Falkland Islands Climate Change
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Falkland Islands Climate Location
Falkland Islands Climate Change, Because island floras are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, determining the anticipated responses is a critical, if difficult, scientific topic. The Falkland Islands are a remote archipelago in the South Atlantic, 500 kilometers from mainland South America. They are made up of two bigger islands (East and West Falkland) and over 500 smaller islands. These islands cover a total area of about 12,200 km2 in total. The islands have a cool temperate oceanic climate, with average temperatures of 9.4°C and 2.2°C in January and July, respectively.
Climate Background Video
Falkland Islands Climate
The Falkland Islands (or Malvinas) have a cold marine climate, with winters being cold, windy, and snowy, and summers being cool, if not cold, and wet and windy. The relative humidity is high, and the sky is frequently cloudy all year. The wind can be gusty in the autumn and winter. Because the islands are in the South Atlantic Ocean, the seasons are reversed in relation to the Northern Hemisphere.
The warmest months, January and February, have average daily temperatures of about 10 °C (50 °F), with highs of around 14 °C (57 °F), while the coldest months, June, July, and August, have average daily temperatures of around 2 °C (35 °F), with highs of around 3/4 °C (37/39 °F). This means that the climate on these islands is virtually subpolar, similar to Iceland’s yet slightly warmer.
Because of the sea’s impact and the islands’ continual winds, the islands rarely encounter hot weather or severe frosts: the highest recorded temperature is 26 °C (79 °F), while the lowest is -11 °C (12 °F). Snowfalls are more common in the cooler months, from April to October; also, wind and humidity intensify the impression of being chilly. Even in the summer, certain chilly nights with temperatures near freezing (0 °C or 32 °F) are possible, and snowfalls in the inland hills are probable.
Because a portion of it falls on Chile, on the western Andean mountains, which are not far away, precipitation is scarce, averaging roughly 550 millimeters (21.5 inches) each year. The rains, on the other hand, are plentiful and evenly dispersed throughout the year. In fact, because the westerlies blow all year, weather fronts sweep across the islands one after another, bringing clouds and rain (or snow), interspersed with bright intervals that are usually brief, or with unpredictable or unstable weather.
Falkland Islands Climate Change
Falkland Islands Climate Change, The native flora of the Falkland Islands is relatively tiny, with only 180 plant taxa (excluding one hybrid) and 14 unique species. Because the flora is so large, there may be little area for redundancy, making it all the more important to figure out which taxa are most vulnerable to climate change concerns. To ensure long-term conservation, we must link our understanding of the possible implications of climate change on these endangered island floras to policy suggestions.
On a worldwide basis, the Aichi Biodiversity Targets recognize this and provide a framework for policy action. The Falkland Islands Government has been increasingly interested in how climate change may affect the Islands’ species, habitats, and ecosystem services, and is updating its Biodiversity Strategy to reflect this.
Falkland Islands Climate Change Video
The Falkland Islands, because of their location between the Antarctic and South American continents, contain plant species at the eastern and southern limits of their distribution, making them likely to contain climate change indicator species and unique genetic variation that is important to conserve in the face of changing climates and other threats. Six endemic species are globally threatened, one is near threatened, and 22 percent (39 species) of the native vascular flora are threatened with extinction in the United States.
For efficient management of the Falklands’ National Nature Reserves (NNRs) and 17 recently declared Important Plant Areas (IPAs), a better understanding of how climate change risks may affect the most sensitive aspects of the flora is critical.
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One of the most important environmental elements influencing plant dispersal is temperature. The Falkland Islands’ mean annual temperature and precipitation are 6.6°C and 559 millimetres, respectively, but there are large climate differences in both temperature and precipitation across the Islands. There is a subset of species on the Falkland Islands whose distributions are linked to specific temperature ranges.
Climate change projections for the Falkland Islands show an annual mean temperature increase of up to 2.2 degrees Celsius by 2100, but no change in annual mean rainfall. Given that the Falkland Islands’ mean annual temperature has risen by 0.5°C over the last century, the expected increases are significant. Despite the fact that the mean annual rainfall is not expected to change, it is widely assumed that under a warmer climate, rainfall patterns will be changed, with more extreme weather events expected.
i) Moisture deficiencies and drying in the soil
ii) Changes in invasive plant species, as well as pests and diseases that affect plants
iii) Plants that are unable to alter ranges or detect changes in their environment
iv) Disturbance of habitat due to intense occurrences – increased fire danger
v) Soil organic carbon changes
vi) Variations in crop/forage varieties/species grown in terms of range, yield, and quality.
reference – journals.plos.org,researchgate.net
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