July

News In July 2015

In this Coastal Review Online article, RCI affiliates Bob Kopp and Benjamin Horton discusses their new study that finds climate change will increase the frequency of flooding in coastal North Carolina.

RCI affiliate David Robinson discusses the role Rutgers may play in a proposed storm resilience center that could help communities cope with future storms and educate the public. Read more about it in this nj1015.com article and this app.com article

RCI affiliate Benjamin Horton is interviewed about climate change and warming oceans in this mprnews.org story audio.

The Northeast Regional Climate Hub released earlier this summer an assessment of climate change vulnerability and adaptation and mitigation strategies. This vulnerability assessment reviews present knowledge of agricultural and forest susceptibility to climate variability in the Northeast and will serve as a guide to focus future adaptation work. Read it here.

The State of the Climate in 2014 has been released as a special supplement to the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.  It is an international, peer-reviewed publication released annually, the National Climatic  Data Center serves as the lead editors and it is based on contributions from hundreds of scientists throughout the world. RCI Affiliate David Robinson was a contributing author to this report. The report shows patterns, changes, and trends of the global climate system. The report confirms that 2014 was the Earth’s warmest year on record. Read the report here.

RCI affiliate, Malin Pinsky explains that if ocean temperatures continue to rise, Maine lobster populations may move further north in this Business Insider article.

RCI affiliate, Dina Fonseca was quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street OTC, and The Market Business about climate change and its influence on the spread of Asian tiger mosquitoes.

RCI affiliate David Robinson discusses in the Washington Post why we should worry about the Northern Hemisphere’s near record lows of snow cover pointing to an analysis by the Rutgers University Global Snow Lab.

Climate Intervention: Reflecting Sunlight to Cool Earth,  was recently issued by the National Academy of Sciences.  RCI affiliate Paul Falkowski is a member of the NAS Committee on Geoengineering Climate that authored the report and RCI affiliate Alan Robock served on the report review committee.   RCI affiliates David Robinson and Jennifer Francis, are members of the NAS Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate and NAS Polar Research Board, respectively, and as such were involved in the development of the report.

The National Park Service has release a Coastal Assets Report where it is estimated that $40 billion of NPS assets are at risk of damage if ocean waters continue to rise due to climate change.  The report goes into detail at which areas and parks are at most risk.

The official Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 has been released after endorsement from the UN General Assembly. The Framework aims to achieve reduction of disaster risk, losses in lives, livelihoods and health and economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets of persons, businesses, communities and countries over the next 15 years. The full Sendai Framework can be found here.

In this nj.com article, RCI affiliate David Robinson is quoted about the recent rains that washed away the fear of drought in New Jersey.

RCI affiliate Thomas Rudel is quoted about the benefits of small-scale livestock farming when better forage is used to feed the animals in this phys.org article.

RCI affiliate Jennifer Francis discusses how new weather patterns bring on heatwaves in this New York Times article and U.S. News article.

Rutgers scientist, Stacy Bonos discusses breeding plants that are salt tolerant and their role in saving clean water in this phys.org article and this natureworldnews.com article.

Antarctic Edge: 70° South, the award winning Rutgers documentary film about the Western Antarctic Peninsula will be released on iTunes, Netflix and DVD August 1st 2015. Read more about the documentary in this sebsnjaesnews.rutgers.edu article.