Climate Change

CBS interviews Extension’s Lilley on climate change in the maple industry

CBS News interviewed Jason Lilley, Maine sustainable agriculture and maple industry educator, on practices in the maple industry to make sugarbushes more resilient to climate change. “I just don’t want producers to be going out of business, and to see this industry start to decline,” Lilley said. “We can’t just sit around and watch this […]

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UMaine experts participating in 2025 Maine Science Festival

University of Maine faculty and students will present at several events during the Maine Science Festival, a program of the Maine Discovery Museum in Bangor that will include more than 70 events and activities from March 18-23.  The five-day celebration will showcase science and technology happening in Maine in the format of an arts or […]

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Eos features Saros on changes in Greenland lakes

Eos featured University of Maine Climate Change Institute Associate Director Jasmine Saros to discuss a recent study she led which found that after two months of record heat and precipitation in fall 2022, an estimated 7,500 lakes in Greenland turned brown, began emitting carbon and decreased in water quality “You can actually see more heat […]

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NYT interviews Runge on zooplankton

In an article titled “Rising Temperatures Are Scrambling the Base of the Ocean Food Web,”  Jeffrey Runge, a zooplankton ecologist who recently retired as a professor from the University of Maine School of Marine Sciences, spoke with The New York Times about Calanus finmarchicus, a type of zooplankton. You can think of Calanus as “little […]

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Beal discusses clam decline with Harpswell Anchor

For an article titled “Once a form of currency, quahogs remain a steady source of cash,” The Harpswell Anchor interviewed Brian Beal, professor of marine ecology at the University of Maine at Machias, on the decline in soft shell clams. “There’s no mystery,” said Beal, also director of the Downeast Institute. “The whole thing comes […]

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UMaine researchers present at AAAS annual meeting

Three University of Maine faculty — Heather Leslie, Sydne Record and Brenda Hall — spoke at the annual meeting for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) on Feb. 14. AAAS is the world’s largest multidisciplinary scientific society and a leading publisher of cutting-edge research.  Leslie, professor of marine science who was named […]

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An aerial image of a field

Expansion of corn crop pest into New England a possibility, UMaine study finds 

While New England is well known for commodities such as maple syrup, wild blueberries and cranberries, its reputation for sweets extends to another crop: sweet corn. The 2023-24 crop production report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed the region produced just under 3 million tons of corn, of which Vermont contributed approximately half and […]

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CBC Radio features Saros’ latest research on Greenland lakes

The CBC Radio program “Quirks and Quarks,” interviewed Jasmine Saros, associate director of the University of Maine Climate Change Institute, on her latest research, which revealed that lakes in West Greenland began emitting carbon and decreased in water quality following record heat and precipitation. Saros and a team of researchers concluded that the combination of […]

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Press Herald interviews Birkel on record heat in Maine during 2024

The Portland Press Herald interviewed Sean Birkel, assistant professor at the University of Maine Climate Change Institute (CCI), on record high temperatures in the state during 2024. “We had a warmer than usual spring, a record hot June marked by a heatwave and very high overnight temperatures, and a record hot fall,” said Birkel, who […]

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A photo of a man on a snowmobile

Economic contribution of snowmobiling slid last winter, study finds

Scarce snowpack hindered snowmobile recreation in Maine last winter, squeezing businesses that count on the sport to draw tourists. The University of Maine released an updated report on the economic contribution of snowmobiling in Maine, revealing a significant decline in impact for the 2023-24 season. According to the study, snowmobiling generated an estimated $582 million […]

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