ASWM: Wetland Science: Wetlands and Global Climate Change


	Photo credit (from left to right): Jeanne Christie, ASWM; Rick Lancaster, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyoming

Updated 2/3/10

Wetland managers face a new set of challenges when addressing the impacts from global climate change. From wetlands protection to management, there are many new and emerging factors included in a growing body of knowledge about climate change and its effects on wetlands. Sea level rise, carbon sequestration, methane and invasive species are among the many topics in recent discussions about wetlands and climate change. It is ASWM's goal to facilitate a working dialogue and to establish an informative resource on this ever-increasingly important topic.

ASWM PUBLICATIONS

Wetlands, Coastal Communities and Sea Level Rise

By Jeanne Christie, Executive Director
A useful study which provides a concrete opportunity to better understand how sea level rise will affect coastal communities and coastal resources was recently published in the journal

~NEW~

Climate Change Feature

It’s Cold! What Happened to Global Warming! http://www.pewclimate.org/blog/
gulledgej/science-question-cold-
weather-global-warming

Climate Change and Aquatic Ecosystems

On January 27-28, 2010, a symposium on climate change and aquatic ecosystems took place in the Netherlands. The first day focused on this subject and during the second day, scientists went into the consequences for the Netherlands and water management. A video report is published online. http://themas.stowa.nl/Themas/
Activiteiten.aspx?mID=7216&r
ID=1069&aID=2118

Environmental Research Letters (http://www.iop.org/EJ/article/1748- 9326/4/4/044008/erl9_4_044008.pdf). It includes sea level rise planning maps (http://plan.risingsea.net/) for eastern seaboard states from Massachusetts to Florida, which distinguish the developed lands that are likely to be protected from a rising sea from those lands likely to be available for the inland migration of coastal ecosystems. [Read more]

“Recommendations for a National Wetlands and Climate Change Initiative”

ASWM has posted the “Recommendations for a National Wetlands and
Climate Change Initiative” based on Wetlands 2008: Wetlands and Global Climate Change, held on September 16-18, 2008 in Portland, Oregon. ASWM is recommending that federal agencies and Congress create a cooperative National Wetlands and Climate Change Initiative with the states, tribes, local governments, and the private sector. It would build upon existing coordination mechanisms. Please see: http://www.aswm.org/calendar/wetlands2008/recommendations_2008_112008.htm.
For a printable version, please see: http://www.aswm.org/calendar/wetlands2008/recommendations_2008_112008.pdf

Wetlands and Global Climate Change, by Leah Stetson (February 2007)

Seas rise and reshape barrier islands, coastal shorelines and estuaries. Wetlands store a significant amount of carbon. In response to global climate change, wetland scientists and decision-makers have posed the questions: How do we manage wetland with added understanding about climate change and its direct, indirect and long-range effects? Are there ways to mitigate the effects of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere in order to protect wetlands? What are the effects of rising sea levels on coastal wetlands? What other climate change factors will have an impact on wetlands? Who is studying these effects and impacts to wetlands? [For full story in PDF format, click here.]


	Wetlands and Climate Change: Management Options, by Jon Kusler, ASWM (2007) (PDF) Common Questions: Wetland, Climate Change, and Carbon Sequestering by Jon Kusler,, Association of State Wetland Managers, Inc. (06/26/06)

	REPORTS/STUDIES/PROJECTS

	Greenhouse-gas emission targets for limiting global warming to 2 °C By Malte Meinshausen, Nicolai Meinshausen, et. al. – Nature (U.K.) – April 30, 2009 More than 100 countries have adopted a global warming limit of 2 °C or below (relative to pre-industrial levels) as a guiding principle for mitigation efforts to reduce climate change risks, impacts and damages. For a link to this article, go to: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v458/n7242/full/nature08017.html

	Warming caused by cumulative carbon emissions towards the trillionth tonne By Myles R. Allen, David J. Frameet. al. – Nature (U.K.) – March 2009 Global efforts to mitigate climate change are guided by projections of future temperatures¹. But the eventual equilibrium global mean temperature associated with a given stabilization level of atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations remains uncertain. For link to this publication, go to: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v458/n7242/full/nature08019.html

	IPCC’s Technical Paper on Climate Change & Water Reports that Wetlands are Most Vulnerable Ecosystem Bates, B.C., Z.W. Kundzewicz, S. Wu and J.P. Palutikof, Eds. 2008 Due, in part, to their limited capacity for adaptation, wetlands are considered to be among the ecosystems most vulnerable to climate change. The high degree of variability in the structure of wetland systems is due mainly to their individual hydrology, varying from peatland bogs in high-latitude boreal forests, through tropical monsoonal wetlands (e.g., the Kakadu wetlands, Australia), to high-altitude wetlands in the Tibetan and Andean mountains. Climate change will have its most pronounced effects on inland freshwater wetlands through altered precipitation and more frequent or intense disturbance events (droughts, storms, floods). Relatively small increases in precipitation variability can significantly affect wetland plants and animals at different stages of their life cycle (Keddy, 2000). For a link to the full paper, go to: http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/publications_and_data_technical_papers_ climate_change_and_water.htm

	Sea Level Rise

	Melting threat from West Antarctic Ice Sheet may be less than expected, could hit US hardest By Jonathan Bamber – University of Colorado at Boulder – May 15, 2009 While a total or partial collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet as a result of warming would not raise global sea levels as high as some predict, levels on the U.S. seaboards would rise 25 percent more than the global average and threaten cities like New York, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco, according to a new study. Long thought of as the sleeping giant with respect to sea level rise, Antarctica holds about nine times the volume of ice of Greenland. Its western ice sheet, known as WAIS, is of particular interest to scientists due to its inherent instability, a result of large areas of the continent's bedrock lying below sea level. But the ice sheet's potential contribution to sea level rise has been greatly overestimated, according to new calculations. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-05/uoca-mtf051309.php

	Recent Developments in Sea Level Rise Studies – April 2009 Sea Level Rise Simulations Are Now Available Online Contact: Contact: Vanessa Kauffman – USFWS News Release – April 22, 2009 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today released a new user-friendly internet tool that allows the public to view simulations of sea level rise. Released in honor of Earth Day, this program is designed to help people understand the potential impacts of climate change on sea levels. The Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM)-View is a web browser-based application that displays map pairs of the same area, each at different sea levels. The strength of this tool is its ability to visually show the modeling of sea level rise predictions, allowing people to see the impacts in a more intuitive way. The SLAMM view tool could be accessed at http://www.fws.gov/chesapeakebay/slamm and http://www.slammview.org For full news release, go to: http://www.fws.gov/news/NewsReleases/showNews.cfm?newsId=CF70C5E0-DD1E-33CA-3D0BD4FB2BD3F890 The Impacts of Sea-Level Rise on the California Coast Pacific Institute – March 11, 2009 In an analysis prepared for three California state agencies, the Pacific Institute estimates that 480,000 people; a wide range of critical infrastructure, such as roads, hospitals, schools, and emergency facilities; vast areas of wetlands and other natural ecosystems; and nearly $100 billion in property along the California coast are at increased risk from flooding from a 1.4-meter sea-level rise – if no adaptation actions are taken. Commissioned by the Ocean Protection Council, the Public Interest Research Program of the California Energy Commission, and the California Department of Transportation, this comprehensive assessment of the impacts of sea-level rise puts California in the lead in trying to understand and adapt to the possible consequences of climate change. For full press release, go to: http://www.pacinst.org/press_center/press_releases/sea_level_rise_3_11_09.html

	An International Competition for Ideas Responding to Sea Level Rise in San Francisco Bay and Beyond The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) is hosting an open international design competition for ideas responding to sea level rise in San Francisco Bay and beyond. The Rising Tides ideas competition seeks responses to various design challenges, such as: How do we build in an area that is dry now, but that may be wet in the future? How do we retrofit existing shoreline infrastructure such as shipping ports, highways, airports, power plants and wastewater treatment plants? Can we imagine a different shoreline configuration or settlement pattern that allows temporary inundation from extreme storm events? And how do we provide flood protection inland or marshes without drowning the wetland when the water rises? Design proposals may range from practical and pragmatic to aggressively imaginative and speculative. All entries, however, should solve a meaningful sea-level rise problem, while being environmentally smart, simply designed, and transferable to other estuaries beyond San Francisco Bay. Integrating "green building" principles to resilient designs adds another layer of opportunity and complexity. First place will receive a $10,000 USD prize. Up to $15,000 USD in additional prizes will be used to recognize other valuable ideas as determined by the jury. Entries must be submitted by June 29, 4 p.m. PT. For more information on the Rising Tides Design Competition, please see http://www.risingtidescompetition.com

	Scientists: Five Foot Rise in Sea Levels by 2100 Possible By Calvin Trillin – Undernews (U.K.) – March 9, 2009 Scientists will warn this week that rising sea levels, triggered by global warming, pose a far greater danger to the planet than previously estimated. There is now a major risk that many coastal areas around the world will be inundated by the end of the century because Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets are melting faster than previously estimated. Low-lying areas including Bangladesh, Florida, the Maldives and the Netherlands face catastrophic flooding, while, in Britain, large areas of the Norfolk Broads and the Thames estuary are likely to disappear by 2100. In addition, cities including London, Hull and Portsmouth will need new flood defenses. For full story, go to: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0903/S00126.htm For related story, go to: http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2009/03/five-foot-sea-level-rise-hit-san-francisco-2100 A related blog: http://climateprogress.org/2007/12/31/sea-levels-may-rise-5-feet-by-2100/

	Maryland's coastal protection laws addressing rising sea level By Sara Michael – Baltimore Examiner – January 18, 2009 Maryland's push to protect Chesapeake Bay aquatic life and improve water quality also serves to prepare the state for the effects of rising sea levels, according to a federal report released Friday. "Maryland is ahead of most other states" in planning for rising sea levels, said Jim Titus, convening lead author of a report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency called Coastal Sensitivity to Sea Level Rise: A Focus on the Mid-Atlantic Region. For full article, go to: http://www.baltimoreexaminer.com/local/011809sea.html

	EPA Releases Report on Sea Level Rise Contact: Roxanne Smith – EPA News Release – January 16, 2009 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in collaboration with other agencies, has released a report that discusses the impacts of sea level rise on the coast, coastal communities, and the habitats and species that depend on them. The report, Coastal Sensitivity to Sea-Level Rise: A Focus on the Mid-Atlantic Region, examines multiple opportunities for governments and coastal communities to plan for and adapt to rising sea levels. For the full press release, go to: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/ACC097A034222A7E852575400053055C For a direct link to the report, visit: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/effects/coastal/sap4-1.html

	Study Shows Climate Change Impacts Irreversible February 2009 According to a study by NOAA and French and Swiss researchers, even 1,000 years after carbon dioxide emissions stop, the impacts of sea level rise and global warming will be felt on the world. The report, which appears in the January 27^th Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, speaks of irreversible climate change, due in large part to the behavior of the oceans. The report notes that the oceans, slow to warm, have absorbed a lot of the heat of the atmosphere, and about 80 percent of carbon emissions. Eventually, the oceans will begin to pump the heat back into the atmosphere. Lead author, Susan Solomon, an atmospheric chemist with NOAA, remarked that the study doesn't mean fighting climate change is hopeless, rather it shows the need to act quickly. To read the report: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/01/28/0812721106.full.pdf+html?sid= b38662d5-6ded-44b5-ade6-159e9974da9d.

