The Impacts of Climate Change on the Atlantic Flyway of North America

The Atlantic flyway spans 3000-miles from northern Canada to the Southern United States (Ducks Unlimited, 2019). Waterfowl including ducks, geese, and swans use the flyway to migrate south from northern breeding grounds during wintering months. Specifically, waterfowl that migrate through the Atlantic flyway rely on coastal wetlands, farm fields and timber areas for survival. In 1995, the United States took a formal approach to management and adopted an adaptive harvest management plan (Johnson, 1999). This management plan attempts to unify waterfowl harvest management across temporal, spatial, and bio-organizational scales (Johnson, 1999). It is estimated that twenty million birds are harvested annually and the United States total economic benefit from waterfowl is $11 billion (Johnson, 1999). 

Droughts during the summer months pose significant threats to crops and wetland ecosystems. The U.S. National Climate Change Assessment predicts a significant increase in the number of summer days over 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the Northeast (USGCRR, 2018). Therefore, as climate change progresses current crops in the Northeast are going to need to be switched with crops better suited for the heat. Wetlands need water to survive, so drought will only further damage wetland ecosystems. Increased flooding is also expected in North America as severe weather events increase with climate change (USGCRR 2018). Flooding damages aquatic and wetland ecosystems as they become overwhelmed with water and water quality decreases.

As a sea level rise destroys coastal wetlands and ecosystems, waterfowl will be exposed to these changes. Coastal ecosystems that were once fresh or brackish marsh will be replaced by intruding salt marsh or open water. Salt marsh is less diverse and does not hold many of the same food and nest sources for migrating waterfowl (Ducks Unlimited, 2019). The American Black Duck is extremely vulnerable as they rely on the sea grass beds for food and habitat while migrating and wintering on coastal waters (Ringelman, 2015). As seas level rise destroys many of these freshwater coastal wetlands, the competition between Black Ducks and Mallards may increase for those resources. Therefore, sea level rise induces unwarranted population stress on Black Ducks and Mallards as they compete for the limited remaining resources (Ringelman, 2015). In addition, sea level rise forces humans and waterfowl closer together as both relocate inland. As humans are forced to move inland, Ducks Unlimited anticipates significant waterfowl habitat destruction. Therefore, proactive planning by humans is going to be required to maintain high value inland ecosystems. As sea level rise increases, the vulnerable ecosystems in the Atlantic flyway become increasingly threated and destroyed. 

Based on the projections of rising air temperatures and reduced snow cover, delayed autumn-winter migration is expected for all species, with the least delays for the Northern Pintail and the greatest delays for the Mallard (Notaro, 2016). Dabbling ducks are likely to spend more time in the Northeast, which would impact existing wetlands through increased foraging pressure. Waterfowl use changes in temperature as key indicators for winter and spring migration (Reilly, 2017). The recent trend of longer winters and a late spring has delayed the Northward spring migration. The delayed return migration has had significant impacts on breeding for certain waterfowl species. Waterfowl such as Snow Geese, will fear to breed if they arrive at their Arctic tundra breeding grounds to late. There is a critical window of time in the summer that waterfowl use to breed in the Arctic (Notaro, 2016).

Parker Hall graduated with a bachelors degree from St. Lawrence University in 2019. He was a double major in Environmental Studies and Business in the Liberal Arts. On campus, he was the Treasurer of the St. Lawrence University Ducks Unlimited Club. He was responsible for helping to develop and orchestrate a Ducks Unlimited fundraising event in the North Country. The event goal was to raise more than $5000 for the Ducks Unlimited charity for waterfowl habitat conservation. This fundraising event educated and connected students and community members with the common goal of conservation. Post St. Lawrence University, Parker attended Rochester Institute of Technology to receive his Master's in Business Administration. He made this website for Professor Jon Rosales' Climate Change Adaptation class in spring 2019.