Warming winters, waters to plague Connecticut

Construction along the coast now needs to be ready for nearly 2 feet of sea level rise by 2050.

That’s because sea levels are rising faster in the Northeast than anywhere else in the country.

The winters and waters are also warming the most compared to the rest of the U.S., according to the recently released National Climate Assessment, which was prepared by a team of more than 300 federal and nonfederal experts and reviewed by 13 federal agencies.

“When you put it all together, it’s depressing,” said Rob Klee, commissioner of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

The symptoms of climate change are already being seen in Connecticut with flooding along the coast, downed trees during more severe storms and warming waters pushing fish further north.

“It’s brutal,” said Mitch Wagener, a biology professor who teaches several classes on climate change at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury.

Infrastructure threat

The destruction left in Superstorm Sandy’s wake is a popular example in the report, especially because storms are expected to become stronger based on the Gulf Stream slowing and stalling stormfronts in one area longer.

“It was an unusual storm and it’s in everyone’s mind,” Wagener said. “Who doesn’t have a Sandy story who lives in this area?”

These storms can take down power lines, and the surges of water can flood substations along the coast causing power outages — one of the biggest threats because they can cause food to spoil and air conditioning can’t offer relief on really hot days.

Connecticut’s infrastructure is also at risk to flooding because much of it is located along the water, and is older.

Agriculture

There’s a chance Connecticut won’t be able to produce maple syrup for much longer as the winters get hotter and there’s less of a change in temperature between the seasons.

Climate change could help some of the Northeast’s agriculture though over the next 50 years because there will be a longer growing season. But the longer season also comes with more rain, which could negate the extra growing days. Too much moisture is already a leading cause of crop loss in the Northeast, according to the report.

Fish and lakes

It’s already a challenge to find lobsters in the Long Island Sound, with warming waters making the lobsters more vulnerable.

Other fish and sea creatures are moving further north as they seek cooler waters closer to the temperature they need to survive.

This has created a challenge for commercial fisheries where each state has different quotas for what can be caught. These quotas are based on what was historically there and though the midAtlantic fish are now in New England, it’s still those midAtlantic states that have the bulk of the quotas, Klee said.

Recreational anglers also face restrictions on trout and other cold water fish that need to be protected when the inland waters get too hot.

There will also be less lake ice in Connecticut, which means the top layers will warm faster, affecting how the lake mixes — a large factor in how the toxic bluegreen algae blooms form.

Harmful insects

The warmer winters have also allowed for insects that can harm people and trees to make their way up north or stay active longer, including ticks.

“It can mean that people are more likely to encounter an adult stage blacklegged tick that will be looking for a blood meal,” said Neeta Connally, a Western Connecticut State University biology professor who oversees the university’s Tickborne Disease Prevention Lab. “When the winter days are very cold, or when there is snow covering the ground, the adult ticks are not active, and so we don't tend to worry about them as much.”

The increase in the spring and summer rains, also creates ideal habitats for mosquitoes, which can transmit diseases to people.

Health effects

New England has warmed 3 degrees Farenheit since 1901, posing a severe health risk, especially to those in urban areas where the air quality is already poor and expected to get worse.

The added heat stress is expected to cause more premature deaths and hospital visits, according to the report.

Pollen seasons are also expected to get longer and worse.