Climate Change and Agriculture in the United States: Effects and Adaptation
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Climate Change and Agriculture in the United States: Effects and Adaptation USDA Technical Bulletin 1935 Climate Change and Agriculture in the United States: Effects and Adaptation This document may be cited as: Walthall, C.L., J. Hatfield, P. Backlund, L. Lengnick, E. Marshall, M. Walsh, S. Adkins, M. Aillery, E.A. Ainsworth, C. Ammann, C.J. Anderson, I. Bartomeus, L.H. Baumgard, F. Booker, B. Bradley, D.M. Blumenthal, J. Bunce, K. Burkey, S.M. Dabney, J.A. Delgado, J. Dukes, A. Funk, K. Garrett, M. Glenn, D.A. Grantz, D. Goodrich, S. Hu, R.C. Izaurralde, R.A.C. Jones, S-H. Kim, A.D.B. Leaky, K. Lewers, T.L. Mader, A. McClung, J. Morgan, D.J. Muth, M. Nearing, D.M. Oosterhuis, D. Ort, C. Parmesan, W.T. Pettigrew, W. Polley, R. Rader, C. Rice, M. Rivington, E. Rosskopf, W.A. Salas, L.E. Sollenberger, R. Srygley, C. Stöckle, E.S. Takle, D. Timlin, J.W. White, R. Winfree, L. Wright-Morton, L.H. Ziska. 2012. Climate Change and Agriculture in the United States: Effects and Adaptation. USDA Technical Bulletin 1935. Washington, DC. 186 pages. This document was produced as part of of a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research under USDA cooperative agreement 58-0111-6-005. NCAR’s primary sponsor is the National Science Foundation. Images courtesy of USDA and UCAR. This report is available on the Web at: http://www.usda.gov/oce/climate_change/effects.htm Printed copies may be purchased from the National Technical Information Service. Call 1-800- 553-NTIS (6847) or 703-605-6000, or visit http://www.ntis.gov. 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USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. ii Climate Change and Agriculture in the United States: Effects and Adaptation Table of Contents Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Key Messages ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Crop Response to Changing Climate .................................................................................................................................................... 3 Livestock Response to Changing Climate .......................................................................................................................................... 4 Effects of Climate Change on Soil and Water .................................................................................................................................... 4 Extreme Events ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 5 Adaptation ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 6 Research Needs ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Understanding Exposure ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Understanding Sensitivity ................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Enhancing Adaptive Capacity ............................................................................................................................................................ 8 Chapter 1: U.S. Agriculture and Climate ................................................................................................................................... 9 Report Goals and Scope .............................................................................................................................................................................. 9 Document Organization ...........................................................................................................................................................................10 Authors ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................10 Chapter 2: An Overview of U.S. Agriculture.........................................................................................................................11 Forces Affecting U.S. Agriculture ..........................................................................................................................................................12 Economic Factors and U.S. Agriculture .........................................................................................................................................12 Effects of Technology on U.S. Agriculture ....................................................................................................................................17 Climate Effects on U.S. Agriculture .................................................................................................................................................17 Agriculture: A Complex Social-Ecological System (SES) ............................................................................................................19 New Research for a Novel Challenge .............................................................................................................................................20 Chapter 3: An Overview of the Changing Climate .........................................................................................................23 Evidence of Changing Climate Across the Globe ..........................................................................................................................23 Projections of Future Global Climate .................................................................................................................................................24 Changing Climate Across the United States: The Last 100 Years ..........................................................................................24 Temperature ...........................................................................................................................................................................................26 Precipitation ............................................................................................................................................................................................27 Projections of Future U.S. Climate Change ......................................................................................................................................29 Temperature ...........................................................................................................................................................................................29 Precipitation ............................................................................................................................................................................................30 Extreme Conditions ..............................................................................................................................................................................31 Changes in Tropospheric Ozone .....................................................................................................................................................32 Conclusions .....................................................................................................................................................................................................33 iii Table of Contents Climate Change and Agriculture in the United States: Effects and Adaptation