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Climate Change and Florida's National Parks

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Climate Change and Florida's National Parks Climate Change and Florida’s National Parks Florida is among the most climate change-threatened states in the United States. Florida’s treasured national parks—spanning the Greater Everglades ecosystem northward into Gulf Islands National Seashore and beyond—are being impacted by our changing climate. Climate change is the greatest threat science-based policies that enhance the Florida’s economy. NPCA’s Sun Coast America’s national parks have ever faced. resilience of our incredible system of region is systematically assessing, through Nearly everything we know and love about national parks. With Florida’s low elevation, research and analysis, the most serious the parks—their plants and animals, rivers national park sites in the state are especially climate impacts threatening national and lakes, beaches, historic structures, susceptible to the threats associated with park landscapes. This regional climate and more—is already under stress from climate change. Sea level rise, changing dispatch thus serves a twofold purpose: to our changing climate. As America’s ocean conditions, and shifting weather shine a light on climate case studies across leading voice for our national parks, patterns are impacting our landscapes. iconic Floridian places, and to share what National Parks Conservation Association All of these climate impacts converge to NPCA’s Sun Coast team is doing to help (NPCA) is at the forefront of efforts to present unprecedented challenges to park address and adapt to climate threats to address climate impacts and promote management, preservation, tourism, and our treasured national park ecosystems. Above: Florida Bay in Everglades National Park ©South Florida Water Management District NATIONAL PARK Rising Sea Levels Threaten THREAT Biodiversity & Cultural Resources While all national park units in Florida Importance, Everglades National Park are threatened by sea level rise, some protects an abundance of biodiversity parks are more vulnerable than others. and subtropical wilderness habitat. Dry Tortugas National Park, located 70 Unfortunately, Everglades National Park is miles west of Key West, is perhaps the also one of the most vulnerable national most endangered national park in the park parks to the impacts of sea level rise, system and at risk of being completely which threaten the park’s landscape and submerged by rising seas. While many of biodiversity. The Everglades’ relatively flat Dry Tortugas’ treasures are underwater, landscape makes it especially vulnerable including abundant fish, sea turtles, and to saltwater overrunning its marshes, Many of these species have evolved to colorful coral reefs, the park also protects prairies, forests, bays, estuaries and tidal adapt to specific fresh- or brackish- water Fort Jefferson, which was built to protect flats. Everglades National Park protects environments and hydrological conditions one of the most strategic deepwater 183 state-listed rare plant species present across our diverse Everglades anchorages in North America. The fort (including at least fourteen endemics), and wetlands and uplands, and thus may be allowed the United States to maintain an numerous regionally rare species that are impacted or displaced by species that can important post for ships patrolling the likely to be affected by sea level rise.5 tolerate climate-altered conditions. Gulf of Mexico and the Straits of Florida.1 Already threatened by inundation, Fort Jefferson and the seven small islands in Dry Tortugas National Park are just above sea level, with some areas below sea level rise projections. While marine resources will remain if the park becomes submerged, historical treasures and critical bird and sea turtle nesting habitat are at risk of disappearing. For example, the island of Bush Key in Dry Tortugas is home to about 80,000 sooty terns and is the only nesting colony of sooty terns in North America.2 The island is only about two feet above sea level, and a projection from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts sea level rise of 40 inches in Southeast Florida and the Florida Keys by 2070.3 As our country’s third largest national park (of the lower 48 states) and Top: Nesting habitat for the sooty tern at Dry Tortugas National Park is threatened by sea level rise designated International Biosphere ©National Park Service Above: Fort San Felipe Del Morro in San Juan National Historic Site is an Reserve, World Heritage Site, and historic structure that is susceptible to climate impacts ©Serge Yatunin | iStock Ramsar Wetland of International NATIONAL Changing Ocean Conditions PARK THREAT Endanger Coral Reefs Located just outside of Miami, one of the have access to. The park protects part of