Topics: Ecosystems and Biodiversity, Land Use and Land Cover Change
Life on Earth depends on the energy of the Sun and the cycles of seasons and climate. Plant, animal, and human communities respond to these cycles in ways both familiar and fascinating. Rapid global changes are influencing these enduring patterns of life, threatening biodiversity and human well being. Drawing on a range of data, Earth, Migrations, and the Human Effect examines these cycles, how life responds in grand migrations, and human influences — past, present and future. It explores our place in the vast cosmos to imagine our common future as part of an interconnected Earth system and the future of our local ecosystems.
This event originally took place at the Rose Center for Earth and Space Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History (New York, NY) on December 18, 2012.
Black Poll WarblerCurrent Optimal Area (2010) / Projected Optimal Area (2080) (University of Massachusetts / Kevin McGarigal)
Black Poll Warbler Bird Sightings (June 2007) (eBird)
Earth’s Magnetosphere (October 2003) (AMNH Digital Universe Atlas & Boston University / Charles Goodrich)
Nature Moves
Migration season is under way, and at many Nature Conservancy preserves and priority places, you can find species setting out with a purpose: to find food, secure a mate or die trying. Whether massive or minute, their journeys are undeniably awe-inspiring.
The network of 142 WSR-88D stations in the continental US is a wonderful tool for studying bird migration as it occurs. This animation is a mosaic of the network as operating on 7-8 May 2009. The blocky, uneven, and brightly colored patterns apparent at the start of the animation in the New Jersey and southern New England, the eastern Great Lakes, scattered across the Gulf Coast states, and scattered across the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies represent precipitation. However, in coastal Texas, the pattern is more uniform in color and stippled in pattern. This is characteristic of biological targets, and in this case, many of the targets that Texas radars are detecting are probably trans-Gulf migrant birds with some insects and other aerial plankton. As the afternoon advances, the trans-Gulf arrival continues making it easy to compare these patterns with precipitation.
here video...
Bird Migration
A documentary about bird migration and their stop overs in the North West of England
here video...
Gray Whale Migration
Off the coast of Monterey Bay, California, the arena is set killer whales and gray whales are set for an annual, epic battle. While gray whales are 30-ton powerhouses, they face a fierce predator in killer whales. Join Wild Chronicles to see who wins this struggle for survival beneath the turbulent waves.
here video...
Butterfly Migration
Monarch butterfly winter migration from the Discovery Channel here video...
Monarch butterfly winter migration from the the BBC here video...
NeXus: NEclimatUS.org
NEclimateUS.org NEclimateUS.org (a.k.a. ‘neXus’) is a searchable online database that provides a gateway to climate information for the Eastern US. It summarizes needs for climate information as articulated in publications; identifies available data, products and services; and captures planned and on-going projects. The goal is to offer a tool to search for regionally relevant climate information, and to facilitate collaborative opportunities across the network of climate-focused programs and partners in the Eastern US. NeclimateUS.org is in its early stages of development. Content will change with time to reflect developments in climate work within the region, and in response to individual sector needs when necessary.
Biodiversity Conservation
American Museum of Natural History Center for Biodiversity & Conservation Studying the immense variety of life on the planet and the complex relations among living things – what we now call biodiversity – has been a fundamental activity of the American Museum of Natural History since its founding. In 1993, responding to concern among its scientists over rapid species loss and increasing habitat degradation around the world, the Museum created the interdisciplinary Center for Biodiversity and Conservation.
Bird Migration
eBird A real-time, online checklist program, eBird has revolutionized the way that the birding community reports and accesses information about birds. Launched in 2002 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, eBird provides rich data sources for basic information on bird abundance and distribution at a variety of spatial and temporal scales
To Birds, Storm Survival Is Only Natural In the wake of Hurricane Sandy and the spiteful me-too northeaster, much of the East Coast looked so battered and flooded, so strewed with toppled trees and stripped of dunes and beaches, that many observers feared the worst. Any day now, surely, the wildlife corpses would start showing up — especially birds, for who likelier to pay when a sky turns rogue than the ones who act as if they own it?
