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NZ Ecosystems Climate Impact

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NZ Ecosystems Climate Impact

Read the briefing and use its evidence to investigate how climate change can affect connected ecosystems. Give reasons for your conclusions; several questions allow more than one defensible answer.

Briefing: Te Rimu Estuary

Te Rimu Estuary is a fictional place on the east coast of Aotearoa New Zealand. Its saltmarsh and wetland plants shelter young fish and wading birds. Nearby, a rocky shore supports kelp, which provides food and habitat. Scientists expect climate change to bring warmer air and seas, rising sea levels, and shifts in rainfall. The exact effects depend on local geography and how quickly species can respond. A team monitoring the estuary recorded these observations. They are clues for reasoning, not proof that climate change caused every change: • Mean summer sea temperature rose from 16°C to 17°C over 20 years. • A prolonged dry spell lowered stream flow and left some wetland pools smaller. • During a high tide, seawater reached further into the saltmarsh than it did in earlier surveys. • Some native plants and animals may be able to move or adjust; others have limited suitable habitat or reproduce slowly.

1.Which statement best distinguishes weather from climate? Choose one.

Weather is the long-term average; climate is today's conditions.
Weather describes short-term atmospheric conditions; climate describes patterns measured over many years.
Weather and climate mean exactly the same thing.
Climate only describes temperature, not rainfall or wind.

2.The sea-temperature record is a 1°C rise across 20 years. Calculate the mean rise per decade, assuming the change was steady. State why this calculation alone cannot prove climate change caused a particular species decline.

3.Build a cause-and-effect chain for the dry spell: connect changed rainfall to a possible effect on wetland wildlife. Include at least two links and use cautious language such as “could” or “may”.

4.Match each climate pressure to the most direct possible ecosystem effect.

A. Rising sea level
B. Warmer seas
C. Longer dry spells
D. Warmer air

2. Conditions for kelp growth and marine food webs may change.
4. Some species may shift their range or seasonal activity.
3. Wetland pools and freshwater flows may shrink.
1. Saltwater may reach further into coastal habitats.

5.A student says, “The saltwater reached further inland once, so sea-level rise definitely caused it.” Is this conclusion supported? Explain what additional evidence would help.

6.True or false? If a species can move to a cooler or wetter place, climate change cannot affect it.

TrueFalse

7.Complete the idea: When a habitat becomes warmer or drier, a species may , , or decline if it cannot tolerate the new conditions.

8.Explain one way warmer seas could affect a kelp ecosystem, then identify one piece of evidence scientists should collect before deciding whether this is happening at Te Rimu.

9.The estuary team can fund one first action: (A) protect and restore connected wetland habitat, or (B) remove every non-native species immediately. Choose the more evidence-based first action and justify it. You may note a limitation or explain when the other action could be useful.

10.In 3–4 sentences, propose a monitoring plan for Te Rimu that could help distinguish a long-term climate-related change from ordinary year-to-year variation. Name at least two things to measure and explain why repeated observations matter.