	NOAA Study Predicts Arctic Sea Ice Loss by 2030 On January 22, 2009 Jim Overland, a sea ice expert with NOAA, presented research results indicating Arctic summer sea ice is likely to vanish by 2030, at the annual Alaska Marine Science Symposium. According to a scientific consensus, the ice that forms in the Arctic ocean is likely to disappear by 2030 due to climate change. The sea ice plays an important role in moderating global temperatures because it reflects 80 percent of sunlight that strikes it; according to NOAA, without the ice, seawater absorbs 90 percent of sunlight that strikes it. In previous predictions, it was expected that the sea ice would disappear by 2070. However, due to the depletion of sea ice, weather patterns have changed, causing more ice to melt. To read more about this presentation, or other presentations at the Alaska Marine Science Symposium: http://www.alaskamarinescience.org.

	NWF’s Global Warming and the Chesapeake Bay Report The National Wildlife Federation has released their report of the impact of Sea-Level Rise on the Coastal Habitats of the Chesapeake Bay. The threats posed by global warming are real. The Chesapeake Bay region is already experiencing climate changes that stress human development and natural habitats alike. Without an effective response, these trends will undo decades of conservation work, leading to major changes in the bay and fewer opportunities for hunting, fishing, and other outdoor recreation. Fortunately, solutions are available. But, for these solutions to work, the people of the bay region must call for action now. For a direct link to the report webpage (includes a 4-page summary as well as full report links), go to: http://www.nwf.org/sealevelrise/chesapeakebay.cfm

	Sea Level Rise: Implications to Coastal Engineering and Coastal Management An Interview with Leslie Ewing, P.E., M. ASCE – COPRI Waterways Spring 2008 http://email.asce.org/copri/SeaLevelRise.html Climate Change Will Have a Significant Impact on Transportation Infrastructure and Operations	Coastal erosion in Maine Maine Geological Society photo

	Contacts: Maureen O'Leary – The National Academies – March 11, 2008 While every mode of transportation in the U.S. will be affected as the climate changes, potentially the greatest impact on transportation systems will be flooding of roads, railways, transit systems, and airport runways in coastal areas because of rising sea levels and surges brought on by more intense storms, says a new report from the National Research Council. Though the impacts of climate change will vary by region, it is certain they will be widespread and costly in human and economic terms, and will require significant changes in the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of transportation systems. For full news release, go to: http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=12179 Another study, led by the Environmental Protection Agency joined by other agencies, expresses a similar warning on infrastructure and adds a concern for beaches, wetlands and fresh-water supplies that also are threatened due to encroaching saltwater. For more information or to read the report on coastal sensitivity to sea level rise, visit: http://climatescience.gov/Library/sap/sap4-1/public-review-draft/

	Washington State Sea Levels Could Rise Considerably By End of Century By Vince Stricherz – University of Washington News Release – January 17, 2008 Melting glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica, combined with other effects of global climate change, are likely to raise sea levels in parts of Western Washington by the end of this century, though geological forces will offset the rising water in some areas. A new report suggests a moderate scenario is for sea levels on the Washington Coast and in the Puget Sound Basin to rise an average of 6 inches by 2050 and 14 inches by 2100. The analysis, conducted by the Pacific Northwest Climate Impacts Group at the University of Washington and the Washington State Department of Ecology, suggests that a worst-case scenario could raise sea levels in some places as much as 22 inches by 2050 and 50 inches -- more than 4 feet -- by 2100. For full press release, go to: http://uwnews.washington.edu/ni/article.asp?articleID=39136 For a direct link to the report, go to: http://www.cses.washington.edu/db/pdf/moteetalslr579.pdf

	The Disappearance of Relict Permafrost in Boreal North America: Effects on Peatland Carbon Storage and Fluxes Authors: Merritt Turetsky, R. K. Weider, D.H. Vitt, R.J. Evans, K.D. Scott. Global Change Biology. (Online articles: doi:10.1111/j.1365-2486.2007.01381.x) Boreal peatlands in Canada have harbored relict permafrost since the Little Ice Age due to the strong insulating properties of peat. Ongoing climate change has triggered widespread degradation of localized permafrost in peatlands across continental Canada. Here, we explore the influence of differing permafrost regimes (bogs with no surface permafrost, localized permafrost features with surface permafrost, and internal lawns representing areas of permafrost degradation) on rates of peat accumulation at the southernmost limit of permafrost in continental Canada. Net organic matter accumulation generally was greater in unfrozen bogs and internal lawns than in the permafrost landforms, suggesting that surface permafrost inhibits peat accumulation and that degradation of surface permafrost stimulates net carbon storage in peatlands. To determine whether differences in substrate quality across permafrost regimes control trace gas emissions to the atmosphere, we used a reciprocal transplant study to experimentally evaluate environmental versus substrate controls on carbon emissions from bog, internal lawn, and permafrost peat. Emissions of CO2 were highest from peat incubated in the localized permafrost feature, suggesting that slow organic matter accumulation rates are due, at least in part, to rapid decomposition in surface permafrost peat. For more information, go to: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2007.01381.x

	Simulating Sea Level Rise in Maine (2006-07) Peter A. Slovinsky and Stephen M. Dickson, Maine Geological Survey Abstract (only) is available at this time; final report to be published in spring 2007. http://www.aswm.org/member/wetlandnews/february/simulating_sea_level_rise_in_maine.pdf

	Sea Level Rise and the Hackensack Meadowlands By Dr. Beth Ravit http://www.hackensackriverkeeper.org/newsletters/Winter2007/12_Winter_2007.htm http://www.hackensackriverkeeper.org/newsletters/Summer2002/009_Summer_2002.htm

	Protecting Maine’s Beaches for the Future: A Proposal to Create an Integrated Beach Management Program (2006) (this led to the revision of the above sand dune rule) http://www.maine.gov/spo/mcp/downloads/beaches%20future/Protecting%20 Maines%20Beaches_Feb06.pdf

	Impacts of Future Sea Level Rise on the Coastal Floodplain 2006 Study by Peter A. Slovinsky and Stephen M. Dickson A report prepared by the Maine Geological Survey for the Maine Coastal Program/ Maine State Planning Office in partnership with NOAA http://www.maine.gov/doc/nrimc/mgs/explore/marine/sea-level/mgs-open-file-06-14.pdf

	Revised Coastal Sand Dune Rule (Chapter 355 of the Natural Resources Protection Act) http://www.maine.gov/dep/blwq/topic/dunes/CH355_4-20-06_revised_%20w_ leg_chgs_on%203_30.pdf

	Hurricanes, Sea Level Rise, and New York City Columbia University, Center for Climate Systems Research http://www.ccsr.columbia.edu/information/hurricanes/

	Coast 2050: A New Approach to Restoration of Louisiana Coastal Wetlands by Denise Reed & Lee Wilson (2004) University of New Orleans, LA http://www.ees.uno.edu/restoration/Reed%20and%20Wilson%202050.pdf

	Vulnerability of U.S. National Parks to Sea-Level Rise and Coastal Change USGS – 2002 http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs095-02/fs095-02.pdf

	Potential Impacts of Sea Level Rise in Massachusetts (1987) Dr. Graham Giese, Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies in Massachusetts http://www.necci.sr.unh.edu/necci-report/giese.pdf

	Sea Level Rise: Overview of Causes and Effects by James Titus and Michael Barth, EPA paper 1985 http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/effects/ downloads/greenhouse.pdf Paper from: Greenhouse Effect and Sea Level Rise: A Challenge for this Generation, edited by Michael C. Barth and James G. Titus, 1985 http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/ResourceCenter PublicationsSLRChallenge.html

	Effects on Wetlands & Management Issues

	CSO Releases Climate Change Adaptation Report (September 2007) This week, the CSO Climate Change Work Group released a report entitled *The Role of Coastal Zone Management Programs in Adaptation to Climate Change.* The Work Group prepared this report to explore the current and future roles of state coastal zone management programs in addressing the increasing impacts of climate change to the coastal zone. This report aims to: Inform Congress and federal agencies of the role of state coastal zone management programs in addressing climate change; Inform efforts to reauthorize the Coastal Zone Management Act; Inform federal agencies of key research, information, and policy needs; and Provide for information of exchange among coastal states and territories. To download a copy of the report, please go to the following link: http://www.coastalstates.org/documents/CSO%20Climate%20Change%20Final%20 Report.pdf

	Past and Future Changes in Climate and Hydrological Indicators in the US Northeast By Katharine Hayhoe, Cameron P. Wake, Thomas G. Huntington, Lifeng Luo, et. al. Clim Dyn (2007) 28:381–407; Published online: 16 November 2006, Springer-Verlag 2006. To assess the influence of global climate change at the regional scale, we examine past and future changes in key climate, hydrological, and biophysical indicators across the US Northeast (NE). http://www.aswm.org/science/climate_change/2007_climate_dynamics_ne.pdf

	Climate Change and Consequences for Georgia: Rising Seas and Drying Rivers Dr. Ron Carroll, Director-Science, River Basin Center, UGA PowerPoint presented Jan. 12, 2007 http://www.rivercenter.uga.edu/education/carroll/climate_change.pdf

	Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Communities: Vulnerabilities to Climate Change by Mortsch, L., J. Ingram, A. Hebb and S. Doka (eds). 2006. http://www.fes.uwaterloo.ca/research/aird/wetlands/index_files/page0012.htm

	The Impacts of Climate Change in Coastal Marine Systems Christopher D. G. Harley, A. Randall Hughes, Kristin M. Hultgren, Benjamin G. Miner, Cascade J. B. Sorte, Carol S. Thornber, Laura F. Rodriguez, Lars Tomanek, Susan L. Williams (2006) Ecology Letters 9 (2), 228–241. http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2005.00871.x

	Chesapeake Bay, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, “Living Shorelines” Natural Approaches to Shoreline Management, Erosion Control, etc. (July 2005) ftp://ftp-fc.sc.egov.usda.gov/MD/web_documents/programs/rcd/shore_esrcd.pdf Shoreline Changes online project http://shorelines.dnr.state.md.us/sc_online.asp

	Vulnerability of Northern Prairie Wetlands to Climate Change by W. Carter Johnson, Bruce V. Millett, Tagir Gilmanov, et. al. 2005 http://www.naturalstatecoalition.org/report.pdf

	Ontario (CAN) Ministry of Natural Resources’ Biodiversity Strategy 2005 report http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/MNR/pubs/biodiversity/OBS_english.pdf

	Impact of U.S. Department of Interior and U.S. Department of Agriculture Programs and Ecological Services Derived from Restored Prairie Wetland and Adjacent Grasslands (2004) by Dr. Ned “Chip” Euliss, Jr. and Dr. Robert Gleason, both with Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, USGS; this report discusses sequestration, too ftp://ftp-fc.sc.egov.usda.gov/NHQ/nri/ceap/studyplanweb14dec06.pdf

	Effects of Global Climate Change on Great Lakes Wetlands (1999-2003) Lead on project: Dr. Douglas Wilcox, USGS, Great Lakes Science Center http://www.nrel.colostate.edu/projects/brd_global_change/proj_31_great_lakes.html

	Integrating the Effects of Land Use and Global Climate Change on Hydrology and Vegetation of Northern Great Plains Wetlands, United States (1999-2003) Lead on project: Glenn R. Guntenspergen, USGS, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center http://www.nrel.colostate.edu/projects/brd_global_change/proj_51_land_use.html

	Potential Effects of Elevated Carbon Dioxide on the Structure and Function of Coastal Marshes (1999-2003) Lead on project: Dr. Karen L. McKee, USGS, National Wetlands Research Center http://www.nrel.colostate.edu/projects/brd_global_change/proj_41_marsh_co2.html