Wild Birds Unlimited Educational Resources The Great Lakes and their connecting channels from the largest aggregation of freshwater on the planet (excluding the polar ice caps). The watershed includes parts or all of eight U.S. states and the Canadian province of Ontario. The Lakes are the dominant and defining geological characteristic of the upper Midwest, affecting the social, economic, recreational and ecological life of the region. Bordering as it does on four of the five Great Lakes, the State of Michigan and its universities understand the importance of the Lakes for the future vitality of our state. Accordingly the University of Michigan has pursued an active research program in this area, and seeks to share some of its findings through this site. The research papers represented on this site were published by the Great Lakes Research Division, a unit of the University of Michigan Institute for Science and Technology, and later reorganized under the Department of Biology.
Whale Route The big question still is: Why do these mammals embark on these seasonal movements? Climate changes, water temperature, depth, salinity, topography of the sea floor and the biggest, abundance of food, all plays a major roll in these events.
Wildlife Migrations
Journey North A global study of wildlife migration and seasonal change
Climate Change and Sea Ice
Climate Change and Sea Ice Portlet The Arctic Portal’s Climate Change and Sea Ice Portlet provides an easy access to material concerning global warming and changes in sea ice. The Portlet consists of recent news articles, scientific reports and other relevant material.
Landscape Conservation
North Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative The North Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative provides a partnership in which the private, state, tribal and federal conservation community works together to address increasing land use pressures and widespread resource threats and uncertainties amplified by a rapidly changing climate. The partners and partnerships in the cooperative address these regional threats and uncertainties by agreeing on common goals for land, water, fish, wildlife, plant and cultural resources and jointly developing the scientific information and tools needed to prioritize and guide more effective conservation actions by partners toward those goals.
Resilience
AMNH Center for Biodiversity and Conservation Annual Symposium April 2013: Understanding Ecological and Social Resilience in Island Systems: Informing Policy and Sharing Lessons for Management: In Spring 2013, the American Museum of Natural History’s Center for Biodiversity and Conservation together with partners will organize a three-day symposium that unites local resource managers, researchers, educators, island leaders, policy makers, and other leading conservation practitioners to present and analyze real world resilience case studies. Central to the symposium is understanding resilience – the ability of ecological and social systems to absorb, resist, or recover from stressors and adapt to change while maintaining critical ecosystem functions and benefits.
Bird Migration
New York City Audubon Bird Walks NYC Audubon offers a great variety of trips and classes right here close to home, in all five boroughs and beyond.
Migratory Bird Flyways The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and it’s partner agencies manage for migratory birds based on specific migratory route paths within North America (Atlantic, Mississippi, Central, and Pacific). Based on those route paths, state and federal agencies developed the four administrative Flyways that administer migratory bird resources. Each of the flyways has a Flyway representative and assistant which work for the DMBM. Each flyway also has a Council, consisting of representatives from state and provincial agencies. These councils serve to direct the hunting regulations process. The Councils are advised by Flyway technical committees consisting of state and provincial biologists who evaluate species and population status, harvest, and hunter-participation data.
eBird A real-time, online checklist program, eBird has revolutionized the way that the birding community reports and accesses information about birds. Launched in 2002 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, eBird provides rich data sources for basic information on bird abundance and distribution at a variety of spatial and temporal scales.
Bird-Safe Building Guidelines New York City Audubon has proudly published Bird-Safe Building Guidelines, a 55-page manual for architects, landscape designers, engineers, glass technicians, developers, building managers, city, state, and federal officials, and the general public. It reveals the magnitude of bird collisions with glass and describes the conditions that cause these deadly collisions. Bird safety in buildings is integral to the “green” sustainable building movement, and the guidelines suggest strategies that complement the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating system. The guidelines also suggest ways to retrofit existing buildings. NYC Audubon’s Bird-Safe Building Guidelines is an important resource for all people in the building and design industries as well as policy makers.
Neighborhood Nestwatch The Smithsonian’s Neighborhood Nestwatch program provides an opportunity to be a biologist in your own backyard. Participants learn about birds and help scientists solve critical questions regarding the survival of backyard bird populations
Support Bird-Friendly Coffee Play a key role in the conservation of migratory birds, which find a sanctuary in their forest-like environment. The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC) has developed the only 100%-organic shade-grown coffee certification.
