how and why our climate is changing in the hudson valley
TRANSCRIPT
How and why our climate is changing in the Hudson Valley
Covering Climate Change in the Classroom November 19, 2014
Libby Murphy
NYS Department of Environmental Conserva5on
Roadmap
• Hudson River Estuary Program
• Climate science basics
• Climate change in NY
• How changes will affect New Yorkers
• How to get involved
Hudson River Estuary Program Core Mission • Ensure clean water
• Protect and restore fish, wildlife, and their habitats
• Provide water recreation and river access
• Adapt to climate change
• Conserve world-famous scenery
Ladder of stewardship: engage, inform, empower
Basics of climate science
Climate is the longer-term average of our weather
• Variability and shifts are constant
• Global climate change presents varying
regional and local impacts
• “You dress for the weather and build a house
for the climate”
• “Climate is what you expect, weather is what
you get”
Our climate changes according to major earth system dynamics
• Milankovitch cycles
• Atmospheric composition
• Carbon Cycle
• Ocean-atmosphere interactions
• Feedbacks
The Milankovitch Cycles determine amount and distribution of incoming solar radiation
The composition of our atmosphere determines our ability to reflect and absorb solar radiation
We have detailed records of our atmosphere from ice cores going back 800,000 years
Recent trends: carbon dioxide and surface warming have been increasing rapidly since 1910
This warming trend is a result of an imbalance in our carbon cycle
Warmer temperatures change our ocean-atmosphere interactions and the distribution of our water cycle
Feedbacks can help to amplify or dissipate climate trends
Climate change in New York
New York is experiencing increasing temperatures, rising sea level and changing precipitation patterns
Our average annual temperature has risen faster than national and global averages
Since 1970:
• Global annual average temp. up nearly 1°F
• US annual average temp. up 1.8°F
• New York annual average temp. up nearly 2°F
• New York winter temperatures up almost 5°F
Our temperature could become similar to South Carolina by end of century
15” in NY Harbor in the past 150 years
Because the Hudson is an estuary it experiences tides and sea level rise
74% Increase in heavy downpours between 1950-1979 and 1980-2009
Precipitation is becoming more variable and extreme in New York
Climate change will affect New Yorkers in three major ways
Ø Heat waves
Ø Short-term drought
Ø Flooding
Heat waves will become more frequent and severe
We will experience more short-term droughts
Flooding will occur more frequently and severely
You can explore sea level rise along the Hudson using Scenic Hudson’s mapper
hNp://www.scenichudson.org/slr/mapper
What do we do?
We need to mitigate and adapt productively to our changing climate
• Climate mitigation = reducing the
magnitude of climate change
• Climate adaptation = reducing our vulnerability to climate change
Resilience
We need people of all ages to get involved
• We need many policy makers,
scientists, engineers,
entrepreneurs, and much more
• We need people involved in
local government
• We need people making smart
decisions day to day
Recap
• Our climate system is very complex
• Global climate change presents varying regional and local impacts
• The global average temperature causing rapid changes to our climate
• Our climate is changing more rapidly in NY
• We need to prepare for our climate risks
• You can help
Questions? Thank you. Libby Murphy Hudson River Estuary Program Phone: (845) 256-‐3016 Email: [email protected]
NYS Department of Environmental Conserva5on
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