abdelghani Chehbouni, Driss Dhiba and Mirielle Wase Moto
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(20), 9413; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11209413 - 11 Oct 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 2920
Abstract
As global changes continue, the repercussions in Africa remain profound. This is reflected notably in food and water crises across Africa. This work examines the readiness of Africa to climate change adaptation through a newly developed readiness index (ClimAdaptCap Index). In fact, this [...] Read more.
As global changes continue, the repercussions in Africa remain profound. This is reflected notably in food and water crises across Africa. This work examines the readiness of Africa to climate change adaptation through a newly developed readiness index (ClimAdaptCap Index). In fact, this work shifts the readiness debate from emotional descriptions that currently flood academic scholarship to a more pragmatic evidence-based approach in assessing readiness. Readiness for climate change adaptation is driven by the intensity of climate forcing and adaptive capacity. The historical climate score data or precipitation and temperature for the period 1991–2016 were culled from the World Bank Climate Portal. The historical adaptive capacity score data included proxies such as poverty and literacy rates from 1991 to 2016 were collected from the World Bank and Macrotrends. The climate data were normalized using the normalization function to enhance interpretation, comparison, and fusion into the index. Missing poverty and literacy rate data were estimated by linear interpolation of the poverty and literacy rate data. The ClimAdaptCap Index was developed to compute readiness. This index is the first of its kind and will serve as a flagship for assessing readiness for climate change adaptation as it is highly adaptable to different contexts. This work’s first-ever maps of readiness show that North and Southern Africa are the readiest for climate change adaptation under historical climate and literacy and poverty conditions. West Africa is the least ready while Middle and East Africa are in the middle. Consistent is that readiness has a positive correlation with literacy rates and an inverse one with poverty rates. In addition, with readiness scores of between 0.35 and 0.39 for all the regions with a maximum potential score of 1, this work has shown that the level of readiness in Africa is generally low, and there is a very small variation between the different regions. In addition, climate change adaptation will highly be influenced by both climatic and non-climatic indicators. The developed readiness index adequately simulates readiness to climate change adaptation in Africa and complements previous frameworks of adaptation preparedness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Aquatic Ecosystems: Impacts, Mitigation and Adaptation)
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18 pages, 1911 KiB  
Article
Regional Climate Change in Southeast Mexico-Yucatan Peninsula, Central America and the Caribbean
by Mercedes Andrade-Velázquez, Ojilve Ramón Medrano-Pérez, Martín José Montero-Martínez and Alejandro Alcudia-Aguilar
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(18), 8284; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11188284 - 7 Sep 2021
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3749
Abstract
This study analyzes the mean, maximum, and minimum temperatures and precipitation trends in southeast Mexico-Yucatan Peninsula, Central America and the Caribbean regions. The Climate Research Unit (CRU) TS 4.01, with a spatial resolution of 0.5° × 0.5°, was the database used in this [...] Read more.
This study analyzes the mean, maximum, and minimum temperatures and precipitation trends in southeast Mexico-Yucatan Peninsula, Central America and the Caribbean regions. The Climate Research Unit (CRU) TS 4.01, with a spatial resolution of 0.5° × 0.5°, was the database used in this research. The trends of the four selected climate variables cover the period from 1960 to 2016. The results obtained show a clear and consistent warming trend, at a rate of about 0.01 °C/year for the entire study region. These results are consistent with some previous studies and the IPCC reports. While the trends of precipitation anomalies are slightly positive (~0.1 mm/year) for southeast Mexico-Yucatan Peninsula and almost the entire Caribbean, for Central America (CA) the trends are negative. The study also presents the correlation between temperatures and precipitation versus El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) drivers, indicating global warming and frequency signals from the climate drivers. In terms of the near future (2015–2039), three Representative Concentration Pathways (RPC) show the same trend of temperature increase as the historical record. The RCP 6.0 has trends similar to the historical records for CA and southeast Mexico-Yucatan Peninsula, while the Caribbean corresponds to RCP 4.5. In terms of the far-future (2075–2099), RCP 6.0 is more ad-hoc for southeastern Mexico-Yucatan Peninsula, and RCP 8.5 corresponds to Central America. These results could help to focus actions and measures against the impacts of climate change in the entire study region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Aquatic Ecosystems: Impacts, Mitigation and Adaptation)
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13 pages, 2188 KiB  
Article
Behavioural Responses of Cerastoderma edule as Indicators of Potential Survival Strategies in the Face of Flooding Events
by Tiago Verdelhos, Helena Veríssimo, João Carlos Marques and Pedro Anastácio
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(14), 6436; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11146436 - 12 Jul 2021
Viewed by 2079
Abstract
According to climate change scenarios the incidence of extreme events, such as flooding, is expected to increase worldwide. In the current climate change context, understanding behavioural responses of marine species to such stressors is essential, especially for species of high ecological and economic [...] Read more.
