FIELD ECOLOGY JOURNAL the college school
Meteorology Weather and Climate Impact on North Carolina Weather affects ecology in many ways. It can affect animals’ living conditions based on rainfall. For example, high winds can carry seeds into different environments, which will expand the population of that type of seed. It determines how researchers are able to collect data. The weather ultimately controls every other aspect of ecology from animal and plant life to the ability to even research in the study sites. For example in North Carolina, Researchers have studied the extreme weather conditions and noticed an increase in extreme weather events, (Ballard, 2019). This can affect the ecology of the location of the event by creating potential invasive species, change in water quality, and irreparable damage from high winds to name a few. For example in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina, after 3 major hurricanes hit, researchers noticed a change in the carbon and nitrogen concentration in the water affecting the aquatic ecology, (Paerl, 2001). Finally, something as small as a 1 degree temperature change can affect the ecology of a location. In North Carolina, NOAA found that the mean average temperature has changed by 1 degree in the state, (Frankson, 2017). At this point in time, there is no clear research to show how this has affected the ecology of North Carolina. In conclusion, weather has the ability to control every part of ecology; without proper weather conditions, animal life, plant life, researcher’s abilities, and geology are all changed. Frankson, R., K. Kunkel, L. Stevens, D. Easterling, W. Sweet, A. Wootten, and R. Boyles, 2017: North Carolina State Climate Summary. NOAA Technical Report NESDIS 149-NC, May 2019 Revision, 4 pp. Paerl, Hans W., et al. “Ecosystem Impacts of Three Sequential Hurricanes (Dennis, Floyd, and Irene) on the United States' Largest Lagoonal Estuary, Pamlico Sound, NC.” PNAS, National Academy of Sciences, 8 May 2001, www.pnas.org/content/98/10/5655. Ballard, Allison. “Environment Still Recovering from Hurricane Florence.” Wilmington Star News, Wilmington Star News, 12 Sept. 2019, www.starnewsonline.com/news/20190912/ environment-still-recovering-from-hurricane-florence. US Department of Commerce, and Noaa. “Historical Hurricane Florence, September 12-15, 2018.” National Weather Service, NOAA's National Weather Service, 10 Jan. 2019, www. weather.gov/mhx/Florence2018. 32
