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Coastal Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerabilities - Climate ...

Coastal Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerabilities - Climate ...

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Chapter 3Vulnerability <strong>and</strong> <strong>Impacts</strong> on NaturalResourcesKey FindingsffffffffffffffffffffMultiple stressors interact at the coast, which directly impacts natural resources.The responses of natural coastal systems to climate change are complex <strong>and</strong>subject to nonlinear changes <strong>and</strong> tipping points. Many of these responsesare heavily influenced by the way they are linked with human systems. HighConfidence.Wetl<strong>and</strong> ecosystems are vulnerable to relative rise in water levels <strong>and</strong> projectedincreases in storm activity in zones of significant human use. High Confidence.Mangrove range will exp<strong>and</strong> as minimum temperatures increase. HighConfidence.<strong>Coastal</strong> forests will tend to migrate upslope <strong>and</strong> poleward where they are able tokeep pace with changing habitat conditions. High Confidence.The structure <strong>and</strong> functioning of estuary <strong>and</strong> coastal lagoon systems will changewith alterations in habitat suitability <strong>and</strong> the timing of long-st<strong>and</strong>ing processes.High Confidence.Dynamic barrier isl<strong>and</strong> l<strong>and</strong>scapes naturally migrate in response to stormactivity <strong>and</strong> sea-level rise. This process will be confounded by human alterations.High Confidence.Because of altered sediment supplies <strong>and</strong> local subsidence, deltas, <strong>and</strong> thebiodiversity they support, are at risk to drowning during rising sea levels. HighConfidence.Mudflats are susceptible to threshold changes caused by the combined effectsof sea-level rise, temperature, l<strong>and</strong> use, altered flows, <strong>and</strong> increased nutrientrunoff. High Confidence.Complex interactions between physical <strong>and</strong> biological factors, which makeresponses to climate change difficult to predict, have been demonstrated inrocky shore communities. High Confidence.Sea ice ecosystems are already being adversely affected by the loss of summersea ice. Further changes are expected. High Confidence.52

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