Search

The Gulf of Mexico (GOM) is a regionally important marine ecosystem with valuable fisheries that may be detrimentally impacted by anthropogenic climate change. In recent years, our scientific understanding of climate change impacts on the GOM water quality has advanced considerably. Such advancements include increased understanding of climate change impacts on the GOM's hypoxia and sediment, and subsequent impacts on the region's marine ecosystem. This paper reviews these developments and highlights gaps in our understanding of climate change impacts on marine water quality and its implications in the GOM region. There is broad scientific agreement that physical changes induced by anthropogenic climate change are determining factors of water quality and biodiversity in the GOM. However, the scientific community should work toward a greater understanding of species and ecosystem specific changes through modeling studies exclusive to the GOM region and this should inform the development of broader multi-disciplinary mitigation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much of the Southeastern United States (SeUS) has experienced an increasing number of extreme precipitation events in recent decades. Characterizing these extreme precipitation events is critical for assessing risk from future hydroclimatic extremes and potential flash flooding. A threshold of one inch per hour (1IPH) was used to indicate an extreme precipitation event. Non-parametric tests were run to identify trends in 1IPH event frequency and locate time series change points. In the last 20 years, 1IPH events increased by 53 percent in the SeUS, and 21/61 stations recorded significant increasing trends. A change point is identified in 15/61 stations. June, July, and August are generally the peak time for 1IPH events, but Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi recorded longer peak seasons. For the time between events, 17/61 stations recorded significant decreasing trends, implying that 1IPH events are increasing in frequency. Four teleconnection indices were positively correlated with 1IPH events. The SeUS experiences considerable tropical cyclone-induced extreme precipitation, yet only seven percent of 1IPH events overlapped with tropical cyclones. Therefore, the increasing frequency of 1IPH events is likely the result of a combination of baroclinic frontal zones or regional and mesoscale convective features. Causes for the increasing frequency of 1IPH events require further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]