According to climate change scenarios the incidence of extreme events, such as flooding, is expected to increase worldwide. In the current climate change context, understanding behavioural responses of marine species to such stressors is essential, especially for species of high ecological and economic interest such as bivalves, which can be quite useful for future management and conservation actions. In this study, a laboratory experiment using different salinity conditions was undertaken to assess potential behavioural responses of cockles (Cerastoderma edule), as a survival strategy facing low-salinity stress during riverine flood events. Results showed consistent patterns of burrowing/emergence of cockles facing salinity variation: with high salinities the individuals were observed buried in the sediment; when salinity decreased, organisms were observed to actively emerge, and when salinity was <10, cockles were found exposed at the sediment surface. These behavioural changes may be a strategy for the survival of this species in response to flooding: once at the sediment surface, hydrodynamics may transport organisms towards areas that are more suitable Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Aquatic Ecosystems: Impacts, Mitigation and Adaptation)
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17 pages, 54372 KiB  
Article
Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Shrimps Distribution of Commercial Importance in the Gulf of California
by Andres Cota-Durán, David Petatán-Ramírez, Miguel Ángel Ojeda-Ruiz and Elvia Aida Marín-Monroy
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(12), 5506; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11125506 - 14 Jun 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3392
Abstract
The Gulf of California is the most productive fishing region in Mexico; its ecosystems contain a vast diversity of species with exploitation potential, some of them potentially vulnerable to climate change. This research was conducted to analyze, through habitat suitability models, the possible [...] Read more.
The Gulf of California is the most productive fishing region in Mexico; its ecosystems contain a vast diversity of species with exploitation potential, some of them potentially vulnerable to climate change. This research was conducted to analyze, through habitat suitability models, the possible alterations in the distribution of the three shrimp species of the most importance for commercial fishing in the region: Litopenaeus stylirostris, Litopenaeus vannamei, and Farfantepenaeus californiensis. Habitat suitability models were built using the MaxEnt software, primary productivity data, temperature, salinity, bathymetry, substratum, coastal type, and geo-referenced occurrence records of the three species. Of the data, 70% was used on training, while the remaining 30% was used for validation. To make estimates of climate change impact on this fishery, projections on distribution of the three species from environmental forecasts generated by the intergovernmental panel on climate change until 2100 were made. The used model, that is in full development and expansion, could be considered as an applicable tool to other problems and showed efficiency rates above 90%. The species will maintain most of their historical distribution, but L. stylirostris and L. vannamei will have a new distribution area within the zones of the Magdalena-Almejas Bay and the Gulf of Ulloa, with an increase of 80% and 148% respectively; all species will have loss areas in the proportion of 16%, 2%, and 11%, respectively, along the southern Gulf of California. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Aquatic Ecosystems: Impacts, Mitigation and Adaptation)
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15 pages, 4677 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Dust Transport on the Concentration of Chlorophyll-A in the Surface Layer of the Black Sea
by Alla V. Varenik and Darya V. Kalinskaya
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(10), 4692; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11104692 - 20 May 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2294
Abstract
This paper focuses on the atmospheric dust transport effect on the changes in chlorophyll-A concentration in the Black Sea surface layer. In order to assess the input of nutrients with atmospheric precipitations at the Crimean coast of the Black Sea, the collected samples [...] Read more.
This paper focuses on the atmospheric dust transport effect on the changes in chlorophyll-A concentration in the Black Sea surface layer. In order to assess the input of nutrients with atmospheric precipitations at the Crimean coast of the Black Sea, the collected samples were analyzed for the content of inorganic nitrogen, phosphates, and silicon. The samples were taken into a wet-only sampler and into a permanently open one, to assess the effect of dust on the nutrients concentration in dry depositions. Cases of multi-fold excess of the nutrients content in the open sampler collected precipitation over that in the wet-only sampler were identified. For such high concentration cases, the 7-day back-trajectories analyses was carried out using the model of the international network AERONET and the HYSPLIT model. The results of our research showed that the influx of nutrients with the atmospheric depositions can result in increasing of chlorophyll-A concentration in 11–36% in the surface layer of the Black Sea. After atmospheric depositions, concentration of phosphates in the surface layer can increase more than five times compared with the background concentration. The increase of silicon concentration can reach 30%. The influx of atmospheric precipitation containing significant amounts of nutrients into the bay can shifts the Redfield ratio compared with background value up to three times. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Aquatic Ecosystems: Impacts, Mitigation and Adaptation)
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19 pages, 6203 KiB  
Article
Climate Change Impacts on Salt Marsh Blue Carbon, Nitrogen and Phosphorous Stocks and Ecosystem Services
by Bernardo Duarte, João Carreiras and Isabel Caçador
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(4), 1969; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041969 - 23 Feb 2021
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4672
Abstract
Salt marshes are valuable ecosystems, as they provide food, shelter, and important nursery areas for fish and macroinvertebrates, and a wide variety of ecosystem services for human populations. These ecosystem services heavily rely on the floristic composition of the salt marshes with different [...] Read more.
Salt marshes are valuable ecosystems, as they provide food, shelter, and important nursery areas for fish and macroinvertebrates, and a wide variety of ecosystem services for human populations. These ecosystem services heavily rely on the floristic composition of the salt marshes with different species conferring different service values and different adaptation and resilience capacities towards ecosystem stressors. Blue carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous stocks are no exception to this, and rely on the interspecific differences in the primary production metabolism and physiological traits. Furthermore, these intrinsic physiological characteristics also modulate the species response to any environmental stressor, such as the ones derived from ongoing global changes. This will heavily shape transitional ecosystem services, with significant changes of the ecosystem value of the salt marshes in terms of cultural, provisioning, regulating, and supporting ecosystem services, with a special emphasis on the possible alterations of the blue carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous stocks retained in these key environments. Thus, the need to integrate plant physiological characteristics and feedbacks towards the expected climate change-driven stressors becomes evident to accurately estimate the ecosystem services of the salt marsh community, and transfer these fundamental services into economic assets, for a fluid communication of the ecosystems value to stakeholders, decision and policy makers, and environmental management entities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Aquatic Ecosystems: Impacts, Mitigation and Adaptation)
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