12
PROJECTED CHANGE BY 2100
Sea level rise 3-5 feet Leaf out 7-15 days earlier
Summers 21-44 days longer Average air temperatures 3.5-12.5° F warmer
Precipitation increase 10 in spring and summer, 13 in fall, and 20-60 in winter
Ocean pH levels 0.3-0.4 units more acidic Source:
Coastal Resources Center RI Sea Grant, 2012.
STEP THREE: DETERMINE THE VULNERABILITY OF IMPORTANT RESOURCES AND ASSETS
There are a variety of vulnerability assessment methodologies emphasizing different starting points, strategies, and scales. All of these approaches include some combination of specifying likely climate impacts, estimating
exposure to these impacts, accounting for non-climate stressors, and examining the sensitivity of priority resources or assets to these stresses.
Gi e a u e tai ties ─f o the a ou t of glo al a i g to the i pa ts o species and their interactions
─ it is diffi ult to dete i e ho ha itats a d e os ste s ill espo d. Ho e e , understanding ecological vulnerabilities provides valuable information that may be used to better inform existing
decision processes and may also suggest new policies or actions to reduce future impacts.
GUIDING QUESTIONS
1. What potential climate factors might impact your
assets? Are you already seeing climate change impacts?
Rhode Island is already experiencing precipitation changes, increased storminess, land and water temperature increases,
sea level rise, and summer drought conditions. These trends are continuing and in many cases accelerating. Appendix 1
contains a list of current and predicted climate change impacts to Rhode Island. Which of these changes are already
affecting your assets and which factors will impact your assets most significantly?
2. What are the existing stressors to your assets?
Land trusts and conservation organizations are acutely aware of the risks posed by non-climate challenges to the
environments and landscapes they work to protect. Whether
SLKT’S STEP THREE
The vulnerabilities of “KLT s assets were determined by first mapping the habitats of each parcel and overlaying
them with climate sensitivity, identified in the Connecticut
Go e o s “tee i g Co ittee o Cli ate Cha ge
report . After identifying sensitive habitats in each focus area, SKLT reviewed the non-climate stressors faced by
different assets and how they contribute to the overall climate change vulnerability. Fo e a ple, Ca d s Po d i “KLT s Pe
ille fo us a ea has a ediu se siti it to li ate ha ge a o di g to the Connecticut report. This pond has a phragmites population that has resisted eradication attempts and
phragmites is an invasive species that is less negatively affected by climate stressors. Therefore, this pond is more vulnerable to climate change than a similar pond where phragmites is not present even though they may have the
same sensitivity.
13 it is invasive species, such as Japanese knotweed, encroaching
development on wetlands, or non-point source pollution, non- climate stressors affect our critical resources and the services they
provide. Non-climate stressors may reveal key factors for understanding habitat resilience as well as options for
management under changing climate conditions. Refer to Appendix 1 for a brief summary of non-climate stressors
of habitats and landscapes. For an in depth analysis of the non-
climate stressors faced by Rhode Island wildlife, see the Rhode
Island 2005 Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy .
3. What is the sensitivity of valued environmental and
