Land Use: Its impact on

Global Warming
Global Warming: Its impact
on Land Use

Amanda M. Barr
Fall 2006
 Introduction
 Distinct interconnectivity between changing
land use, global warming, and future land
use
 Changing earth: shifts use of land and
resources
 Different environments will be influenced in
distinct and characterized ways
 Introduction
 Forests
 Deserts
 Agricultural
 Urban
Forests
 31% increase in the
concentration of
carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere since the
Industrial Revolution
 45% of the carbon
dioxide increase in the
atmosphere has been
attributed to the loss
of forest cover
Contribution of CO2 from
depletion of forest cover
Fossil fuel compared to land
use contributions to CO2
 How to prevent impacts of
poor land use of forests?
 Prevent deforestation
 Encourage reforestation
 Reduce carbon loss by changing
harvesting methods that require less
logging
 Education
 Desert Ecosystems
 The potential to provide
major carbon sinks in both
their soils and vegetation
 Normally relatively low
organic carbon storage per
unit area
 Deserts and semi-desert
regions may be one of the
most responsive to elevated
levels of carbon dioxide and
the resultant changes due
to the greenhouse effect
 Changes in surface albedo
 Desert Ecosystems
 37% of the proportion of the global land surface
 Some studies predict that, with a 50% increase in
carbon dioxide, plant production could be enhanced
as much as 70% in desert systems
 Decrease the influence of salinity on plant growth
 Potential agricultural uses of land near desert areas
could produce more productive crops and further
enhance soil organic matter.
 Indirect Effects on Desert
Ecosystems
Changing patterns of precipitation
 Distribution of temperatures could change current
land use practices of the desert area
 Some desert areas will receive enhanced
precipitation, while others will become even drier
 Evapotranspiration will also increase with increased
temperatures, and thus offset any enhanced
precipitation
 Some desert regions have anthropogenic origins
such as soil erosion, relatively permanent loss in
vegetation, and deterioration of soils. Not only are
there changes in biomass, but also surface albedo
 UV-B
 Based on models that predict UV level
increased relative to 1979-1992 levels,
2010-2020 may receive UV doses
increased by 14% in the Northern
hemisphere and up to 40% in the Southern
hemisphere
 A 30% increase in UV-B radiation levels is
expected to have significant impact on
crop productivity
Land Use in Desert Regions
 UV-B Radiation and Land
Use
 ozone also has a significant impact on land use
 thinning of the ozone layer leads to increased UV
radiation
 UV radiation : UV-A and UV-B
 UV-A radiation : 320-400nm, involved in the formation
of vitamin D by humans, as well as causing sun
damage to skin and eyes
 UV-B, on the other hand, has wavelengths between
290-320nm, and causes damage at the molecular level
to DNA.
 In Plants – interferes with photosynthetic ability
Influences of UV-B on plants
 photosynthetic abilities
 decreases size,
productivity and quality in
many crop plant species
such as rice, soybeans,
winter wheat, cotton and
corn
 increased susceptibility to
disease
 Source: EPA
 Urban Land Use
 governed by political parties and agendas
 Possible implications for urban areas: sea level rise,
drought, urban heat island effects, changing
groundwater resources, enhanced/decreased potential
for rain, increased temperatures, and potentially greater
probabilities of hurricanes
 According to the IPCC (2001), sea level rise increase
current global average sea level by .3-2.9 feet over the
next 100 years
 Impact urban areas: eroding beaches, intensifying
flooding, and influences salinity and groundwater stores.
 North Carolina- laws that prohibit residents from building
new houses in areas that are likely to be eroded in the
next 30-60 years
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