Climate-Smart Tools to Protect California’s Freshwater Biodiversity, Technical Appendix

Conceptual Model for Climate Effects on Aquatic Ecosystems and Native Biodiversity An essential first step in the development of a climate adaptation plan for freshwater biota in California is to identify vulnerabilities to climate change. [...] To help guide the development of tools and strategies for adaptation to climate change, we present a simple conceptual model that highlights the major climate vulnerabilities in California’s freshwater ecosystems (Figure A1). [...] ORG/WATER Technical Appendix Climate-Smart Tools to Protect California’s Freshwater Biodiversity 3 FIGURE A1 Cascading effects of climate change on California’s ecosystems NOTES: The upper tier shows the three major categories of climate effects, and the lower tiers represent the corresponding ecosystem effects on habitats and species. [...] Synthesis of data and studies related to the effect of climate change on the ecosystems and biota of the Upper San Francisco Estuary Year 2022. [...] We vetted and refined these management options through multiple workshops and interviews with scientific and technical experts and other stakeholders and reviewed multiple climate adaptation plans to expand the list of options (Appendix C below).