GUIDING GLOUCESTER
Climate vs Weather
In order to understand climate change, we first need to understand the difference between climate and weather. Weather is used to describe short term conditions (minutes, hours or days) in the atmosphere. We check the weather if we want to know how cold it will be tonight in our town. Climate, however, is a long term, large scale average that is created after combining several years of weather data. If we want to know what Australia is generally like is like in November we are actually looking for climate information. When scientists talk about climate change, they are referring to the pattern of continually warmer-than-average years across the world. Any single day can be above or below expected temperatures, but overall the average number of days warmer than expected is increasing.
Climate Change
In the last 140 years, global temperatures have risen 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit above the mid 1900's baseline average. While 1.8 degrees may not seem significant it is important to remember that the planet, like our human bodies, is a complex systems with lots of moving parts. If our bodies were 1.8 degrees above average, we would have a fever of 100.4 degrees. When we have a fever, our bodies do not behave the same way they usually do. The planet has remained relatively the same temperature for thousands of years and the civilizations we have created are highly dependent on the climates they were created in.
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Climate change is caused by the rapid release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere since the industrial revolution. Green house gases trap the heat from the sun inside Earth's atmosphere instead of letting it escape back into space. Carbon dioxide, a major driver of climate change, has increased in the atmosphere due to the human use of fossil fuels. When we burn carbon based fuels, like coal, oil or natural gas, carbon that was previously trapped in the ground is released back in the air. One of the only ways to get CO2 out of the atmosphere again is through photosynthesis, when plants or algae are able to draw it back into biological systems. It will take millions of years for organic carbon to be converted back into a new supply of fossil fuels (hence the name fossil fuels).
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As we said before, the Earth is a complex system with many moving parts which include several important cycles such as the water cycle, nitrogen cycle, carbon cycle, and even El Nino and La Nina years. Geologists and astronomers have also studied the long term cycles that the Earth goes through due to slight changes to its rotation around the sun. These massive cycles are responsible for periods the ice ages in our planets history. According to these cycles, the Earth's temperature should be steadily cooling over the next several centuries. While no cycles can be identified as the cause of the gradual warming we have observed for decades, there are cases where cycles will create worse conditions for those already at risk from climate change.
Climate Change in Gloucester
Climate change affects every region of the world differently. In Gloucester, we can see changes all around us. Have you noticed difference in nature's timing? Maybe the trees in your backyard lose their leaves later in the year and get new ones earlier, migratory birds coming earlier or later in the season than usual, more fish and oyster spawns in a season? As the climate continues warming these differences will become more and more prominent in our community. These may seem like small changes, however, ecology tells us that the connections between plants, insects, animals, and migrations are very important to our ecosystems and the recreation that comes with them. It is important that as active citizens and nature enthusiasts that we pay attention to our beloved natural spaces and monitor their health as well as our own.
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Some changes are not as visible to the naked eye, such as sea level rise. With over 500 miles of coastline in Gloucester County, we are at risk for major impacts from sea level rise.
Sea Level Rise
Like climate change, sea level rise is also different on local and global scales. In the Chesapeake Bay, we are expected to experience significant sea level rise due to a combination of global sea level rise as well as local geology issues such as sinking land, or subsidence. As sea level rises, erosion rates will continue to increase with them. In the Gloucester County Natural Resource Comprehensive plan, maps developed with models from the Army Corps of Engineers predict up to 7.5 feet sea level rise for Gloucester County (pictured above). Another great tool for showing sea level rise affects in Gloucester is the NOAA Sea level rise viewer. Explore their interactive maps and see for yourself. My elementary school, Achilles Elementary School, will be surrounded by water if we hit the 6ft projections.
NOAA Sea level Rise Viewer: Water level at Gloucester Point Beach parking lot after 3 ft sea level rise. The Army Corps of Engineers predicts up to 7.5 ft increase for Gloucester County.
Don't forget:
We are a strong, historic community that has overcome challenges in the past and we have the information we need to start protecting our home!
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"I cannot do all the good the world needs, but the world needs all the good I can do."
- Jana Stanfield