	Carbon Sequestration Peridotite Mineral Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide: Untested but Potentially Large Climate Change Mitigation Tool By Ryan D. Hottle – Global Climate Solutions – November 23, 2008 Researchers at Columbia University recently published an important paper describing a simple, safe, cost-effective, low-energy, and long-term carbon storage technique that could potentially capture upwards of 10 percent of annual anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. For the full article, go to: http://globalclimatesolutions.org/ For the paper, “ In situ carbonation of peridotite for CO 2 storage” by Peter B. Kelemen and Jürg Matter, visit: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2008/10/31/0805794105.abstract


	U.S. Dept. of Energy – Carbon Sequestration (Sea) Fact Sheet April 2008 http://www.netl.doe.gov/publications/factsheets/project/Proj317.pdf

	U.S. Dept. of Energy – Carbon Sequestration http://www.energy.gov/sciencetech/carbonsequestration.htm

	Switchgrass Fuel Yields Bountiful Energy: Study By Timothy Gardner – Reuters News Service – January 10, 2008 Switchgrass, a crop touted by venture capitalists and environmentalists alike as a next-generation ethanol feedstock, yields about five times more energy than it takes to grow it, making the plant a far more efficient fuel source than corn, a new study said. In addition, the life cycle of the switchgrass ethanol -- which includes growing the crop, making the fuel, and burning it in vehicles -- emits about 94 percent less of planet-warming carbon dioxide than the life cycle of gasoline, said the study, published on Tuesday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. For full article, go to: http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/46338/story.htm For more on switchgrass and carbon sequestration, visit: http://www.agmrc.org/agmrc/commodity/biomass/switchgrass/switchgrassprofile.htm

	RMFU Carbon Credit Program Expands Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Newsletter - May 3, 2007 Rocky Mountain Farmers Union (RMFU) announced today that the Chicago Climate Exchange has approved the expansion of its carbon credit program for agriculture producers in Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico. The program has been created through a partnership with the National Farmers Union (NFU) and approved by the Chicago Climate Exchange to enroll agriculture producers’ acres into blocks of credits that will be traded similarly to other agricultural commodities. The program, which was introduced last year on a limited basis, has expanded and will be available to 22 Colorado counties, 10 Wyoming counties and 16 New Mexico counties. Producers in these counties who qualify for the program can be compensated for establishing conservation tillage (including no-till) and long-term grass seeding practices (including alfalfa for hay). These practices store or “sequester” carbon and reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, reducing greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. "The Rocky Mountain Farmers Union's carbon credit program is an example of how the New Energy Economy can benefit our rural communities," said Colorado Governor Ritter. "Bringing a new revenue stream to agriculture that also works with our efforts to address climate change is a great example of how Colorado can benefit from these innovative programs." This year’s deadline to enroll in the program is August 15, 2007. For full story, go to: http://www.rmfu.org/News/Releases/ShowNews.cfm?ID=318

	The Carbon Balance of North American Wetlands By Scott Bridgham, Patrick Megonigal, et. al. (This appeared in the December 2006 issue of Wetlands, from the Society of Wetland Scientists.) http://www.aswm.org/wbn/carbon_balance_of_north_american_wetlands.pdf

	Northern American Prairie Wetlands are Important Nonforested Land-based Carbon Storage Sites by Dr. Robert Gleason and Dr. Ned “Chip” Euliss, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, USGS (2005) http://www.aswm.org/member/wetlandnews/north_american_prairie.pdf

	Economics of Sequestering Carbon in the U.S. Agricultural Sector By Jan Lewandrowski, Mark Peters, Carol Jones, Robert House, Mark Sperow, Marlen Eve, and Keith Paustian -- Economic Research Service -- Technical Bulletin No. (TB1909) 69 pp, March 2004 Atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases can be reduced by withdrawing carbon from the atmosphere and sequestering it in soils and biomass. This report analyzes the performance of alternative incentive designs and payment levels if farmers were paid to adopt land uses and management practices that raise soil carbon levels. At payment levels below $10 per metric ton for permanently sequestered carbon, analysis suggests landowners would find it more cost effective to adopt changes in rotations and tillage practices. At higher payment levels, afforestation dominates sequestration activities, mostly through conversion of pastureland. For full report, go to: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/TB1909/ Or for direct link to full report PDF: http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/tb1 909/tb1909.pdf

	Prairie Wetlands and Carbon Sequestration-- Assessing Sinks Under the Kyoto Protocol Edited by David Wylynko; summary from Oak Hammock Marsh meeting in Winnipeg, sponsored by Ducks Unlimited Canada, Wetlands International and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (1999) http://www.iisd.org/wetlands/wrkshp_summ.pdf

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	MEDIA COVERAGE

	The Source Water, Climate & Carbon Connection By G. Tracy Mehan III, Dr. Chi Ho Sham, Charles Hernick & Jane Obbagy Source water protection, an analogue to watershed management, is a concept promoted by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), which required states to assess all waters used as sources of public drinking water for human consumption. http://www.wwdmag.com/The-Source-Water-Climate-Carbon-Connection-article11236

	Methane Causes Vicious Cycle In Global Warming By Richard Harris – NPR – January 26, 2010 Carbon dioxide is the gas we most associate with global warming, but methane gas also plays an important role. For reasons that are not well understood, methane gas stopped increasing in the atmosphere in the 1990s. But now it appears to be once again on the rise. Scientists are trying to understand why — and what to do about it. Methane gas comes from all sorts of sources including wetlands, rice paddies, cow tummies, coal mines, garbage dumps and even termites. Drew Shindell, at NASA's Goddard Institute in New York, says, "It's gone up by 150 percent since the pre-industrial period. So that's an enormous increase. CO2, by contrast, has gone up by something like 30 percent." For full article, go to: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122638800&ft=1&f=1025

	Arctic methane emissions jump, hint of warming The Economic Times – January 16, 2010 Arctic emissions of a powerful greenhouse gas jumped 30% in recent years in a worrying hint that global warming might unlock vast stores frozen in permafrost, scientists said on Friday. "It's too early to call it a trend but if it continues this way there will be serious implications," said Paul Palmer, a scientist at Edinburgh University in Scotland who was among authors of the study of methane emissions from wetlands. For full story, go to: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Global-Warming/Arctic-methane-emissions-jump-hint-of-warming-/articleshow/5453195.cms

	Climate Change and Land Protection Planning - Comments Sought On EPA Report EPA is seeking comments by February 1, 2010 on a draft document titled, ‘‘An Assessment of Decision-Making Processes: The Feasibility of Incorporating Climate Change Information into Land Protection Planning.’’ The report is a review of decision-making processes of selected land protection programs, some of which involve land trusts. The goal is to assess the feasibility of incorporating information on impacts of climate change into program decisions. The report identifies strategies that might be useful for incorporating climate change into decision-making and suggests land protection may become even more important to ameliorate climate change impacts on watersheds, wildlife and other resources. For more information, go to: http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=210027

	How Wetlands Worsen Climate Change (a look at methane) By Bryan Walsh – Time – January 14, 2010 Big, bad carbon dioxide gets most of the attention when it comes to greenhouse gases, but it's not the only one that's warming the earth. Methane — a gas that is found in everything from landfills to cow stomachs — also plays a big role. Although global methane-emissions levels are much lower than CO 2 emissions, pound for pound methane is a more powerful greenhouse gas; a ton of it has 23 times the warming effect of a ton of CO 2. Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1953751,00.html#ixzz0chWUeUWv

	Architects Plan 'Amphibious Landscape' for New York City By Nathaniel Gronewold – New York Times – January 11, 2010 What would New York's waterfront look like after a sea level rise of 2 feet or more? Most officials paint a nightmare scenario -- huge swaths of expensive real estate permanently flooded, with frequent storms and the resultant storm surge routinely forcing mass evacuations every few years. But several architects are now painting a more positive picture, and their visions for a post-climate-change new New York have city planners interested. For full story, go to: http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/ 01/11/11climatewire-architects-plan- amphibious-landscape-for-new-45297.html

	Climate change challenge By Josh Johnson – The Daily News – January 9, 2010 The Copenhagen Accord was drafted by the US, China, India, Brazil and South Africa and "recognized" by a majority of all the participating countries at the United Nations Climate Change Conference last month in Copenhagen. It states that "climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time" and that "deep cuts in global emissions are required according to science, and as documented by the IPCC (International Panel for Climate Change) ... to hold the increase in global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit)." Here are the facts: Pre-industrial CO2 levels were 251 ppm, and now they are 385 ppm. They will be 450 ppm if emissions trends persist. To put this in perspective, scientists have studied the Antarctic ice core record, which extends back 800,000 years. For full article, go to: http://www.tdn.com/news/opinion/ article_7ec097da-fccb-11de-9b85-001cc4c002e0.html?mode=story

	Scientists Map Speed of Climate Change for Different Ecosystems Science News – December 24, 2009 A team of scientists has calculated that climate change will cause the world's ecosystems to move at an average speed of 0.42 kilometres per year to keep up with temperature changes and that the projected speed will vary from one ecosystem to another - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091223133337.htm. The study was published in the December 24, 2009 issue of Nature - http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v462/n7276/abs/nature08649.html

	United States Announces Global Research Alliance to Combat Climate Change USDA Makes Major Financial Commitment to Conducting Research COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Dec. 16, 2009 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today joined representatives from 20 other countries across the globe to announce the formation of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases, an international research collaborative to combat climate change. Vilsack announced the Partnership at the climate change talks in Copenhagen, Denmark. [Full Article]

	Wetlands International – Wetlands & Climate Change Peatland loss: up to 10% of global CO2 emissions ; Protect and restore wetlands for adaptation to climate change; Adverse measures: biofuel production causes wetland loss . Read more at: http://www.wetlands.org/Whatwedo/Wetlandsandclimatechange/tabid/178/ Default.aspx

	Climate Change and S.C. Tourism: Paradise Lost? By Corey Hutchins – Columbia News & Arts – December 16, 2009 During a week when world leaders gathered in Copenhagen to hash out a way to confront the grim effects of climate change, a “sportsman’s roundtable” took place in Columbia to address the impacts global warming could have closer to home — on South Carolina’s natural resources. For full story, go to: http://www.freetimes.com/index.php?cat=1992912064227409&ShowArticle_ID= 11011512090850946

	Boreal Forests--Can’t See Forests for the Talk: Saving Forests Vital for Survival By Dennis Dimick – Signs from Earth Notes (a blog) – December 13, 2009 Forests have been called "the lungs of the planet" (link below) and protecting those lungs is key to any effective strategy at limiting buildup of carbon in the atmosphere. We can try to cut back on burning of fossil carbon fuels that produce greenhouse warming gases, and we can invent new low-carbon energy technology to replace coal and oil, but we must also save earth's living systems (biosphere, ecosystems, plants, and soil) so they can soak up our fossil carbon pollution. http://ddimick.posterous.com/cant-see-forests-for-the-talk-saving-forests

	Fisheries and aquaculture: multiple risks from climate change Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) – December 11, 2009 The FAO study entitled "Climate change implications for fisheries and aquaculture" is a comprehensive survey of existing scientific knowledge on the impacts of climate change on fisheries and aquaculture. It.includes contributions from experts from around the world, including from the Worldfish Centre, Globec, NACA, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the University of East Anglia. For more information, visit: http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/38060/icode/

