Author Archives: Rishya N.

About Rishya N.

A Boston bird-nerd & ocean enthusiast dedicated to climate action. Mass Audubon's Climate Change Communications Manager.

The Message in our Forecasts

Posted on October 7, 2020 by Rishya N.

There are not-so-hidden messages in the weather and storm trends we’ve been seeing. What does it mean when our winters are shorter and milder or when we experience an increase in storm-induced flooding?

It means our climate is changing.

Flooding in Downtown Boston © Matt Beaton, Former Secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

Climate Versus Weather

While weather refers to short-term changes to the atmosphere, climate encompasses long-term trends and patterns – such as average temperatures. Climate change, therefore, is the lasting shift in long-term patterns because of the excess greenhouse gasses we release into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels.

Shifting Seasons

Massachusetts, along with the rest of the world, is gradually getting warmer on average, and rising temperatures affect the intensity and duration of our four seasons. Spring temperatures arrive sooner than they have before, hotter summers last much longer, and winters tend to be milder and shorter.

These shifts are evidenced by their impacts on the nature around us. You might have noticed your favorite buds and blossoms sprout earlier every year. Perhaps you’ve seen your favorite birds breed or migrate sooner. You might have even noticed a decline in populations facing new threats because of shifting seasons: like bees that missed early blossoms or moose that struggle under the now thriving winter tick.

Weather Weirding & Temperature Extremes

These weather-based impacts aren’t only about the gradual and consistent changes. They also comprise temperature snaps – sometimes referred to as “weather weirding.” Such snaps are characterized by abnormally cold (or hot) temperatures compared to what the average temperature should be: like a freezing cold day in the middle of spring, or an incredibly warm day towards the end of winter.

Dr. Greg Skomal, Senior Fisheries Scientist at the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, explained that it was most likely cold snaps that led four thresher sharks to strand in Wellfleet and Orleans in 2018 as they tried to move towards warmer waters at a much faster pace than normal.

Surges in Storms

As temperatures increase, so too does evaporation of moisture and water – so while our summers are getting really hot, they’re also getting really dry, which can lead to long summer droughts. But this extra-evaporating effect has a flip side. All the additional moisture gets sent into the atmosphere, which increases precipitation (rainfall, snow, sleet, or hail).

In tandem with sea level rise, we’re watching extreme weather events, storm surges, and significant flooding rise in frequency and intensity around us because of an increase in the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere and changes in sea-surface temperatures.

Nantasket Beach flooding during Hurricane Sandy © Jeff Cutler, Flickr.

Forecasting Hope

Whether you live on the coast, in the city, or amidst our region’s forests, weather and storms impact all of us and the nature around us. While something as intangible as atmospheric changes might seem near-impossible to tackle, we have good news: you can make a difference.

Here are some ways you can join us in fighting climate change to protect our world:

Look to nature for climate solutions.

Nature can be our first line of defense when it comes to buffering extreme storms and helping us, and the wildlife we love, adapt to climate change. Support one of our urgent, regional land projects to protect these important, natural climate allies.

Take a climate pledge to mitigate climate change.

Climate mitigation tackles the crisis at its roots: the greenhouse gasses we emit. Remember to challenge your friends, family, and community to take these pledges with you – we can make a difference when we work together.

Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter, Climate Connection.

Every month, we’ll send you updates on climate information, action, community solutions, and how you can have an impact.

You Asked, We Answered – Land, Hemlocks, and Climate Change

Posted on September 9, 2020 by Rishya N.

Last week, Olivia Barksdale, Mass Audubon’s Conservation Restriction Stewardship Specialist, journeyed into Rutland Brook wildlife sanctuary in Petersham to talk about land, hemlock trees, and climate change.

Photo © Clark University

An Overview of Hemlocks

Hemlock trees are evergreen conifers that are widely distributed across Massachusetts. They’re a long-lived tree, reaching up to 300-350 years old. You can find all sorts of critters thriving near hemlock trees, such as Red Efts (Eastern Newts in the middle stage, the “eft” stage, of their three-part life cycle) and Brook Trout.

Hemlock trees are our natural allies when it comes to adapting to impacts from climate change by buffering increasing storm events, providing shade from extreme heat, and even regulating water temperature and quality.

But these trees also need our help to combat the threats they face because of climate change. Eastern hemlocks are currently under attack by an invasive, sap sucking insect called the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid (HWA). Cold, hard winters typically lower the survival rates of HWAs, but climate change-induced milder winters are making more habitats suitable for these voracious bugs. The HWA can take down one ancient hemlock in as few as four years.

How can we Help?

By conserving land! Land conservation provides a wide array of services that help us, wildlife, and plants tackle the climate crisis. Protecting land preserves natural allies in our climate fight like hemlock trees, which not only help us adapt to climate impacts, but also mitigate climate change by soaking up excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. We need your help to maximize the climate impact of land conservation – join us in our collective climate fight by supporting one of our current, urgent land projects. You can make a difference.

Here were some questions we received about land, hemlocks, and climate change:

1. How will climate change impact the prevalence of different tree species in our forests?

As temperatures warm, trees can become stressed – which makes them more susceptible to pests that can now find suitable range where they normally wouldn’t. These threatened trees will degrade, which can consequently degrade wildlife habitats. We might also see a “change of guard” as a result, where tree species more tolerant and resilient to climate impacts will emerge or expand in the face of those that are more vulnerable.

2. What is being done to reduce populations of the HWA?

Some universities have looked into different pesticide applications that impact the wooly adelgid’s life cycle, targeting different stages. However, since pesticide use in forest settings or at the scale necessary isn’t the most feasible to tackle our HWA issue, looking at other strategies (like beetles that eat the HWA) will be important as we navigate how to maintain healthy hemlocks in our environments. In fact, Massachusetts has released at least two, Sasajiscymnus tsugae and Laricobius nigrinus (both beetles), to deal with HWAs.

3. How do I get into the land conservation field?

Olivia started her journey through the SCA, or the Student Conservation Association. They place students into internships around the country. Another way to get involved is through state programs, like the Department of Conservation and Recreation, or federal programs like the US Fish and Wildlife Service or US Forest Service. Another way is the Conservation Corps which does fieldwork across the country.

Tune in Next Time

If you didn’t have time to submit your questions, you can ask away in the comments below. We’ll be back the first Friday of every month for Climate Action Instagram AMAs. Visit our Instagram Story in October to learn more and submit your questions for the next round.

In the meantime, if you’re looking for more ways to ask questions, talk about, and learn about climate change, register for our climate café Climate, Community, and Connection on September 29, 5:30-6:30 pm. You can also attend the Climate Change and Human Health virtual webinar  on September 24, 7:00-8:30 pm via the Discovery Museum, where we’ll join Dr. Jay Lemery of the University of Colorado to talk about climate change’s public health impacts.