Climate indicators for Italy: calculation and dissemination

Desiato, F.; Fioravanti, Guido; Fraschetti, P.; Perconti, Walter; Toreti, Andrea

doi:10.5194/asr-6-147-2011

Cited by 39 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…The area is homogeneous in terms of climate (mean temperature 15·9 °C, mean annual precipitation 512 mm; Desiato et al . ), coastal dune ecosystems (moderate height and simple dune structure; Acosta, Carranza & Izzi ) and potential threats (e.g. coastal erosion and tourism).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal changes in the vegetation of Italian coastal dunes: identifying winners and losers through the lens of functional traits

Prisco

Carboni

Jucker

et al. 2016

Journal of Applied Ecology

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1. Plant communities of coastal dunes are highly biodiverse and greatly valued for the services they provide, yet they are also threatened by global change and are often neglected in conservation planning. To determine the long-term effectiveness of conservation actions on Mediterranean coastal dunes, here we focus on Italy's coastline and (i) assess how the vegetation cover of the major psammophilous habitats and species has changed since the 1960s, (ii) identify which ecological strategies have been most successful in the face of global change and (iii) evaluate the efficacy of the protected areas network for safeguarding plant communities of coastal dunes. 2. We compiled 2583 geo-located vegetation relev es spanning over half a century and covering the entire length of Italy's sandy coastline. Using this data base, we developed statistical models to test whether the vegetation cover of both individual species and habitats has changed over time. We then tested whether species-level changes in vegetation cover through time could be explained by species' functional traits and ecological strategy. Finally, we assessed the efficacy of current conservation measures by exploring how vegetation cover responded following the expansion of the protected areas network. 3. Our results indicate that, where protected, plant communities have generally increased in vegetation cover in recent years. The strongest increase in cover occurred in the wooded dune habitats, where late-successional, tall-growing and large-seeded species show the clearest signs of recovery. However, this has come in part at the expense of dune grasslands, which thrive under natural disturbance and have declined since the 1960s. The Natura 2000 network seems to have played a central role in this recovery process, as the cumulative coastal land area under protection has tripled since the network was first established. 4. Synthesis and applications. Our results suggest that protected areas can play an important role in safeguarding coastal dune plant communities against land-use transformations. In this context, functional traits can be a powerful tool in guiding conservation planning, helping to identify groups of species most at risk of population declines. Nonetheless, future conservation interventions need to be mindful to ensure that the natural disturbance regime of dune ecosystems is not disrupted.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal changes in the vegetation of Italian coastal dunes: identifying winners and losers through the lens of functional traits

Prisco

Carboni

Jucker

et al. 2016

Journal of Applied Ecology

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“…On the basis of the SCIA climatic database ( Desiato et al . 2006 , 2007 , 2011 ), which includes climatic data from specific stations, we analysed the variation in temperature and precipitation in the study area (Termoli station) over the last 60 years. In particular, we evaluated changes in yearly time series of mean temperature and annual precipitation from 1950 up to present using a general linear model (R statistical software, R Core Team 2014 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in plant species composition of coastal dune habitats over a 20-year period

et al. 2015

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Coastal sandy ecosystems are increasingly being threatened by human pressure, causing loss of biodiversity and habitat degradation. Using phytosociological relevés we conducted a re-visitation study in order to analyse changes in floristic composition during the last twenty years along the central Adriatic coast. We observed a significant increase in cover of fore dune and thermophilic species. Even though human activities are major driving forces of change in coastal dune vegetation, the species' cover increase may also be due to a moderate increment in average yearly temperature over the last two decades.

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“…A first set of quality controls is put into effect by each data source in order to detect erroneous raw values. In addition, data are controlled every year through a set of systematical routines when national climatic data are stored into the database of SCIA, the "National System for the Collection, Elaboration and Diffusion of Climatological Data" (Desiato et al 2007(Desiato et al , 2011www.scia.isprambiente. it).…”

Section: Input Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent changes of temperature extremes over Italy: an index-based analysis

Fioravanti

Piervitali

Desiato

2015

Theor Appl Climatol

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The assessment of climate change impacts requires updated estimates of the tendencies in temperature extremes. With the objective of studying recent variations in frequency and intensity of temperature extremes over Italy, a collection of daily minimum and maximum temperature time series was selected for the calculation of a set of indices recommended by the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI). The trend of each index was investigated through a non-parametric statistical analysis over the last half-century , and its spatial variability was illustrated through trend maps. Mean national-scale trends were also assessed at annual and seasonal level. The results show that mean annual series exhibit a general warming tendency from 1961 to 2011, with significant trends for summer days, tropical nights, heat waves, and percentile-based indices at most stations, with warming trends more pronounced in summer and spring and weaker in winter and autumn. As a changepoint was identified in 1977 for the minimum (T min ) and maximum temperature (T max ) Italian annual series, the trend analysis was also performed for the two sub-periods 1961-1977 and 1978-2011. Non-significant "cooling" trends characterize the sub-period 1961-1977, while significant "warming" trends were identified over the period 1978-2011. This study updates previous research in the extent of time series, in the number of indices and in the approach followed for their analysis, providing useful information for evaluating the impacts of temperature extremes in the context of a changing climate in Italy.

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Climate indicators for Italy: calculation and dissemination

Cited by 39 publications

References 7 publications

Temporal changes in the vegetation of Italian coastal dunes: identifying winners and losers through the lens of functional traits

Temporal changes in the vegetation of Italian coastal dunes: identifying winners and losers through the lens of functional traits

Changes in plant species composition of coastal dune habitats over a 20-year period

Recent changes of temperature extremes over Italy: an index-based analysis

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