	How California Is Taking Climate Change Seriously By Gina-Marie Cheeseman – Triplepundit – December 10, 2009 California, the most populous state in the Union, takes climate change seriously. Last week, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled a map of what climate change might do to California. The California Energy Commission and Google.org paid the Stockholm Environment Institute to develop maps with Google Earth so Californians can see what the possible impacts of climate change might be, and how the state will need to adapt. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger also released a video last week in which he argued that reducing California’s carbon dioxide levels is not enough. “We must also be prepared for some continued climate change, which is now inevitable,” he said. For full story, go to: http://www.triplepundit.com/2009/ 12/how-california-is-taking-climate-change-seriously/comment-page-1/

	Peat and Repeat: Can Major Carbon Sinks Be Restored by Rewetting the World's Drained Bogs? By David Biello – Scientific American – December 2009 Bogs, swamps and mires help keep 500 billion metric tons of carbon out of the atmosphere, so preserving peatlands is emerging as a new priority. For full article, go to: http://www.scientificamerican.com/ article.cfm?id=peat-and-repeat-rewetting-carbon-sinks&SID=mail&sc=emailfriend

	Impact on farming community: Climate Change By Dr. N. Yogaratnam – Daily Mirror (blog) –December 1, 2009 The climate change story in our country usually concerns deforestation, use of fossil fuels and increase in greenhouse gases. We seldom hear the other half of the story - the impact of global climate change on the farming/ worker communities. What is climate change, and what can we do about it? This article aims to explain the challenge ahead, and highlight the opportunities to switch to more sustainable forms of development - that can help reduce poverty while also making poor communities more flexible and resilient in the face of massive and shifting forces of nature. […] One is methane, which can be emitted from wetlands and paddy fields as well as from waste dumps and livestock manure. For full blog, go to: http://www.dailymirror.lk/ DM_BLOG/Sections/frmNews DetailView.aspx? ARTID=69442

	How Can Humanity Avoid or Reverse the Dangers Posed by a Warming Climate? By David Biello – Scientific American – November 30, 2009 Wetlands from Bangladesh to Florida submerged. Drought and devastating heat in important granaries such as the Yangtze floodplain in China or Ukraine. Rains that come too often or too hard in India or the U.S. Northeast. The list of potentially devastating impacts from climate change is a long one. But with greenhouse gas emissions continuing to climb and concentrations in the atmosphere rising by roughly two parts per million (ppm) a year, climate catastrophes are looking more and more imminent. For full article, go to: http://www.scientificamerican.com/ article.cfm?id=avoiding-dangers-of- climate-change

	Agriculture Can Adapt to Climate Change By William Dar – ENN – November 20, 2009 Better crop management, including smarter application of pesticides, can help poor farmers cope with climate change. Sustainable land and water management combined with innovative agricultural technologies could mitigate climate change and help poor farmers adapt to its impacts. New knowledge, technology and policy for agriculture have never been more critical, and adaptation and mitigation strategies must urgently be applied to national and regional development programmes. For full story, go to: http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/40737

	Melting Sea Ice Dilutes Water, Endangers Sea Life Reuters – November 20, 2009 Melting of the Arctic sea ice due to global warming is diluting surface waters and this is endangering some species of shellfish which need minerals in the water to form their shells and skeletons, scientists have found. In a paper published in Science , they warned that this has serious implications for ecosystems in the Arctic. For full story, go to: http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/40734

	Land Use Change an Overlooked Cause of Global Warming Science Daily/ENN – November 11, 2009 Georgia Tech City and Regional Planning Professor Brian Stone is publishing a paper in the December edition of Environmental Science and Technology that suggests policymakers need to address the influence of global deforestation and urbanization on climate change, in addition to greenhouse gas emissions. According to Stone's paper, as the international community meets in Copenhagen in December to develop a new framework for responding to climate change, policymakers need to give serious consideration to broadening the range of management strategies beyond greenhouse gas reductions alone. For full article, go to: http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/40693

	DE: Del. wetlands at brunt of warming By Molly Murray – News Journal – November 5, 2009 In Bowers Beach and historic New Castle, state and local officials are planning for what many believe is inevitable: more flooding from rising sea level. Much of the land in the two towns is developed, and adapting to the impact of rising sea level -- whether it continues at the current rate of about a foot a century or increases as polar ice sheets melt -- is part of state and local strategies. But a bigger issue facing officials may be how to manage growth in transitioning and undeveloped areas that are, or could become, flood-prone. http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20091105/NEWS08/911050348

	Water evaporates from the climate change negotiating text WWF blog news – November 4, 2009 Barcelona, Spain – The Stockholm International Water Institute joined governments, NGOs and United Nations agencies this week in calling on negotiators working to develop a climate change deal in Copenhagen later this year to recognize the critical role of water in climate change adaptation. Participants in a special Water Day event on Tuesday called for recognition that water is the primary way that climate change will impact people, society and ecosystems, due to predicted changes in its quality and quantity. http://www.panda.org/wwf_news/?179601/Water-evaporates-from-the-climate- change-negotiating-text

	GAO Issues Climate Change Adaptation Report The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a report on actions federal, state, local, and international authorities are taking to adapt to a changing climate. The report highlights challenges that federal, state, and local officials face in their efforts to adapt, and actions that Congress and federal agencies could take to help address these challenges. The report is based on an analysis of studies, site visits to areas pursuing adaptation efforts, and responses to a web-based questionnaire sent to federal, state, and local officials. GAO recommends that within the Executive Office of the President the appropriate entities, such as the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), develop a national adaptation plan that includes setting priorities for federal, state, and local agencies. The full report is available at:http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10113.pdf.

	Salt Marsh Birds Threatened by Sea-Level Rise Surfbirds News - American Bird Conservancy – October 21, 2009 Species of marsh birds such as the Clapper Rail, Virginia Rail, Willet, Seaside Sparrow and Marsh Wren could experience 80% population declines in the Chesapeake Bay region if sea-levels rise by three to six feet by the year 2100. The analysis by the Center for Conservation Biology of the College of William and Mary found that sea-level rise will be particularly harmful to Black Rail and Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow that rely solely on irregularly flooded high marsh. The scientists’ simulation found that many of the known breeding sites of these species would be completely inundated by rising waters. For full story, go to: http://www.surfbirds.com/sbirdsnews/archives/2009/10/salt_marsh_bird.html

	U.S. Hunters, Anglers Lobby For Climate Bill By Ed Stoddard and Richard Cowan – Reuters – October 20, 2009 An unlikely lobbying group is pressing the U.S. Senate to curb greenhouse gas emissions: American hunting and fishing groups who fear climate change will disrupt their sport. Hunters and anglers are mainly a Republican Party constituency representing tens of millions of votes in the U.S. heartland and could help swing crucial votes as the Senate tries to pass legislation to cut carbon output. Twenty national hunting and fishing groups urged senators in a letter last month to ensure "the climate legislation you consider in the Senate both reduces greenhouse gas emissions and safeguards natural resources." For full story, go to: http://planetark.org/wen/55104

	Healthy Oceans New Key to Combating Climate Change - Seagrasses to Salt Marshes Among the Most Cost Effective Carbon Capture and Storage Systems on the Planet Contact: Nick Nuttall – October 14, 2009 A 'Blue Carbon' fund able to invest in the maintenance and rehabilitation of key marine ecosystems should be considered by governments keen to combat climate change. A new Rapid Response Report released today estimates that carbon emissions-equal to half the annual emissions of the global transport sector-are being captured and stored by marine ecosystems such as mangroves, salt marshes and seagrasses. A combination of reducing deforestation on land, allied to restoring the coverage and health of these marine ecosystems could deliver up to 25% of the emissions reductions needed to avoid 'dangerous' climate change. For full press release, go to: http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID= 599&ArticleID=6342&l=en&t=long

	Companies eye wetlands to offset carbon emissions By Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle – October 9, 2009 For the past few years, people have planted trees in the effort to stop global warming. But now some scientists think they've found another solution: restoring wetlands. These marshy areas absorb carbon dioxide, the principal heat-trapping gas blamed for warming the planet. Their storage capacity may be greater per acre than forests, scientists said. That little-known function of wetlands could lead to a major role in federal efforts to combat climate change and an environmental boon for the Texas coast. Climate change legislation that has passed the U.S. House and is similar to measures under consideration in the Senate would allow industries to use offsets worth up to 2 billion tons of carbon dioxide a year. Offsets are credits that enable polluters to compensate for their greenhouse gas emissions by investing in projects that remove greenhouse gas from the atmosphere. For full story, go to: http://www.environmentalleader.com/ 2009/10/13/restored-wetlands- considered-for-carbon-offsets/

	NY: DEC Proposes Tidal Wetlands Guidance Documents Contact: Bill Fonda – New York DEC News Release – October 9, 2009 New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis today announced the availability of a new set of guidance documents to assist the public and DEC in the preparation and review of tidal wetlands permits. "The guidance documents are intended to help give the public a better understanding of the requirements and terminology used in the tidal wetlands permitting process," Commissioner Grannis said. "If applicants and other landowners know up-front what will be considered during a DEC permit review, they will be better able to design their projects to meet the standards contained in state regulations and ultimately help in maintaining our wetlands as productive, cleansing, and protective ecosystems." Public Comment Period on the Proposed Changes Runs Until Nov. 6, 2009. For full news release, go to: http://readme.readmedia.com/news/show/DEC-Proposes-Tidal-Wetlands-Guidance-Documents/966271

	Int. Sec. Salazar Issued Order on Addressing Impacts of Climate Change on America’s Water, Land, and Other Natural and Cultural Resources CSO Weekly Report – September 18, 2009 On September 14, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar issued a Secretarial Order on Addressing the Impacts of Climate Change on America's Water, Land, and Other Natural and Cultural Resources. "Across the country, Americans are experiencing first-hand the impacts of climate change, from growing pressure on water supplies to more intense droughts and fires to rampant bark beetle infestations," said Salazar. "Because Interior manages one-fifth of our nation's landmass and 1.7 billion acres on the Outer Continental Shelf it is imperative that we tackle these impacts of a failed and outdated energy policy. This secretarial order is another milestone in our continuing effort to change how Interior does business to respond to the energy and climate challenges of our time." To read the Secretarial Order: http://www.doi.gov/climatechange/SecOrder3289.pdf. To read the press release: http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/091409.html

	Senate Introduces Bill for Climate Change CSO Weekly Report – September 18, 2009 On September 14, Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the Abrupt Climate Change Research Act of 2009 (S. 1667). The bill would provide for the development and coordination of a comprehensive and integrated United States research program to assist the people of the United States and the world to understand past, assess present, and predict future human-induced and natural processes of abrupt climate change. The bill was co-sponsored by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), John Kerry (D-MA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME). To read the bill: http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:S.1667:.

	Adaptation Training Materials Available Online (Planning for Climate Change) CSO Weekly Report – September 18, 2009 The National Estuarine Research Reserve System, with grant assistance from the NOAA Coastal Services Center, announces a new web resource, the Planning for Climate Change Workshop. The website contains all course materials to conduct a workshop on adaptation planning: PowerPoint presentations, streaming video, and a guidebook. The materials can either be followed closely or customized for specific climate impacts and planning issues in different regions. To view course materials: http://nerrs.noaa.gov/Training/padillabay/project.html.