While oceans naturally serve as carbon largest metropolitan areas in the nation, the third largest barrier reef tract in the sinks, increasing concentrations of Biscayne National Park is the largest world and some of the only living reef in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere marine park in the National Park System. the continental United States. Biscayne is caused by human activities have dramat- It is a national treasure and provides filled with marine life that are struggling ically increased the amount of carbon visitors with a unique underwater marine to thrive as ocean conditions fluctuate being absorbed by oceans, causing ocean world that they might never otherwise because of the climate crisis. acidification. The uptake of carbon by the 2020 CLIMATE CHANGE AND FLORIDA’S NATIONAL PARKS oceans from the atmosphere lowers the pH of the ocean, making it more acidic. Ocean acidification compromises corals’ ability to absorb the calcium carbonate they need to support their stony skeletons It is projected that by 2030, and leads to weakened and dissolving 60% of all coral reefs are reef structures. Our oceans are also warming, with excess atmospheric heat expected to be highly or caused by increased carbon in the critically threatened. atmosphere leading to rising ocean temperatures. When ocean and air temperatures increase, ice caps across the world melt and a perpetuated cycle Left: Coral bleaching may become more common as climate change impacts intensify ©Nikold of melting and warming allow for ocean Ordway | Florida Department of Environmental Protection Above: Changing ocean conditions may temperatures to rise further as there are cause further harm to coral reefs in Biscayne National Park ©Durden Images | Istock fewer bright surfaces reflecting solar energy. Steadily rising ocean temperatures Coral reefs in Biscayne National Park out the world, it is projected that by 2030, have caused widespread coral bleaching have been ravaged in recent years by a 60% of all coral reefs are expected to be events in recent years. Bleaching occurs number of factors, including massive highly or critically threatened, and 98% when corals get stressed by high water bleaching events and coral disease. of coral reefs will be exposed to potentially temperatures, expelling the photosynthetic Currently, more than 20 of approximately fatal conditions every year.6 Diseased and algae that reside in them and give corals 45 species of corals in Florida have been dying corals are less effective at providing their color. If the stress causing bleaching affected. Changing ocean conditions key ecosystem services, such as buffering episodes isn’t severe and corals are brought on by climate change harm the wave energy, promoting storm resilience, generally healthy, they can potentially health of corals and make them more and serving as vital habitats for many recover. However, bleaching events often susceptible to disease. At the present rate marine species, including some listed as lead to widespread coral mortality. of bleaching events taking place through- critically endangered. NATIONAL PARK Shifting Weather Intensifies THREAT Storms & Alters Ecosystems Climate change is creating conditions that allow for storms to become stronger. Increasing sea surface temperatures and the moisture-holding capacity of the air lead to more powerful tropical storms and hurricanes.7 Storm surge, sea level rise, and heavy rainfall not only move water further inland but also prolong flooding and increase erosion. Built Above: Wetland habitat at Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve in Jacksonville, Florida structures and lands that preserve ©National Park Service cultural and historical heritage through- out Florida’s national parks are highly subsidence and erosion resulting from sea unevenly distributed, there are periods threatened by extreme weather events. level rise and increasing storm intensity. of time throughout the year where there In Timucuan Ecological and Historic is a heightened risk of drought and Preserve in Jacksonville, the historic Fort The climate crisis is also expected to bring wildfire. Rainfall totals from future climate Caroline National Memorial and Ribault changes to overall precipitation patterns. change and emission scenario models Monument are both threatened by Since annual rainfall in Florida is already illustrate how prolonged dry and wet 2020 CLIMATE CHANGE AND FLORIDA’S NATIONAL PARKS periods vary in future projections. It has of the largest rainfall deficits in the been difficult to determine whether state.10 The Big Cypress depends on the future rainfall amounts will increase or seasonal flow of freshwater. During the decrease in Florida as climate change wet season, about 90 percent of the progresses.8 However, the state is projected preserve is inundated, while
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