[Figure (top): The Sundarban is one of the world's largest coastal wetlands covering about 1 million ha between Bangladesh and India. Source: Wikipedia. Author: bri vos; Licensed under CC-BY-2.0 Creative Commons. (map: "সুন্দরবনের মানচিত্র" by Nirvik12 - Own work. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons; (third photo: Landsat 7 image of Sundarbans released by NASA Observatory. Author: Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory; (bottom photo): The global distribution of seagrasses, tidal marshes, and mangroves. Source: PLoS One. 2012; 7(9): e43542 10.1371/journal.pone.0043542]
Our final study unit for the semester will cover some of the anticipated effects of climate change and global change on wetland ecosystems, as well as the implications for wetland restoration. Along the way, we'll pay particular attention to "Blue Carbon" which is defined as the carbon captured in oceans and coastal ecosystems (e.g., salt marshes and mangroves).
The 2-Minute Lecture: Blue Carbon
Let's begin with a simple overview of blue carbon and the issues involved by watching the following video clip:
To add to our general introduction about blue carbon, let's listen to a podcast produced by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). Use the following link to go to NOAA and there click on the indicated link to "Listen" and start the podcast.
A) Link to the: NOAA Podcast
B) Then, you should also look at the NOAA web page: Coastal Blue Carbon.
Now that we've had a nice general overview of the subject, let's dig into a few technical details about blue carbon that will probably surprise you. Look at the following, free, open-source publication from PLOS ONE. Click on the image title below to download the publication:
After you download this publication, read the Abstract, the Introduction (p. 1 - 3 up to the start of the methods section), and the following parts of the Results and Discussion (i.e., the first section "CO2 emissions" and the Conclusion.).
Climate Change and Invasive Wetland Plants
Okay, now this is where it gets starts to get interesting. We've worked our way up to a full-fledged lecture (20 min.) that explores the interactions of climate change, projected increases in carbon and nitrogen, and how these factors interact with invasive and native wetland plants. The presenter on the following video lecture speaks rather rapid fire. However, if you just kind of let the words flow over you and pay attention to the graphics on the screen, perhaps pausing the lecture to make sure you can read the screen, you'll be fine.
But first, let's have a quick overview of the invasive wetland plant known as common reed, or phragmites (Phragmites australis), and the controversies surrounding its range expansion (which is quite similar to our local reed canary grass in some ways). Look over the Wikipedia account for phragmites, pictured below as it invades a sandy beach area. Then watch the video lecture below to see what wetland research is revealing about this invasive plant and the implications for wetland and coastal ecosystems.
[Photo: Phragmites (Phragmites australis) invading a sandy beach area. Source: Wikipedia. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 Creative Commons via Wikipedia]
Video Lecture: Climate Change and Effects on Native and Invasive Wetland Plants
(Note: This lecture is delivered rapid-fire and can be difficult to listen to for long periods. However, if you can catch the introduction and then "spot check" several places through the lecture, especially where you see a nice graphic and then pause the video to look at the graphic, I think you will get the gist of the talk, which is that some invasive plants (like phragmites) will benefit from changing nitrogen and carbon levels in the atmosphere and grow more rapidly than some native wetland plant communities.
Then, if you skip to about the 20 minute mark, I think you can hear a major punchline of the talk, which is questioning whether we should be attempting to eradicate phragmites everywhere, or whether this plant may have some beneficial use in capturing and sequestering carbon.
In this debate over wide-spread control efforts vs. less intense eradication and management efforts, and after watching the short video below on the "So-Called "War" on Phragmites" you will see the difficulties ecologists face in understanding the effects of climate change on invasive plants and native plants and the difficulty in balancing those ecological factors against managing future wetlands for human needs and desires.)
In the preceding lecture, you'll hear this scientist remark about how much time, effort, and money is going into waging a "war" on phragmites. Waging a war seems to be a popular phrase and approach to battling invasive plants. However, when we look at the future, we have to wonder how long we can keep spraying and spending millions upon millions of dollars to cover our landscape with herbicides to temporarily rid ourselves of invasive plants.
You'll find the next short (5 min.) video interesting, as it is delivered from the perspective of waging a war and battle against phragmites. However, you'll also find the videos and pictures of phragmites to be quite interesting if you don't have first hand knowledge of this wetland plant. It is difficult to appreciate just how large and dense these stands of grass can be until you see these photos or if you have the opportunity some time to try and penetrate these wetland jungles.
The So-Called "War" on Phragmites (a losing battle?......)
Of course, there are huge impacts of phragmites on plant and animal habitat as plant invasion fronts move across the landscape. Here's a short, amateur video by students that illustrates the effects of phragmites invasions on the habitat of terrapins.