	Save forests, wetlands to fight climate change: study by Madeline Chambers –Reuters – September 2, 2009 Governments can help combat climate change by investing more in natural areas, including forests and mangroves, a European study said on Wednesday. The paper pointed out that nations have natural assets worth trillions of dollars which could help fight global warming and save investment in industrial schemes for carbon capture. "Natural systems represent one of the biggest untapped allies against the greatest challenge of this generation," said The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) study, part of a global project, to be published next year. For full story, go to: http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE5812SX20090 902?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews (Study to be published in 2010)

	NC: Weighing water issues (with a quote from John Dorney) September 1, 2009 http://www.jdnews.com/news/water-67207-county-onslow.html ‘\

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	INTERNATIONAL NEWS

	Caribbean Governments Urged to Set Climate Action Agenda By Andrea Downer – ENS – April 9, 2008 Regional scientists are calling on Caribbean governments to help develop an emerging research and action agenda that will prepare the islands for the effects of climate change. A preliminary agenda was reached after three teams of scientists carried out extensive research on climate change scenarios and modeling, coastal, marine and terrestrial biodiversity in the region. http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/apr2008/2008-04-09-04.asp

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	STATE CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION PLANS

	EPA lists climate change action plans for over 25 states with links to all but two state plans available. Some of these climate change action plans specifically address wetlands, identify impacts of climate change to wetlands, refer to wetlands as “carbon sinks” and sources of methane. A few states incorporate carbon sequestration in wetlands as part of the strategy to mitigate the effects of climate change. ASWM has created a preliminary list of the states’ climate change action plans that include reference to these wetland issues.

	In addition to these climate change action plans, some states’ wetland divisions and environmental protection departments have begun or even completed significant wetlands research with respect to climate change. This list does not reflect research projects or wetlands divisions that have begun to develop programs or initiatives that the EPA has not yet identified under the state climate change action plan list. ASWM will update this list as further initiatives are identified and information becomes available. The full list of state climate change action plans is available on EPA’s website at: EPA’s list of State Climate Action Plans with links to over 25 State Plans http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/stateandlocalgov/state_action.html

	Colorado: “Climate Change & Colorado: A Technical Assessment Examining Climate Change Science, Greenhouse Gas Production, Potential Impacts, and Mitigation” includes wetlands through Conservation Technical Assistance USDA program and the Conservation Farm Option. http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/ap/down/climatechange.pdf

	Delaware: “Delaware Climate Change Action Plan” identifies wetlands as carbon sinks and incorporates carbon sequestration in wetlands as part of the strategy; the action plan also identifies sea level rise as an effect of climate change and as having an impact to wetlands. http://ceep.udel.edu/publications/globalenvironments/reports/deccap/fullreport.pdf

	Hawaii: “Hawaii Climate Change Action Plan” identifies sea level rise as an effect of climate change and as having an impact to wetlands. http://www.hawaii.gov/dbedt/info/energy/publications/ccap.pdf

	Iowa: “Iowa Greenhouse Gas Action Plan” mentions wetlands with respect to carbon and methane sequestration. http://atmos.cgrer.uiowa.edu/research/reports/iggap/FinalReport.pdf

	Maryland: “Maryland Climate Change Action Plan” addresses wetlands through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program and incorporates sequestration into its strategy. The document is available in two parts; Part 1 is at: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/stateandlocalgov/downloads/GHG% 20Volume%20I%20Final.pdf and part 2 is at: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/stateandlocalgov/downloads/GHG%20 Volume%20II%20Final.pdf

	New England Coalition: “New England Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative” does mention wetlands but it does not specifically address wetland issues such as sea level rise, carbon sinks/sequestration or other wetland factors. Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey all belong to this coalition. More specific information to be added later.

	Minnesota: “Minnesota Climate Change Action Plan: A Framework for Climate Change Action” identifies the significance of the prairie pothole region, wetlands as a source of methane and carbon and methane sequestration as part of the strategy. http://www.pca.state.mn.us/publications/reports/mn climate-action-plan.pdf

	Missouri: “Missouri Action Options for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions” identifies impacts to wetlands from climate change as well as wetlands as a source for methane. http://www.dnr.mo.gov/pubs/pub1447.pdf

	New Mexico: “New Mexico Greenhouse Gas State Action Plan” identifies wetlands as an ecotype but does not specifically address wetlands as part of the strategy or plan. http://www.werc.net/outreach/greenhouse_gas.htm

	Rhode Island: “Rhode Island Greenhouse Gas Action Plan” addresses wetlands through the “Conversion of Marginal Cropland to Wetland Initiative.” The plan also poses a question about wetlands as a source of methane and the implications therein for climate change action. http://righg.raabassociates.org/Articles/GHGPlanBody7-19-02FINAL.pdf

	Tennessee: “Tennessee Greenhouse Gas Emissions Mitigation Strategies” identifies sea level rise as an effect of climate change and as having an impact to wetlands. http://www.state.tn.us/ecd/energy_init.htm

	Washington: “Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Options for Washington State” identifies sea level rise as an effect of climate change and as having an impact to wetlands. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/stateandlocalgov/downloads/ WA_Action_Plan.pdf

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	SCIENTISTS CONDUCTING RESEARCH ON WETLANDS & CLIMATE CHANGE

	Professor Kelman Wieder, Ph.D, Villanova University, carbon sequestration, northern forested wetlands researchhttp://www13.homepage.villanova.edu/kelman.wieder/Curriculum Vitae2.htm#Publications%20in%20Refereed%20Journals


	Professor Nigel Roulet at McGill University, Department of Geography, climate change and carbon sequestration research interests and publications http://www.geog.mcgill.ca/faculty/roulet/


	Professor Scott Bridgham, University of Oregon, Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies Program. Research interests: Carbon and nutrient cycling, wetland ecology, trace gas production, climate change, biogeochemistry, microbial ecology, plant community structure, plant-nutrient interactions, restorationhttp://evolution.uoregon.edu/bridgham.htm


	Virginia Burkett, Ph.D., USGS research on global climate change and wetlandshttp://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/about/directorate/burkett.htm

	Dr. Merritt Turetsky, Michigan State University Research interests include: carbon sequestration, peatlands http://www.plantbiology.msu.edu/turetsky/research.htm

	Robert A. Gleason, Ph.D., Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, USGS Research interests include: carbon sequestration, prairie pothole regionhttp://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/staff/gleason.htm

	Ned H. “Chip” Euliss, Jr. Ph.D., Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, USGS Research interests include: wetlands as carbon stores, sequestrationhttp://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/staff/eulissn.htm

	Dr. Graham Giese, Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies Research interests include: shoreline changehttp://coastalstudies.org/what-we-do/land-sea/index.htm

	Peter A. Slovinsky and Stephen M. Dickson, Maine Geological Survey Research interests include: sea level risehttp://www.maine.gov/doc/nrimc/mgs/about/contacts.htm

	Denise J. Reed, Ph.D., University of New Orleans Research interests include: coastal subsistence, sea level risehttp://www.ees.uno.edu/restoration/d_j_reed.htm

	Kevin Knuuti, P.E., Army Corps Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory, Waterways Experiment Station, Research interests inlclude: sea level rise’s effect on inlets, estuarieshttp://chl.erdc.usace.army.mil/CHL.aspx?p=s&a=PERSONS;264

	Dr. Pascal Badiou, a research scientist with Ducks Unlimited Canada's Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research http://www.ducks.ca/conserve/research/team/staff/badiou.html

	Interview: The Future of Water in a Warmer World GLRC (MI) Lester Graham talks with Peter H. Gleick, President and co-founder of the Pacific Institute, who is concerned that without reducing greenhouse gas emissions, global warming will have dire impact on water resources. April 16, 2007 (University of Michigan) http://www.glrc.org/story.php3?story_id=3399

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	RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

	NSF fellowships for research on vegetation-climate interactions in the Amazon National Science Foundation (NSF) graduate fellowships ($30,000 per year, for up to two years) are available starting in the 2010-2011 academic year for Amazon-PIRE (Partnership for International Research and Education) for ecology and earth-system science students to study vegetation-climate interactions in the Amazon basin (Brazil). Application deadline for funding of graduate fellowships - February 5, 2010. See the program website at http://www.amazonpire.org/ opportunities.php for key application deadlines for relevant programs and more information, and/or email: amazonpire@arizona.edu

	Post-doctoral position The Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Florida seeks a candidate to serve as a Post Doctoral Associate for a global climate change project on the West Coast of Florida. The post-doc will be involved in population modeling for an endangered vole, raptors, and fish. Experience with population modeling and a PhD are required. The successful candidate will work with faculty ranging from wildlife to fisheries issues. Excellent organization skills, ability to work independently, adaptability, and the capacity to work as a member of a team are very important. Candidates should send a cover letter and CV (with 3 professional references) to Dr. Christa Zweig (czweig@ufl.edu) by November 15, 2009. The position is based in Gainesville, FL with a salary of $50K/year + benefits. Intended starting date is January 2010 and will run for 1.5 years with possibility of extension.

	Postdoctoral Associate for large-scale coastal ecosystem flooding experiment

	The Division of Earth and Ecological Sciences at Tulane University is seeking a Postdoctoral Associate to help lead a DOE-funded Gulf Coast ecosystem sea level rise and storm surge experiment. The experiment will utilize large enclosures, ecophysiological sensors, and advanced command and control systems, to manipulate water height and salinity levels and test hypotheses associated with marsh and coastal forest response to climate change. Highly motivated individuals interested in playing a key role in developing a large-scale experimental manipulation study are encouraged to apply. Research experience with one or more of the following is desired: wetlands science, field ecology, ecophysiological studies, data acquisition and control, environmental sensors, and computer programming. Applicants must have a Ph.D. in ecological or earth sciences, or a related discipline, and the appointment will be for two years with an anticipated start date of March 2009 (flexible). Applicants should send an email with a cover letter, CV, statement of research interests, and names and contact information for three referees, with the title “NICCR experiment postdoc” to Dr. Jeffrey Chambers chambers@tulane.edu Tulane University is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to excellence through diversity.

	Seeking Post-Doctoral Research Associate for Climate Central

	Climate Center (http://www.climatecentral.org) is seeking one or more research associates with strong writing abilities and a recent Ph.D. (or to be conferred by early 2009) in a relevant science or engineering field, including (but not limited to) atmospheric, cryospheric, environmental, and geophysical sciences, chemistry, physics, ecology, hydrology, oceanography, and chemical, civil, electrical, or mechanical engineering. Appointment would be for a two-year term, with possibility of extension. Our expectation is to offer a salary commensurate with starting post-doctoral positions at major research universities. The main responsibility for this position will be providing scientific support for Climate Central's video and web production. The applicant will be involved in brainstorming ideas for video documentaries, helping craft both general narratives and detailed scripts, and will be primarily responsible for researching and creating companion web resources that use the underlying scientific literature to fully document scripts (see example annotation supporting a 10 minute video that appeared on the 10/31/08 installment of PBS's NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, http://www.climatecentral.org/video/montana-trout-drought/annotated-transcript.html). Climate Central has headquarters in Princeton, NJ and offices in Palo Alto, CA and St. Paul, MN. The position(s) will be based at the Princeton or St. Paul office. Climate Central is an equal-opportunity employer; women and members of underrepresented minorities are encouraged to apply. To apply, please email a cover letter, CV, list of three references, and writing sample (see below) to jobs@climatecentral.org; please send as a single PDF file with subject line POSTDOC. Review of applications will begin 12/15/08 and continue until the position(s) are filled. For a writing sample, applicants should supply no more than one page supporting one of the following three statements: (1) experts believe that coastal areas will experience more erosion because of climate change; (2) experts believe corn-based ethanol provides only modest reductions in greenhouse gas emissions over the petroleum it replaces (even if carbon releases associated with land-use change are neglected); and (3) Energy storage is a major obstacle to large-scale deployment of power generation technologies that use renewable but intermittent energy sources like wind and solar. The writing sample should be written in a style accessible to the general public-see the annotation example described above as a guide.

