a.    Current Extent

Climate change is a global issue. Whilst effects are likely to differ on a global scale, locally they will effectively be uniform.

b.    Mechanism for effect on the feature

Climate change occurs naturally, but in recent years it has become clear that human activities also have the potential to modify the earth’s climate. Recently studied effects have included:

• Global warming, through an increase in ‘greenhouse gas’ emissions such as carbon dioxide and methane,

• Increased ultraviolet light exposure, resulting from reductions in stratospheric ozone due to break down by Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

Environmental conditions are major factors in determining where flora and fauna are able to successfully live. Changes to these fundamental influences can result in significant changes to the health and distribution of marine flora and fauna.The types of changes that climate change could cause in the UK are reasonably well predicted, but the rate and extent of the impacts are uncertain.For the bottlenose dolphins and their habitat, changes to the following are likely to be most important:

i.     ultraviolet light exposure

ii.    sea temperature

iii.   currents

iv.   sea level

v.    turbidity

vi.   sediment transport

vii.  wave exposure

viii. frequency and intensity of extreme climatic conditions

Some examples of potential effects are:

The movement of species and community distribution northwards as sea temperatures increase.

Species preferring warm waters are able to exploit new habitat further north; species preferring colder waters can no longer live there and their southerly distribution is reduced.

This could result in changes to the dolphins ecological unit which may result in a detrimental or beneficial impact on the dolphins.There may be an increase in invasion and spread of non-native species from warmer latitudes as temperatures here become more favourable.

See ‘Non-Native Marine Species ’.An increase in extreme climatic conditions such as storms, floods and droughts may result in increased intensity of periodic pollution and water turbidity. Flood events, particularly following drought, may result in increased flushing of topsoil and surface pollutants into the sea.

Increased storm events and coastal erosion and flood may result in increased coastal pollution through damage to urban and commercial areas.Further, more detailed, information on the potential effects of altering natural processes can be found in ‘Natural factors ’.

c.    Management Response

i.   Rationale

Anthropogenic changes to climatic conditions may result in changes to a variety of ecological and environmental processes. The potential effects of these are hard to quantify and they may be positive or negative.

In general however it would be reasonable to deduce that alterations to the natural processes on which the bottlenose dolphins or their ecological unit depend would likely result in a change to one or both. Managing the impacts of anthropogenic climate change on the bottlenose dolphin population is not within the capabilities of the site’s relevant and competent authorities. Nevertheless, such changes may be a significant factor affecting the feature, and these authorities should contribute accordingly to helping reduce climate change and take account of its potential effects when managing the site.

ii.  Type of Response

F4 : There is a known mechanism for the activity to have an effect, but insufficient evidence at present to determine whether or not it is having a significant adverse effect.

F6 : The factor is considered to have (the potential) to have a significant effect on the feature, but it is entirely outside any local management control

iii.  Actions including links to other policies/plans/measures

• Maintain ‘watching brief’ surveillance of climate change through occasional liaison with relevant research institutions.

• Encourage and support policies which will reduce anthropogenically derived climate change.