Terrapins and Phragmites
Now that you've been informed about the importance of blue carbon, let's get back to good old fashioned black carbon and refresh our memory about the importance of the other type of huge wetland ecosystem that influences atmospheric carbon balances and the threatening future of climate change. Click on the title for the publication below to be taken to the journal, Nature Geoscience, where you may download a pdf copy of this paper (be sure to sign in to the institutional access by typing in Washington State University in the upper right hand corner of the web page, which will then allow you to download).
Click on the title below to be taken to the web site for nature geoscience. To download a free pdf copy of this article (do not pay!), you must log in to the institutional access in the upper right hand corner of that web page. Type in Washington State University and the site will give you access to download a pdf copy of this publication.
In the following article, you only need to read the Abstract and the short Introduction. These paragraphs contain the punchline.
Climate Change and Wetland Restoration
[Photo (top): Tourists in the Mekong River Delta, Vietnam, an area covering about 15,000 sq. mi.). (bottom): Location of the Mekong River Delta in Vietnam. Source: Wikipedia. Author (top): Teijo Hakala; (bottom): TUBS. Licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.0 and CC-BY-SA 3.0 Creative Commons.]
For our next to last topic, let's consider the future of wetland restoration given the uncertainties of global climate change. Now that we know quite a bit more about blue carbon, peatlands, and the important role of wetlands in global carbon dynamics, let's consider how these factors relate to wetland restoration.
Click on the title of the following link to download a pdf copy of this journal article;
Download Wetlands and global climate change
This is an excellent, well written review paper that hones in what factors are important to consider for wetland restoration in the future. While the whole paper is quite good, read the following sections for sure: (Abstract; Introduction; Climate Change and Wetlands; then under the section for Wetland habitat responses to climate change and the implication for restoration, read at least the following two subsections for Salt marshes/intertidal marshes and Peatlands/non-forested peatlands/forested peatlands; Mekong river delta; and then the ending section on Recommendations.
However, if you are interested in learning more about wetland ecology, you may wish to retain this paper for your personal use to read the sections covering some of the large and unique wetland ecosystems in the world.
"Future climate changes will affect wetlands in two fundamental ways: the number of functioning wetlands (and their functional capacity) within most ecoregions will decline and the geographic location of certain types of wetlands will shift."
Wetland and Amphibian Ecology in Palouse Prairie Wetlands
[Photos: Top - Erim Gomez pouring water out of boot. Water lily (note the dragon fly larva emerging on the side of the flower). Great blue heron hunting in shallow water. Pacific chorus frog (or tree frog) and long-toed salamander. Columbia spotted frog in hand. Newly-emerged long-toed salamander in hand. Rod Sayler and Erim Gomez at the Potholes Reservoir by Moses Lake, looking for state-endangered northern leopard frogs.]
I wish we had time in this course for me to cover some interesting aspects of amphibian and wetland ecology in Palouse Prairie and the interior Columbia River Basin. But we don't.
You heard me mention in my emails to the class that we've been busy getting Erim's dissertation completed and having his defense. Here's a tiny bit of his dissertation (see abstract for one part):
If you get a chance to study or work in the field of wetland ecology, go for it! Wetlands are amazing in the productivity and biodiversity they have in such relatively small areas.
A few years back, I decided to see if WSU students, especially those in the School of the Environment, were interested in a new course in wetland ecology and management. I worked up an initial 2-credit course and offered it to students just before the semester started and still ended up with 32 students.
Click on the next graphic, or the download link below the following graphic, to open up the course flyer for that course and then look through the second page to see the list of topics covered in that course.
Download Wetland Ecology Course Flyer
Then, after reviewing these topics, complete the study questions below and post your responses.
Discussion Assignment
Several times this semester when we've had more extensive readings and videos, I've asked a series of short questions to guide you to some important issues as we covered some key materials. Now let's just turn you loose on your own.
We're all busy this time of the semester, so instead of a series of questions, let's see how well you cover the materials in this study unit and address the following simple questions:
1) Given the videos, podcast, readings, and information links above, how would you describe in your own words the key take-home points or important messages for people to realize about the interactions of Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen, Methane, Blue Carbon, Green Carbon, Black Carbon, Invasive Wetland Plants, and the future of wetlands under Global Climate Change?
2) To answer this next question, please try to be honest. You won't hurt my feelings! I absolutely promise, because you might not be interested in wetlands, and that's perfectly fine! We all have different interests!
A) Do you think that if such a 2-credit course were available, that you might have been interested in including it in your degree program?
B) Looking back on your degree program, do you think you would have been interested in having a small selection (maybe 3, 4, or 5) of such 1 or 2 credit courses (such as the above wetland course as an example) to add some diversity and depth to your degree studies in areas that interested you? Or would you think that the normal 3-5 credit classes cover such topics adequately?
Compose your answers offline in a word processor and securely save your file before posting your response to the question using the comments link below this post.
Due Date: Wed., Dec. 9