	Graduate Student Position in Stream and Watershed Biogeochemistry

	Funding is available for a either a M.S. or Ph.D. student in the Department of Biology and Wildlife at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The student will join a broader research project examining stream and watershed hydro-biogeochemistry in the boreal forest of Alaska. Discontinuous permafrost underlies much of the boreal forest of interior Alaska and has a major effect on watershed carbon and nutrient fluxes by controlling watershed hydrology and the storage of organic matter in soil. With climatic warming, permafrost is thawing, which will alter watershed hydrology and release soil carbon and nutrients to streams and the atmosphere. Our research examines the implications of climate change on watershed hydrology, nutrient fluxes and stream biogeochemistry. This work is funded through the Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Program ( http://www.lter.uaf.edu/ ) and is focused in the Caribou-Poker Creeks Research Watersheds (CPCRW) located near Fairbanks. Additional information about research in my lab can be found at http://users.iab.uaf.edu/~jay_jones/ . Review of applications by the Department of Biology and Wildlife at the University of Alaska Fairbanks begins January 15, 2009. For more information, please contact Dr. Jay Jones at ffjbj@uaf.edu or 907-474-7972.

	Research Assistantship – Studying Nitrogen Retention

	A Ph.D. Research Assistantship is available beginning in the fall of 2009 to study variation in nitrogen retention among diverse managed and unmanaged ecosystems in central PA. The student will be advised by Dr. Jason Kaye (http://kayelab.psu.edu) in conducting isotope tracer experiments and will collaborate with a postdoc and PI (Dr. Enid Martinez; http://cropsoil.psu.edu/people/faculty/martinezce.cfm) using spectroscopy to identify soil organic N forms. Collaborations on education and outreach components of the project are also expected. Students with a MS degree in ecology, environmental science, or soil science are especially encouraged to apply, though applicants with Bachelor’s degrees and significant undergraduate research experience will also be considered. Interested applicants should call (841-863-1614) or email jpk@psu.edu Dr. Kaye and apply to the Graduate Program in Soil Science http://cropsoil.psu.edu/academic/soilscienceg.cfm) or the Inter-College Degree Program in Ecology (http://www.huck.psu.edu/education/ecology). Either of these degrees can be combined with the new Biogeochemistry Dual Title Degree program.

	PhD Positions Available – Studying Wetlands & Climate Change

	Two PhD positions are available for qualified individuals to study peatland ecology at Michigan Technological University http://www.forest.mtu.edu One position will work on a DOE-NICCR climate change project. The student will work closely with both PI’s (Rod Chimner at Michigan Tech and Merritt Turetsky at U. of Guelph) to study fundamental questions regarding the interactive effects of warming and long-term water manipulations on peatland carbon cycling and how they are modified by peat chemistry and vegetation changes. Consideration of applications begins immediately and will continue until the positions are filled. Start date is flexible. Please send a cover letter that states your research interests, your curriculum vitae, and any other relevant materials, and provide the names and contact information for three references, by email to Rod Chimner at rchimner@mtu.edu

	Postdoctoral Position in Soil Carbon Assessment for Alaska at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Institute of Arctic Biology Applications for this position can be submitted at the following URL: http://www.uakjobs.com/applicants/Central?quickFind=63077 or by going to http://www.uakjobs.com and entering posting number 0055332. Applications will be received until the position is filled, but review of applications will begin on 26 June 2008. More information on the nature of the position can be obtained by contacting Dr. A. David McGuire, 907-474-6242, ffadm@uaf.edu, or Dr. Jennifer Harden, 650-329-4949, jharden@usgs.gov.

	SEEDS Spring Field Trip 2008: Alaska Ecology on the Edge: Polar Ecosystems and their Response to a Changing Climate" May 25 - 31 at the Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research site (LTER) For more information about this organization, visit: http://www.lter.uaf.edu/ This field trip provides a unique opportunity to learn from, and perhaps contribute to, the scientific research programs taking place at the Earth's poles and is taking place during International Polar Year (2008). During the field trip, students will tour Alaskan boreal forests, muskegs and wetlands, and the floodplains of the Tanana River. Students will conduct an ecological investigation, and present results on the effects of fires in Alaska. For more information on this trip, please visit http://esa.org/seeds/fieldtrips/upcoming.php

	Climate Adaptation Specialists- Freshwater and Terrestrial

	World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the global conservation organization seeks two Climate Adaptation Specialists, one to work on freshwater ecosystems, the other on terrestrial ecosystems. This Senior Program Officer position plans, manages, communicates, and implements project as part of the EpiCenter of Climate Adaptaiton and Resilience Building. Leads the development of successful adaptation field projects and manages other strategic efforts to build WWF’s profile and knowledge around adaptation/resilience-building in order to protect nature from the impacts of climate change. Works under the supervision of the Chief Climate Change Scientist/Director of the EpiCenter of Climate Adaptation and Resilience Building and is part of the WWF Climate Change Global Program Unit. For more information, visit: http://www.worldwildlife.org/jobs

	Master's or PhD Position to Study Carbon Budgets of Peatland in Michigan's UP A fully funded PhD (or Master's) position is available to investigate the water and carbon budgets of peatlands in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. This research is needed as peatlands store an enormous reserve of terrestrial carbon, are sensitive to changes in regional hydrology and are primarily located in areas expected to experience dramatic climate warming. The successful applicant will join the graduate program in the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science at Michigan Technological University (MTU). Desirable qualifications in the applicant include a degree in Ecology, Forestry or Hydrology. A strong interest in field based research, experimental design and statistics is highly desired. Consideration of applications begins immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Please send a cover letter that states your research interests and provides the names and contact information for three references, your curriculum vitae, and any other relevant materials by email to Tom Pypker (tgpypker@mtu.edu), School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931 - Dr. Tom Pypker, Tel: 906-487-1089, e-mail: tgpypker@mtu.edu For more information, visit: http://forest.mtu.edu/faculty/pypker/index.html

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	CLIMATE CHANGE EVENTS AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

	February 2, 2010. World Wetlands Day. The theme for 2010 is Caring for Wetlands - An Answer to Climate Change. For information, visit: http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/ main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-63-78%5E24106_4000_0__ http://www.wetlandtrust.org.nz/wwday.html For a list of World Wetlands events, go to: http://www.wetlandtrust.org.nz/events.html

	WILD9 Adjourns calling for conservation protection of half of the planet Merida, Mexico -- The week-long WILD9 congress concluded today with the launch of a vision that humanity should move immediately to protect at least half of the planet -- land and sea -- in an interconnected manner. During WILD9's opening ceremony Nov. 6, Mexico President Felipe Calderon announced a ground-breaking trilateral agreement between Mexico, the U.S. and Canada to cooperate on wilderness protection- the first time countries have formally agreed to collaborate on continent-wide conservation measures to protect ecosystems, migratory wildlife, and natural resources that do not start and end with geographical boundaries. To read more, go to: www.wild.org

	EPA’s Watershed Academy Posts a New Online Module on Effect of Climate Change on Water Resources & Programs EPA's Watershed Academy has released a new online module titled "The Effect of Climate Change on Water Resources and Programs." This module is based on EPA's National Water Program Strategy: Response to Climate Change posted at http://epa.gov/ow/climatechange/ strategy.html. The module provides basic information on climate change, the water-related effects of climate change in the United States, and the implications for EPA's National Water Program. The module is part of EPA's Watershed Academy Web that includes more than 50 online modules regarding various aspects of watershed management. To view these new modules go to http://epa.gov/watertrain/ climate_water/

	The Natural Resources Defense Council and Environmental Defense Fund would like to invite you to join us for one of two East Coast workshops exploring issues related to Carbon Capture & Sequestration (CCS). 5 March 2009. The first workshop will be an all-day event and will be held at the Bloomberg National Headquarters, 731 Lexington Avenue Headquarters, New York City, from 8:30 am – 5:00 pm. 6 March 2009. The second workshop will be a half-day event at the U.S. House of Representatives, Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2322, Washington, D.C. from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. It is our hope that these workshops will contribute to the public dialogue regarding the role of CCS in lowering greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). To register, and for further details including the agenda for both events, please visit: http://www.ccsworkshop2009.eventbrite.com Free Admittance; RSVP Required No Tickets to be Required or Distributed

	4-6 May 2009. AWRA Spring Specialty Conference: Managing Water Resouroces & Development in a Changing Climate will be held at the Anchorage Marriott Downtown, Anchorage, Alaska. Earlybird Registration Deadline: April 13, 2009. For information visit: http://www.awra.org/meetings/Anchorage2009/index.html

	Environmental Ethics Institute 2009: Fire, Restoration and Wilderness in the age of climate change June 8^th- 13^th, 2009 in Missoula, MT. Registration deadline: May 14, 2009. This year’s institute will be led and taught by Andrew Light and Christopher Preston. Field trips include visits to the Milltown Dam Superfund restoration site and the Rattlesnake Wilderness and National Recreation Area. For more information about this conference, go to: http://www.umt.edu/ethics/eei/2009/

	Carbon in Northern Forests Conference

	Carbon in Northern Forests: Integration of Research and Management will take place on June 10-11, 2009 at the Hagerty Center in Traverse City, Michigan. This goal of this conference is to explore the breadth of forest carbon science in the Lake States and Northeast regions and provide an opportunity for scientists to: (1) share and discuss research on carbon pools and cycling in temperate and boreal forests; (2) identify research needs in forest carbon science given natural and human disturbances and environmental change; and (3) highlight potential effects of management on carbon dynamics and suggest methods to increase carbon stored in forests and wood products. Focus areas include: - Disturbance Effects on Forest Carbon Pools - Management Interaction with Forest Carbon Pools - Valuing Carbon as an Ecosystem Service - Bioenergy for Fossil Fuel Substitution and Carbon Sequestration Abstracts for oral and poster presentations will be accepted until April 3, 2009. Additionally, presenters will have the opportunity to submit manuscripts for a special issue of the journal FOREST SCIENCE. Additional information is available online at the conference website: www.forest.mtu.edu/cinf

	EPA sponsors climate change symposium for tribes

	U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 is sponsoring a symposium on Climate Change in the Great Lakes Basin for tribal officials and others December 1-4, 2008 at the Forest County Potawatomi Bingo Casino, 1721 W. Canal St., Milwaukee. The symposium will provide an opportunity to discuss health and cultural effects of climate change in tribal communities around the Great Lakes such as its impact on water supplies and threats to native species important to indigenous cultures and economies. Symposium agenda and registration information are available at http://www.epa.gov/region5/air/tribes/TCCSymposium.htm

	Effects of Climate Change on Natural Resources in California--A Series of Seminars http://www.edaw.com/ClimateChange/

	29-31 July 2008. Impact of Climate Change on the Great Lakes Ecosystem - A NOAA Science Needs Assessment Workshop to Meet Emerging Challenges will be held at the School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan Central Campus, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Information on the workshop is available at: http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/Programs/climate_change/cc_workshop.html

