Hart, Climate Change Study Cited in Lakes Region Weekly Article
“Maine’s Climate Future: 2015 Update,” a University of Maine report, and David Hart, director of the George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at UMaine, were quoted in a Lakes Region Weekly article about a recent visit by Sen. Angus King to Naples to discuss the climate’s impact on ice fishing. The study found average annual temperatures in the state increased about 3 degrees from 1895 to 2014, primarily due to the sharp buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, according to the article. The report also states Maine’s warm season, which begins when the average daily temperature is above freezing, increased by two weeks from the early 1900s through the 2000s, and Maine’s average winters have warmed at a faster rate than its summers. “There is a long-term trend of ice-out happening earlier in the year across many lakes in Maine and many lakes in the Northeast. This is related to the long-term trends of increasing air temperatures,” Hart said, adding Sebago Lake’s average annual ice-out date has retreated several weeks since the early 1800s.