Global Change Ecology: Understanding Earth System Resistance and Resilience

Our planet is experiencing unprecedented human-driven change. We change land cover, alter water and nutrient cycling, introduce non-native species, harvest natural resources, and change the global climate. Ecology and geography offer unique scientific perspective on how humans interact with and alter the Earth's major systems—the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere. Not only do cumulative local actions build to global-scale environmental issues, but global changes are felt in distant and disconnected local places. Our class explored the impacts of human-driven change on a variety of ecosystems; we explored unanticipated feedbacks, ecological tipping points, and future scenarios of change. We also considered how science-based conservation can offer solutions to improve ecological resistance and resilience. This suite of videos were produced by students at Penn State University in Dr. Jennifer Balch's GEOG 497 course. Happy viewing....