Disturbances, such as extreme weather events, play a key role in shaping ecosystems. Under climate change, extreme weather hazards undergo changes in frequency, intensity and seasonality. While ecosystem-based adaptation and nature-based solutions are gaining traction, it is crucial to elucidate the diverse interactions between extreme weather risk, ecosystems, and their services.
This session seeks to highlight research on the nexus of extreme weather events and ecosystems. This includes: 1) investigations into the key attributes and patterns of extreme weather events which affect ecosystem composition, structure and functioning. 2) studies on how ecosystems respond to and recover from extreme weather events across past, present, and future climates are of interest. 3) Implications of extreme weather impacts on ecosystems for biodiversity and ecosystem service provision. We welcome a diverse array of contributions, including theoretical analyses, modeling approaches, field studies, experimental designs, and remote sensing analysis.
Key topics include:
- Ecosystem (terrestrial, coastal or marine) responses to extreme weather
- Role of extreme weather in shaping ecosystem composition, biodiversity, structure and functioning
- Vulnerability assessments of ecosystems
- Natural hazard risk to ecosystems in past, present and future climates
- Changes in ecosystems service provisions due to extreme weather events
- Resilience and recovery dynamics
- Impact and efficacy of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) under extreme conditions, risk of maladaptation or disservices
- Regime shift / tipping points in ecosystems due to extreme weather events
- Extreme weather disturbance regimes affecting ecosystems across time
- Identification of extreme weather risk hotspots
- Interactions of natural hazard and anthropogenic disturbances to ecosystems