	Wetlands 2008: Wetlands and Global Climate Change ASWM will hold Wetlands 2008: Wetlands and Global Climate Change in Portland, Oregon on September 16-18 at the Doubletree Hotel. There will be a field trip on Monday, September 15 and Thursday, September 18. See Field Trips. On Friday, September 19 there will be additional workshops sponsored by Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Society of Wetland Scientists. See Workshops. Global climate change will be the primary topic at ASWM's annual conference. Carbon sequestration and wetlands, sea level change, and strategies for managing wetlands in response to long term changes in temperature and precipitation will be important topics. Other related topics will include wetland research priorities, monitoring trends in wetlands and related resources, management strategies, invasive species, biodiversity and policy responses to a changing environment. The purpose of this symposium is to describe challenges, identify opportunities, and share cooperative strategies for protecting, restoring and conserving wetlands in response to climate change. For information, please visit the Wetlands 2008 website or contact Laura at laura@aswm.org or 207-892-3399. Now Posted: Field Trips and Workshops

	American Public Works Association (APWA) Symposium on Climate Change April 9-10, 2008 Tempe, Arizona. APWA will host its first-ever Climate Change Symposium this Spring. Join us to explore mitigation and adaptation concepts impacting today’s public works departments, highlighting how local governments can impact the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. For more information, visit www.apwa.net/SuperPush/index.asp?ID=99

	Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region: Starting a Discussion http://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/climatechange/

	Wetlands in the 21st Century: Altered Landscapes and Changing Climates Wisconsin Wetlands Association’s 13th Annual Conference: Jan. 31 & Feb. 1, 2008 Abstract Deadline: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 - In 2008, Wisconsin Wetlands Association will convene members of the regional wetland community for the 13th annual conference to discuss the latest in wetland science, management, restoration and protection issues as they relate to anthropogenic alterations that affect wetlands. The program for this 2-day conference will have a special focus on the theme Wetlands in the 21st Century: Altered Landscapes and Changing Climates, and will include a keynote address, topical oral sessions, a poster session, working groups, a banquet and wetland field trips. For more information, visit the conference website at: www.wisconsinwetlands.org/2008conference.htm

	INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

	International Conference on Health, Safety & the Environment: Carbon Sequestration & Climate Change – Key topics The Society of Petroleum Engineers invites experts interested in climate issues to attend its International Conference on Health, Safety & Environment (HSE), scheduled for 15-17 April in Nice, France. The event will discuss matters related to climate change, public health needs in developing countries, and other pressing social responsibility issues. Key topics will include carbon sequestration and carbon storage; sensitive environments; human rights. For more information, visit: http://www.spe.org/hse08

	International Tundra Experiment Focusing on impact of climate change on tundra ecosystems (including permafrost) Conferences and workshops happening in the U.S. and in other countries http://www.geog.ubc.ca/itex/

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	RESOURCES/PUBLICATIONS

	The Natural Fix? The Role of Ecosystems in Climate Mitigation Authors: Kate Trumper, Monika Bertzky, Barney Dickson, et. al. A UNEP Rapid Response Assessment. June 2009. In this UNEP-commissioned, Rapid Assessment report we present carbon capture and storage through a Green Economy lens outlining the potential in terms of natural systems – systems from forests to grasslands that have been doing the job in a tried and tested way for millennia. Currently the world’s ecosystems, instead of maintaining and enhancing nature’s carbon capture and storage capacity, are being depleted at an alarming rate. Some 20 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions are coming from the clearing and burning of forests, the vast carbon bank in peatlands and the tundra are threatened by drainage and thawing and many agricultural soils are degraded or degrading. For full report, go to: http://www.unep.org/pdf/BioseqRRA_scr

	The Blue Carbon Report: The Role of Healthy Oceans in Binding Carbon Authors: Christian Nellemann (Editor in chief), Emily Corcoran, Carlos M. Duarte, et. al. A UNEP Rapid Response Assessment. 2009 This report, produced by some of the world’s leading scientists and in collaboration with the FAO and IOC-UNESCO, finds that the most crucial, climate-combating coastal ecosystems cover less than 0.5% of the sea bed. But they are disappearing faster than anything on land and much may be lost in a couple of decades. These areas, covering features such as mangroves, salt marshes and seagrasses, are responsible for capturing and storing up to some 70% of the carbon permanenty stored in the marine realm. For full report, go to: http://dev.grida.no/RRAbluecarbon/pdfs/update/BlueCarbon_print12.10.09.pdf

	New Publication: Worldwatch Report: Global Environmental Change: The Threat to Human Health Author:Samuel S. Myers, MD, MPH – Worldwatch Institute Reports - Over the past two-to-three hundred years, humanity’s ecological footprint has ballooned to such an extent that we are now fundamentally altering the planet. We have transformed the Earth’s land surface and altered the function of its ecosystems, and we are triggering the rapid loss of both terrestrial and marine life. We are also profoundly changing our planet’s climate. The triple threat of more-severe storms, rising sea levels, and degraded coastal barriers—such as mangrove forests, coral reefs, wetlands, vegetated dunes, and barrier islands—will pose significant risks to low-lying coastal populations. http://www.worldwatch.org/ node/6310

	Potential impacts of global climate change on the hydrology and ecology of ephemeral freshwater systems of the forests of the northeastern United States By Robert T. Brooks – Climate Change – January 2009 Global, national, and regional assessments of the potential effects of Global Climate Change (GCC) have been recently released, but not one of these assessments has specifically addressed the critical issue of the potential impacts of GCC on ephemeral freshwater systems (EFS). I suggest that this is a major oversight as EFS occur in various forms across the globe. In the northeastern United States, these systems, whether ephemeral (“vernal”) pools or ephemeral or intermittent headwater streams are abundant and provide unique habitats critical to the maintenance of forest biodiversity. Since the hydrology of these waterbodies is strongly affected by weather patterns (in the short-term) or climate (long-term), they are especially sensitive to climate change. http://www.aswm.org/science/climate_change/brooks_2009_climate_change.pdf

	Geomorphologic Evolution of Barrier Islands along the Northern U.S. Gulf of Mexico and Implications for Engineering Design in Barrier Restoration Authors: Julie Dean Rosati and Gregory W. Stone – Journal of Coastal Research – January 2009 - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Research and Development Center Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory and Louisiana State University. Barrier islands located in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the panhandle of Florida differ in terms of their sediment source, the availability of littoral and inner shelf sediment, and the underlying substrate. Three general regions are defined and presented in Figure 1. The following discussion compares and contrasts each of these regions. For a link to the full publication, go to: http://www.allenpress.com/pdf/COAS_25.1_8_22.pdf

	United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change publication list is available at http://unfccc.int/essential_background/background_publications_htmlpdf/items/ 2625.php

	Analysis of Natural Resources Protection Provisions in Climate Security Act (S. 3036) National Wildlife Federation Fact Sheet - May 27, 2008 http://www.nwf.org/nwfwebadmin/binaryVault/NWFAnalysisOfCSANaturalResource Provisions.pdf

	Attributing physical and biological impacts to anthropogenic climate change By Cynthia Rosenzweig, David Karoly^,et. al. – Nature – May 15, 2008 Significant changes in physical and biological systems are occurring on all continents and in most oceans, with a concentration of available data in Europe and North America. Correspondence: Email Cynthia Rosenzweig at crosenzweig@giss.nasa.gov For more information, go to: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v453/n7193/full/nature06937.html

	The American Agricultural Economics Association has posted the first quarter issue of Choices online at www.choicesmagazine.org/ The theme for this issue is Resources and the Environment. Guest Editor Jason F. Shogren brings together nine papers under the title "Climate Change Economics." This thematic package in Choices celebrates the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) work, its Nobel prize and the significant contributions of agricultural and resources Economists to the IPCC process and reports. These nine papers present work which overviews the major aspects of climate change and its implications for agriculture and natural resources written by people who have been intimately involved with the IPCC. This issue of Choices also features an article by Leigh Raymond and Gerald Shively titled "Market-Based Approaches to CO2 Emissions Reductions." Choices is an online peer-reviewed magazine published by the AAEA for readers interested in the policy and management of agriculture, the food industry, natural resources, rural communities, and the environment. If you would like to contribute to future issues, please visit http://www.choicesmagazine.org/submissions.htm

	Solving Climate Change Saves Billions By Kristina Kershner – ENN – April 10, 2008 According to Edward Mazria, founder of Architecture 2030, “Although difficult, the economic and global warming crises are the motivation we need as a nation to retool our thinking. If we’re smart enough to jump on this opportunity, we will not only solve global warming, we will set the US up for unprecedented economic success.” For full article, go to: http://www.enn.com/press_releases/2437 For direct link to the study, go to: http://www.architecture2030.org/pdfs/2030Blueprint.pdf

	National Water Program Strategy: Response to Climate Change Draft Comments Welcome The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water has made available for comment a public review draft of the National Water Program Strategy: Response to Climate Change. This draft document represents the National Water Program’s initial effort to identify potential impacts of climate change for clean water and drinking water programs and define actions to respond to these impacts. A March 28, 2008, memorandum signed by the Assistant Administrator for Water requests comments on the draft strategy. For the request for comments, see: http://www.epa.gov/water/climatechange/docs/3-28-08_memo_to_interested_parties.pdf For the draft document open to public comment, go to: http://www.epa.gov/water/climatechange/ docs/3-27-08_ccdraftstrategy_final.pdf The comment period has been extended. Please submit comments to the following e-mail address: Water_Climate_Change@epa.gov by June 10, 2008. You also can mail your comments to the following address: Attention: National Water Program Draft Climate Change Strategy, U.S. EPA, Office of Water, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Mail Code: 4101M - Washington, DC 20460

	Government Report Warns of Sea-Rise Threat to U.S. Coasts (March 2008) A report released by the National Research Council's Transportation Research board explores the threat to transportation networks due to climate change sea level rise. According to the report, tens of thousands of miles of highway and rail corridor will become vulnerable to erosion, chronic flooding and other stresses over the next century as a warming climate causes an increase in extreme weather conditions. The report predicts that some of the nation's busiest airports could see increased service interruptions and runway closures because of sea level rise and storm surges. The report expects an increase in very hot days and heat waves, increases in Arctic temperatures, increases in hurricane activity, increases in intense precipitation events, and rising sea levels. Those factors, coupled with an expected population growth in coastal zones, will create a greater demand on the transportation infrastructure. The report notes there is a need for innovative and collaborative thinking and planning on the parts of planners, engineers, and managers to address this growing problem. Another study, led by the Environmental Protection Agency joined by other agencies, expresses a similar warning on infrastructure and adds a concern for beaches, wetlands and fresh-water supplies that also are threatened due to encroaching saltwater. For more information or to read the report: http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20080311.html; http://climatescience.gov/Library/sap/sap4-1/public-review-draft/

	NOAA Requests Comments on Draft Sea Level Rise Report

	The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is seeking comments on the draft report, U.S. Climate Change Science Program Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.1: Coastal elevation and sensitivity to sea level rise (73, Federal Register, p.10005, February 25). The report analyzes information from the ongoing mapping efforts by federal and non-federal researchers related to the implications of rising sea level. The report will also develop a plan for sea level rise research to answer the questions that are most urgent for near-term decision-making. The deadline for comments is April 10, 2008. For more information, visit http://www.climatescience.gov/Library/sap/sap4-1/public-review-draft/

	A Landowners Guide to Carbon Sequestration Credits University of Minnesota, CINRAM (2007) http://www.cinram.umn.edu/Landownerguide.html http://www.cinram.umn.edu/publications/landowners_guide1.5-1.pdf

	Coastal Wetlands and Global Climate Change By Robert Twilley – Pew Center on Global Climate Change – December 2007 In 2007, the science of climate change achieved an unfortunate milestone: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reached a consensus position that human-induced global warming is already causing physical and biological impacts worldwide. For direct link to this study, go to: http://www.pewclimate.org/docUploads/Regional-Impacts-Gulf.pdf

