impacts on crops include tree and vine damage,
loss of yield, reduced quality of final products,
and greater input requirements [60].
While dry spells can be damaging in the short
term to many plant species, heat stress more
severely affects crops than dry spells in the short
term. Warming and drying of soil in extreme heat
can adversely affect soil, and root damage can also
occur in warm soils [53].
When considering livestock, extreme heat
events have been observed to result in both livestock deaths and lower fertility rates [60]. Livestock also require increased inputs (such as
water), and in the dairy industry, lower yields
have been observed during heatwaves [60].
Figure 6 describes the impacts of heatwaves
upon the agriculture sector (with included external
driver, stemming from impacts upon another
sector).
Natural Environments
Easterling et al. [63] summarize a variety of different environmental and biological processes
which can occur rapidly at particular thresholds
for temperature, with extreme temperature events
suggested to be drivers of ecological response by
Parmesan et al. [64]. In the wild, species are often
able to adjust to temperature changes; however,
there is a tipping point at which species cannot
adjust anymore, and species will begin to die
[60]. Many examples of this can be seen in the
wild, such as large losses to salmon populations in
Canada due to heat stroke [64]. Waterbodies
exposed to heat can rise in temperature, leading
to anaerobic conditions at the bottom of the lake
floor and a drop in dissolved oxygen (DO). Without adequate volumes of DO, fish respiration
decreases [53].
It is not just the deaths of wildlife that increase
in heatwaves. Continued high temperatures may
lead to poleward shifts in ecosystem distributions,
constrained animal ranges, and altered gender distributions and physiological characteristics
[53]. According to Parmesan et al. [64], for
many reptile species, “an individual’s sex is determined by the maximum temperature experienced
TRANSPORT
Road
Damage
Rail Damage
Delays and Economic
Losses
Power
Failure
Measuring Heatwaves
and Their Impacts,
Fig. 5 Transport impact
diagram. Heatwave impacts
and interdependencies upon
the transport sector
AGRICULTURE
Reduced
Harvest
Livestock
Deaths
Reduced
Water
Measuring Heatwaves
and Their Impacts,
Fig. 6 Agriculture impact
diagram. Heatwave impacts
and interdependencies upon
the agriculture sector
Measuring Heatwaves and Their Impacts
467
loss of yield, reduced quality of final products,
and greater input requirements [60].
While dry spells can be damaging in the short
term to many plant species, heat stress more
severely affects crops than dry spells in the short
term. Warming and drying of soil in extreme heat
can adversely affect soil, and root damage can also
occur in warm soils [53].
When considering livestock, extreme heat
events have been observed to result in both livestock deaths and lower fertility rates [60]. Livestock also require increased inputs (such as
water), and in the dairy industry, lower yields
have been observed during heatwaves [60].
Figure 6 describes the impacts of heatwaves
upon the agriculture sector (with included external
driver, stemming from impacts upon another
sector).
Natural Environments
Easterling et al. [63] summarize a variety of different environmental and biological processes
which can occur rapidly at particular thresholds
for temperature, with extreme temperature events
suggested to be drivers of ecological response by
Parmesan et al. [64]. In the wild, species are often
able to adjust to temperature changes; however,
there is a tipping point at which species cannot
adjust anymore, and species will begin to die
[60]. Many examples of this can be seen in the
wild, such as large losses to salmon populations in
Canada due to heat stroke [64]. Waterbodies
exposed to heat can rise in temperature, leading
to anaerobic conditions at the bottom of the lake
floor and a drop in dissolved oxygen (DO). Without adequate volumes of DO, fish respiration
decreases [53].
It is not just the deaths of wildlife that increase
in heatwaves. Continued high temperatures may
lead to poleward shifts in ecosystem distributions,
constrained animal ranges, and altered gender distributions and physiological characteristics
[53]. According to Parmesan et al. [64], for
many reptile species, “an individual’s sex is determined by the maximum temperature experienced
TRANSPORT
Road
Damage
Rail Damage
Delays and Economic
Losses
Power
Failure
Measuring Heatwaves
and Their Impacts,
Fig. 5 Transport impact
diagram. Heatwave impacts
and interdependencies upon
the transport sector
AGRICULTURE
Reduced
Harvest
Livestock
Deaths
Reduced
Water
Measuring Heatwaves
and Their Impacts,
Fig. 6 Agriculture impact
diagram. Heatwave impacts
and interdependencies upon
the agriculture sector
Measuring Heatwaves and Their Impacts
467