" The report claims that the soft shell clam and oyster fisheries "have collapsed" and the commercial harvest of striped bass is now restricted to protect the survival of that species (Virginia Environment). In the last 30 years, according to the Executive Summary of the Arlington "Urban Forest Master Plan" (UFMP) Arlington County has lost "a significant amount of acreage with heavy tree cover"; this has had "a dramatic effect on the overall canopy coverage." Of the 16,500 acres of forests more than 3,000 acres have been "converted from heavy tree cover of over 50% to low tree cover of less than 20%" (UFMP).
How might global warming affect local ecosystems in and around Arlington? The rising level of the Atlantic Ocean is considered a major risk in terms of global warming. Already the rising waters have submerged several islands in the Chesapeake Bay. "The region's coastal habitats and the fish and wildlife that depend on them are at great risk," according to a report by the National Wildlife Federation (2008). Indeed, the Chesapeake Bay is among the most "vulnerable to sea-level rise" of all coastal regions in the U.S. As the sea levels rise coastal marshes become saltwater marshes; in fact over 161,000 acres of brackish marsh and 29,000 acres of tidal swamp would be created by a rise in the sea level of two feet; this would mean that over 167,000 acres of undeveloped dry land near to Arlington would be "lost or replaced with wetlands," the NWF explains. Meantime, "hundreds of species of fish, invertebrates, birds and other wildlife are at risk from sea-level rise in the bay.
Relative to other parts of the world would your local ecosystems be affected more or less? There is the possibility that the Arlington Virginia and surrounding areas could be greatly affected by Global Warming, perhaps more so than other regions...
Of course rising seas will affect all areas of the planet along coastlines, but Virginia's coastal area could be hit with more intense hurricanes that swerve up from the Caribbean past Florida and slam into east coast states.
Conclusion: Arlington and the surrounding areas have a
wealth of natural world wonders, including forests, rivers, open space, parks, and the wonderful Chesapeake Bay. While it is clear that many people in positions of
leadership are aware of the need to preserve natural resources, it's not clear that current preparations are adequate for the changes global warming will bring to this region. This is a challenge for Arlington, and indeed for the whole United States.
Works Cited
Natural Resources Management Plan. (2008). Natural Resource Conservation Areas. Retrieved March 8, 2011, from http://www.arlingtonva.us/departments/parksrecreation/documents/file76445.pdf.
National Wildlife Federation. (2008). Sea-Level Rise and Coastal Habitats of the Chesapeake
Bay: A Summary. Retrieved March 8, 2011, from http://www.nwf.org.
Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources. (2010). Fort C.F. Smith -- History. Retrieved March 7,
2011, from http://www.arlingtonva.us.
Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources. (2010). Trees. Retrieved March 7, 2011, from http://www.arlingtonva.us.
Tolbert, J.R. (2009). New Environment Virginia Report: Pollution Threatens Watermen, Not
Just
Water. Environment Virginia. Retrieved March 7, 2011, from http://www.environmentvirginia.org.
Urban Forest Master Plan. (2009). Department of Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources.
Retrieved March 8, 2011, from http://www.arlingtonva.us/departments/ParksRecreation/scripts/parks/UFMP_Final.pdf.
