Presentation Abstract

The Salish Sea is a hub of interconnectivity. It is a key link for international trade between North America and Asia, home to approximately 11.5 million people and two large cosmopolitan urban centres, and connects climates regimes ranging from temperate rainforest to cool Mediterranean. The Salish Sea is also a nexus for political and ecological frontiers. It is divided by the Canada-USA border and is an ecological transition zone connecting the Alaskan and Californian Current ecosystems. Climate change will affect this region via its influence on watersheds, coastal microclimates, and marine ecosystems. These effects can have potentially serious consequences for quality of life, the economy, native species and important ecological processes. Projected climate changes and impacts are as varied as the stakeholders and interests within this region. That these all come together in one place makes the Salish Sea an ideal mixing zone for cooperative adaptation and resilience planning. This presentation will review the current state of knowledge for climate changes and impacts in this trans-ecological, trans-political region and help set the stage for discussions about how we may adapt.

Session Title

Integrated Coastal Climate Change Modeling for Salish Sea Planning: Part I

Keywords

Climate assessment, Salish Sea, Transboundary

Conference Track

SSE5: Climate Change: Impacts, Adaptation, and Research

Conference Name

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)

Document Type

Event

SSEC Identifier

SSE5-403

Start Date

6-4-2018 8:30 AM

End Date

6-4-2018 8:45 AM

Type of Presentation

Oral

Genre/Form

conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)

Contributing Repository

Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.

Subjects – Topical (LCSH)

Climatic changes--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Climatic changes--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)--Forecasting; Climatic changes--Political aspects--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Climatic changes--International cooperation

Geographic Coverage

Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)

Rights

This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.

Type

Text

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

COinS
 
Apr 6th, 8:30 AM Apr 6th, 8:45 AM

What climate change means for the Salish Sea

The Salish Sea is a hub of interconnectivity. It is a key link for international trade between North America and Asia, home to approximately 11.5 million people and two large cosmopolitan urban centres, and connects climates regimes ranging from temperate rainforest to cool Mediterranean. The Salish Sea is also a nexus for political and ecological frontiers. It is divided by the Canada-USA border and is an ecological transition zone connecting the Alaskan and Californian Current ecosystems. Climate change will affect this region via its influence on watersheds, coastal microclimates, and marine ecosystems. These effects can have potentially serious consequences for quality of life, the economy, native species and important ecological processes. Projected climate changes and impacts are as varied as the stakeholders and interests within this region. That these all come together in one place makes the Salish Sea an ideal mixing zone for cooperative adaptation and resilience planning. This presentation will review the current state of knowledge for climate changes and impacts in this trans-ecological, trans-political region and help set the stage for discussions about how we may adapt.