Environment Alert: Climate change could render many of Earth’s ecosystems unrecognizable

Blurb: After the end of the last ice age — as sea levels rose, glaciers receded and global average temperatures soared as much as seven degrees Celsius — the Earth's ecosystems were utterly transformed. Forests grew up out of what was once barren, ice-covered ground. Dark, cool stands of pine were replaced by thickets of hickory and oak. Woodlands gave way to scrub, and savanna turned to desert. The more temperatures increased in a particular landscape, the more dramatic the ecological shifts. It's about to happen again, researchers report Thursday in the journal Science. A sweeping survey of global fossil and temperature records from the last 20,000 years suggests Earth's terrestrial ecosystems are at risk of another, even faster transformation unless aggressive action is taken against climate change.

Democracy Dies in Darkness     Environment Alert Aug 30, 2:01 PM     Climate change could render many of Earth's ecosystems unrecognizable Blurb: After the end of the last ice age — as sea levels rose, glaciers receded and global average temperatures soared as much as seven degrees Celsius — the Earth's ecosystems were utterly transformed. Forests grew up out of what was once barren, ice-covered ground. Dark, cool stands of pine were replaced by thickets of hickory and oak. Woodlands gave way to scrub, and savanna turned to desert. The more temperatures increased in a particular landscape, the more dramatic the ecological shifts. It's about to happen again, researchers report Thursday in the journal Science. A sweeping survey of global fossil and temperature records from the last 20,000 years suggests Earth's terrestrial ecosystems are at risk of another, even faster transformation unless aggressive action is taken against climate change. Read more » Advertisement You received this email because you signed up for news alerts from The Washington Post. Manage my newsletters and alerts | Unsubscribe Privacy Policy | Help ©2018 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071