Climate Change in the Midwest

Impacts, Risks, Vulnerability, and Adaptation

Sara C. Pryor

• Publisher: Indiana University Press
• Year: 2013
• eBook ISBN:
  9780253007742
• Print ISBN:
  9780253006820

The research presented in this volume focuses on identifying and quantifying the major vulnerabilities to climate change in the Midwestern United States. By providing state-of-the-art spatially disaggregated information regarding the historical, current, and possible future climate within the region, the contributors assess the risks and susceptibility of the critical socio-economic and environmental systems. Key sectors discussed are agriculture, human health, water, energy and infrastructure, and the vulnerabilities that may be amplified under current climate trajectories. The book also considers the challenges and opportunities to develop local and regional strategies for addressing the risks posed by climate change in the context of developing an integrative policy for the region.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations and Acronyms
• 1. Climate Change Impacts, Risks, Vulnerability, and Adaptation: An Introduction
• 2. The Midwestern United States: Socioeconomic Context and Physical Climate
• 3. Vulnerability and Adaptability of Agricultural Systems in the Southeast United States to Climate Variability and Climate Change
• 4. Uncertainty and Hysteresis in Adapting to Global Climate Change
• 5. Climate-Agriculture Vulnerability Assessment for the Midwestern United States
• 6. Potential Future Impacts of Climate on Row Crop Production in the Great Lakes Region
• 7. Vulnerability of Soil Carbon Reservoirs in the Midwest to Climate Change
• 8. Michigan’s Tart Cherry Industry: Vulnerability to Climate Variability and Change
• 9. Climate Change Vulnerability and Impacts on Human Health
• 10. Intra-Urban Variations in Vulnerability Associated with Extreme Heat Events in Relationship to a Changing Climate
• 11. Historical and Projected Changes in Human Heat Stress in the Midwestern United States
• 12. Vulnerability of the Electricity and Water Sectors to Climate Change in the Midwest
• 13. The Drought Risk Management Paradigm in the Context of Climate Change
• 14. Local Adaptation to Changing Flood Vulnerability in the Midwest
• 15. The Response of Great Lakes Water Levels and Potential Impacts of Future Climate Scenarios
• 16. Vulnerability of the Energy System to Extreme Wind Speeds and Icing
• 17. Climate Change Impacts, Risks, Vulnerability, and Adaptation in the Midwestern United States: What Next?
• List of Contributors
• Index
• Color Plates