	AMWA Releases Report on Threats to Water Systems From Global Warming December 2007 Global warming will raise the risk of water pollution and flood damage to urban water systems, the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) said in a report yesterday titled "Implications of Climate Change for Urban Water Utilities". The association of publicly owned drinking-water systems predicts rising temperatures will increase evaporation and rainfall and decrease snowpack. Nationwide, increased precipitation and flooding could overwhelm wastewater treatment facilities, the report says. Citing U.S. EPA research, the report says most treatment plants and overflow-control programs were designed according to historic water flows and do not take into account sea level rise spurred by rising temperatures. "As a result, it is conceivable that water suppliers will face a continually increased influent challenge from sewage overflows producing high concentrations of Giardia, Cryptosporidium and coliforms," the report says. The report urges planners to consider methods to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including a re-examination of water transmission and distribution methods to reduce electricity use during peak periods, as well as integrating renewable energy sources like solar or wind-powered pumping. To see the report go to: http://www.amwa.net/galleries/climate-change/AMWA_Climate_Change_Paper_12.13 .07.pdf

	CSO Releases Climate Change Adaptation Report CSO Weekly Report – October 2007 This week, the CSO Climate Change Work Group released a report entitled The Role of Coastal Zone Management Programs in Adaptation to Climate Change. The Work Group prepared this report to explore the current and future roles of state coastal zone management programs in addressing the increasing impacts of climate change to the coastal zone. This report aims to: Inform Congress and federal agencies of the role of state coastal zone management programs in addressing climate change; Inform efforts to reauthorize the Coastal Zone Management Act; Inform federal agencies of key research, information, and policy needs; and Provide for information of exchange among coastal states and territories. To download a copy of the report, please go to the following link: http://www.coastalstates.org/documents/CSO%20Climate%20Change%20Final%20 Report.pdf

	Adapting to a Changing Climate: Water, Energy, People,” an address by G. Tracy Mehan, III, Former Assistant Administrator for Water U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, given at a recent reception (October 2007) in Washington, DC. [View in PDF]

	NOAA Climate Change Documents Seek Public Comment The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is seeking public comments on two draft climate change publications. The first is The Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture, Land Resources, Water Resources, and Biodiversity found at: http://www.climatescience.gov/Library/sap/sap4-3/public-review-draft/default.htm. Comments are due by October 26, 2007. The second is Uses and Limitations of Observations, Data, Forecasts, and other Projections in Decision Support for Selected Sectors and Regions which can be found at: http://www.climatescience.gov/Library/sap/sap5-1/public-review-draft/default.htm. Comments are due by November 8. Instructions for commenting are provided on each publication's web page

	The Climate Impacts Group, King County, Washington, and ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability are pleased to announce the release of Preparing for Climate Change: A Guidebook for Local, Regional, and State Governments. The guidebook is designed to facilitate planning for climate impacts at the local level by specifying practical steps and strategies that can be used to build community resilience into the future. These steps include creating a climate change preparedness team; identifying community vulnerabilities to climate change; and identifying, selecting, and implementing adaptation options. An electronic copy of the guidebook is available at http://www.cses.washington.edu/cig/fpt/guidebook.shtml (September 2007) Hard copies of the guidebook will be available in October. To request a hard copy, please send me an email (lwb123@u.washington.edu).

	New Fundamentals of Urban Runoff Management Document Now Available July 2007 A second edition of a popular publication, Fundamentals of Urban Runoff Management: Technical and Institutional Issues, was recently published by the North American Lake Management Society. This document revises an earlier 1994 edition and was prepared with support from EPA's Office of Wastewater Management and the Nonpoint Source Control Branch in EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds. The update is important because of the tremendous amount of new information available as well as the significant shift in stormwater program direction from the historic mitigation-based approach to a more source-based approach. Copies of the document can be found at: http://www.nalms.org:80/Resources/FundamentalsOfUrbanRunoffManagement.aspx

	Ecology's "Issue Up Close" New Brochure on Climate Change for Washington July 2007 The eight-page brochure is available at the climate change web portal that Ecology hosts for state agencies and state residents: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/pubs/0701023.pdf

	Sea-level Rise and Coastal Habitats in the Pacific Northwest An Analysis for Puget Sound, Southwestern Washington, and Northwestern Oregon (July 2007) By Patty Glick, NWF, Jonathan Clough, Warren Pinnacle Consulting, Inc. and Brad Nunley, NWF http://www.nwf.org/sealevelrise/pdfs/PacificNWSeaLevelRise.pdf

	Testimony of Hon. Eileen Claussen, President, Pew Center on Global Climate Change at the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Ways and Means -- February 28, 2007 Regarding The Effects of Global Warming (mentions carbon sequestration among the action steps) http://www.pewclimate.org/what_s_being_done/in_the_congress/testimony_ feb2807.cfm

	Climate Change Affects Water Availability [pdf] Washington State Department of Ecology's "Issue Up Close: Managing our Water Successfully"; page 3. (January 2007)

	Climate Change 2007 – Fourth IPCC Assessment Report Released The IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4), was recently completed. Earlier this year, the three IPCC Working Groups contributions to the AR4 were released. On the 17 of November, the last part of the AR4 was launched: “The Synthesis Report.” For a direct link to the fourth report, go to: http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/syr/ar4_syr_spm.pdf To access online copies of the other three assessment reports, visit: http://www.ipcc.ch/#

	A Skeptic’s Guide to Debunking Global Warming Alarmism By Senator James Inhofe, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (September 2006) This report includes a challenge to journalists who cover global warming. For a direct link to this report, go to: http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Files.View&FileStore_id= 56dd129d-e40a-4bad-abd9-68c808e8809e

	An Unfavorable Tide—Global Warming, Coastal Habitats and Sportfishing in Florida By Patty Glick, NWF and Jonathan Clough, Warren Pinnacle Consulting, Inc. (June 2006) http://www.targetglobalwarming.org/files/AnUnfavorableTideReport.pdf

	Pacific Institute – Climate Change Impacts to Water http://www.pacinst.org/topics/water_and_sustainability/climate_change/

	NASA Climate Data http://gcmd.nasa.gov/KeywordSearch/Home.do?Portal=NASA&Metadata Type=0&homepg

	New Yale Forum on Climate Change The Yale Forum on Climate Change & The Media, at www.yaleclimatemediaforum.org, just launched on October 1. For more information, visit the new online journal at the above link. This is a collaboration between Yale and environmental writers association. It is edited by Bud Ward who is very well known at NOAA for editing speeches and articles and writing OpEds.

	Nova Program on Hurricanes - Is global warming making hurricanes more intense? See a slide show on a presentation by Kerry Emanuel from October 2005 as well as more recent discussion links. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3302/07.html

	Sea Level Rise and Coastal Disasters -- A Roundtable Discussion Summary, Washington DC, 2001 http://books.nap.edu/html/ndr/sea_level_rise.pdf

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	BLOGS ON WETLANDS AND CLIMATE CHANGE

	Climate Progress http://climateprogress.org/

	Carbon-Based: Climate Change Blog by Brian Thomas “Threat to Maine Beaches” – July 10, 2009 http://carbon-based-ghg.blogspot.com/2009/07/threat-to-maines- beaches.html

	Global Climate Solutions http://globalclimatesolutions.org/

	Water & Climate Change blog (Climate Ark) http://www.climateark.org/blog/

	JPG Magazine: Global Warming and Wetland Destruction Photo Essay By Diane Sangalang http://www.jpgmag.com/stories/4656/

	350.org “350 is the red line for human beings, the most important number on the planet. The most recent science tells us that unless we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million, we will cause huge and irreversible damage to the earth.” http://www.350.org/4/

	Wetlands and Climate Change By Tom Pelton – Baltimore Sun.com – October 9, 2007 I had a story in today's paper about the planting of wetlands as a tool to fight climate change. Maryland in 2009 will start a "cap and trade" system for reducing carbon dioxide pollution from power plants. And both the state and Maryland's biggest power company are interested in the idea of using pollution credits -- essentially fines to power companies for spewing too much carbon dioxide -- to pay for the planting of acres of wetlands, which absorb carbon dioxide. Whether or not planting more marsh grass in the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge will do much to stop global warming is a matter of debate. Probably, it could play a small role -- when combined with large cuts in actual carbon dioxide emissions. But pollution credit systems are a hot topic not only in Annapolis, but also in DC and around the world. For example, Barack Obama yesterday outlined his support of a national pollution credit trading system to limit carbon dioxide pollution. "No business will be allowed to emit any greenhouse gases for free,” Mr. Obama said while campaigning Portsmouth, N.H, according to The New York Times. “Businesses don’t own the sky, the public does, and if we want them to stop polluting it, we have to put a price on all pollution.” Constellation Energy, the state's largest owner of power plants, is one of several power companies across the country that support a national cap-and-trade system for cutting down greenhouse gas pollution. In fact, a large coalition of both industrial corporations -- like General Motors and Duke Energy -- and environmental groups -- like the Natural Resources Defense Council -- support a national pollution credit system for attacking climate change. To view this blog, go to: http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bay_environment/ blog/2007/10/wetlands_and_climate_change.html

	RealClimate - Climate science from climate scientists http://www.realclimate.org/

	Climate Progress http://climateprogress.org/2007/12/31/sea-levels-may-rise-5-feet-by-2100/

	Environmental Law & Climate Change Law Blog http://taberlaw.wordpress.com/

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	USEFUL LINKS & RESOURCES

	Canada

	Environment Canada, Wetlands & Climate Change http://www.ec.gc.ca/water/en/nature/wetlan/e_clim.htm

	United States

	U.S. Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Climate Change Legislation Discussions http://energycommerce.house.gov/Climate_Change/index.shtml

	USGS Global Climate Change webpage http://biology.usgs.gov:80/ecosystems/global_change/index.html

	USGS, Global Climate Change & Wetlands, National Wetlands Research Center http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/about/web/climate.htm

	Ducks Unlimited, Wetlands & Climate Change http://www.iisd.org/wetlands/

	Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy, University of Alaska, Fairbanks http://www.uaf.edu/accap/

	Bonanza Creek Long-Term Ecological Research, Affiliate of University of Alaska http://www.lter.uaf.edu/

	Global Warming in the South, Southern Environmental Law Center http://www.southernenvironment.org/cases/global_warming/index.htm

	Future Climate Data Download Available From IPPC IPPC 3rd Assessment data. Future climate projections, calibrated and statistically downscaled using the WorldClim data for 'current' conditions. http://www.worldclim.org/futdown.htm

	United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change [UNFCC] http://www.unfccc.int GHG data: http://unfccc.int/ghg_data/ghg_data_unfccc/items/4146.php

	U.S. Wetlands & Carbon Sequestration Links

	Big Sky Carbon Sequestration Partnership (has good list of recent publications & reports) http://www.bigskyco2.org/ Reports list: http://www.bigskyco2.org/publications.htm

	Conservation Fund Carbon Sequestration Program http://www.conservationfund.org/?article=3127

	Duck’s Unlimited Carbon Sequestration Program http://www.ducks.org/Conservation/EcoAssets/1306/CarbonSequestration.html

	Great Britian

	Peatlands, Climate Change & Global Carbon Stores http://biology.bangor.ac.uk/~bss113/wetland1.htm

	International Organizations

	United Nations Climate Change http://www.unep.org/themes/climatechange/

	Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change http://www.ipcc.ch/


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Peridotite Mineral Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide: Untested but Potentially Large Climate Change Mitigation Tool