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 Conservation

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

Heat waves

Short-term drought

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

http://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 MurphyHudson River Estuary ProgramPhone: (845) 256-3016Email: Elizabeth.murphy@dec.ny.gov

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

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