WVII (Channel 7) reported on recent research conducted by Sean Birkel, Maine state climatologist and University of Maine research assistant professor with the Climate Change Institute. Birkel found December 2015 through February 2016 — the meteorological winter — was the warmest or near warmest on record in Maine since 1871. While cold weather still occurs, […]
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For many Mainers, ice-skating and snowmobiling weren’t part of last December’s holiday break. There was open water on lakes and green grass throughout much of the state as daytime high temperatures reached into the 50s. In fact, December 2015 through February 2016 — the meteorological winter — was the warmest or near warmest on record […]
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Glacial ice core records indicate that humans have significantly altered the atmosphere in Central Asia during the 20th century, say climate scientists from the University of Maine. Climate Change Institute researchers say evidence from ice cores extracted from Inilchek Glacier in the Tien Shan Mountains in Kyrgyzstan reveals that rapid growth of industry and agriculture […]
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Aaron Putnam, the George H. Denton Assistant Professor in the School of Earth and Climate Sciences, was quoted in articles by The Christian Science Monitor, New Scientist and Tech Times about the effects weather had on the fall of the Mongol Empire. The Mongol Empire swept through Eastern Europe until an abrupt withdrawal in 1242, […]
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The Associated Press and the Portland Press Herald reported the Maine Department of Marine Resources awarded more than $127,000 for a lobster shell study led by University of Maine researchers. The grant will aid the development of the project, “A Proactive Approach to Addressing Lobster Health in the Context of a Changing Ecosystem,” which will […]
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The Associated Press reported on a recent study on saltmarsh sparrows conducted by a team of researchers including Brian Olsen, a professor of biology and ecology at the University of Maine. Scientists from several universities and agencies say the saltmarsh sparrow is disappearing from the East Coast and could be headed for extinction in as […]
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Daily Bulldog published a University of Maine news release about research being conducted by Susan Elias, a doctoral student at UMaine’s Climate Change Institute. Elias is studying deer ticks and their spread across Maine. “Maine in 2014 had the highest incidence of Lyme disease of all the states in the country,” Elias said. The Midcoast […]
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With the arrival of spring, many Mainers head outside to hike, mow lawns, picnic, and garden. But working and playing outdoors can bring people in contact with deer ticks and tick-borne diseases, including Lyme disease. “Maine in 2014 had the highest incidence of Lyme disease of all the states in the country,” says Susan Elias, […]
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When Laura Garey wades into tidal marshes at sunrise to survey saltmarsh sparrows, the University of Maine graduate student also spies deflated balloons, trash and pollutants. These reservoirs at the intersection of land and sea also are increasingly being damaged by coastal development, sea-level rise and more frequent storm surges. All of which makes it […]
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Robert Steneck, a marine biologist at the University of Maine’s School of Marine Sciences, was quoted in the Portland Press Herald editorial, “Warming Atlantic bodes poorly for lobster industry.” Warming water temperatures have for decades been the primary factor in pushing the lobster population farther north, according to the article. Since 2004, the Gulf of […]
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