Climate change is one of the most severe dangers for mankind worldwide. Beside the temperature increase, the sea level will rise and flood wide coastal areas, which is already remarkable today. The effects will be dramatic, in particular, at coasts with low elevation gradients such as at the German coasts of the North and Baltic Sea. The impact will be not only severe for coastal people, but still more for the unique coastal ecosystems, which harbors many plant and animal species that are already endangered today.

This book focuses on the coastal terrestrial ecosystems of the German North and Baltic Sea. It describes the reactions of plants and animals (i.e. spiders, carabid beetles, bees and nematodes) on the future temperature and sea level increase. The combination of field and experimental studies is unique for Europe and for many parts of the world. It not only studies the actual elevation gradients and the climatic and saline gradients fromWest to East, but also the historical changes to document processes at coastal ecosystems that were already passed. In contrast to many books that studied the marine processes with similar backgrounds, this book concerns the terrestrial coastal ecosystems that were overall rarely studied and, in particular, never studied under this specific viewpoint.

Focuses on coastal terrestrial ecosystems of the German North and Baltic Sea Describes the responses and adaptations of plants and animals on the future temperature and sea level increase Provides background and measures for coastal planning

Autorentext

Prof. Dietrich Mossakowski is retired Professor for Evolutionary Biology at the former Institute for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology of the University of Bremen, Germany. His scientific research focused on the morphology, phylogeny, and phylogeography of carabid beetles, and the ecology of raised bogs and salt marshes.
Prof. Ulrich Irmler is retired Professor of the Institute of Ecosystem Research at the University of Kiel, Germany. His research focused on soil biology, entomology, and nature conservation. He was involved in several research projects on the salt marshes of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein and the beaches of Schleswig-Holstein. Furthermore, his research interests included tropical ecology (Brazil), as well as forest, grassland, and organic farming ecology. 

Inhalt

Part I. Introduction and Description of Study Area .- Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. Climate Changes Along the German Coast.- Chapter 3. Coastal Landscapes of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.- Chapter 4. Geography and Study Sites.- Chapter 5. Climate and Weather Conditions Along the German Shores.- Chapter 6.- Inundation Regimes of the German Coasts and the Impact of the Rising Sea Level.- Chapter 7. The Surface Salinity of the North Sea and Baltic Sea Area.- Chapter 8. Soils.- Part II. Historical and Future Changes of the Dune and Salt Marsh Fauna .- Chapter 9. General Aspects of Coastal Vegetation at the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.- Chapter 10. Predicting Plant Distribution Shifts.- Chapter 11. General Aspects of Coastal Carabid Beetle and Spider Fauna at the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.- Chapter 12. Changes of the Fauna of Digger Wasps and Bees (Hymenoptera, Aculeata) of the North Frisian Island of Sylt Effects of Climate Change?.- Chapter 13. Historical Changes in the Carabid Beetle Fauna of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.- Chapter 14. Distribution of Spiders and Carabid Beetles Along a Geographical Gradient.- Chapter 15. Predicting Carabid Beetle Distribution Shifts.- Part III. Experimental Assessments of the Effects of Climate Change on Habitats and Their Organisms .- Chapter 16. Field Experiment: Effects of Increased Temperature on a Tidalic Fluvisol.- Chapter 17. Field Experiment: Effects of Microclimate Modification on Soil Organisms and Aggregate Formation in Dune Sand.- Chapter 18. Expected Vegetation Dynamics in Salt Marshes at the North Sea Coast Under Changed Inundation Conditions as an Effect of Climate Change.- Chapter 19. Effects of Sedimentation and Erosion on the Development of Vegetation.- Chapter 20. Tide Simulation Experiment.- Chapter 21. Storm Surges as Natural Experiments.- Part IV. De-Embankments and Its Effects on the Vegetation and Fauna .- Chapter 22. De-embankments at the North Sea and the Baltic Sea Coasts.- Chapter 23. Salt Marsh Restoration in a Summer Polder at the Wursten Coast.- Chapter 24. Estimated Future Effects of the Sea Level Rise Exemplified by the Wursten Coast.- Chapter 25. Restoration of Salt Meadows at the Baltic Sea Coast: The De-Embankment Experiment at Karrendorf Meadows.- Part V. Synthesis and Conclusions .- Chapter 26. Expert System: Plants.- Chapter 27. Expert System: Spiders and Carabid Beetles. Chapter 28. Consequences of Climate Change for Biota of the Coastal Salt Marshes and Dunes: Synthesis, Final Conclusions, and Ideas of Compensation.