Climate Change

MPBN interviews Birkel about Maine’s ‘Year Without a Summer’

Sean Birkel, the Maine state climatologist and University of Maine research assistant professor with the Climate Change Institute, spoke with the Maine Public Broadcasting Network for the report, “Maine may have ‘Year Without a Summer’ to thank for its statehood.” 1816 — also known as the Year Without a Summer — was a harsh summer […]

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ABC News interviews Steneck about Maine lobsters

Robert Steneck, a professor of marine sciences at the University of Maine, spoke with ABC News for a report about Maine lobsters. The news team traveled to Bar Harbor to determine why the crustacean off the coast of Maine is considered one of the most delicious and coveted on the planet, and if its survival […]

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Students: Research at the ends of the Earth

Read transcript Over the last year, Rhian Waller, associate professor of marine science at the University of Maine, has been to the ends of the Earth to study how changing oceans are affecting cold-water corals and what those changes may eventually mean in places like the Gulf of Maine. Waller’s research team included three undergraduate […]

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UMaine researchers mentioned in BDN article on Acadia National Park

University of Maine researchers were mentioned in the Bangor Daily News article, “How Acadia National Park may adapt to changes in the future.” Acadia National Park biologist Bill Gawley monitors air and water quality in the park, and for the past three years has worked with UMaine researchers on the Jordan Pond Buoy Project, according […]

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Birkel quoted in Down East article about summer of 1816

Sean Birkel was cited in an article about the cold summer of 1816 titled “Weather Patterns” in the July issue of Down East magazine. The “year without a summer” 200 years ago was near the end of the Little Ice Age and Mount Tambora in Indonesia erupted, releasing ash that resulted in a “volcanic winter.” […]

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MPBN interviews Rickard about climate change communication study

The Maine Public Broadcasting Network spoke with Laura Rickard, an assistant professor of communication at the University of Maine, about her recent study on climate change communication. The research, which was published in the journal Global Environmental Change, aimed to determine if the perceived proximity of climate change can be manipulated to inspire engagement in […]

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Study examines how perceived closeness of climate change influences opinions

Determining if the perceived proximity of climate change can be manipulated to inspire engagement in the issue is the central focus of a recent study led by a University of Maine researcher. The study adds to growing science and risk communication literature that suggests dimensions of psychological distance can influence attitudes toward environmental policies and […]

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Research: Shifting ecosystems in the Falkland Islands

Read transcript University of Maine researchers, including Kit Hamley, explore how extinct and introduced animals affect the Falkland Islands and seek to help farmers, sheep, tussock grass, tourists and penguins coexist in light of competing interests, sea-level rise and erosion. Hamley helped develop the 4-H Follow A ResearcherTM program at UMaine, which connects K–12 students […]

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Mountains in Mongolia

Putnam pursues climate clues in Mongolia ice fields

Aaron Putnam, assistant professor with the University of Maine Climate Change Institute, is searching for clues in Mongolia about what “caused the Earth to lurch out of the last ice age.” Kevin Stark, a graduate student at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, is embedded with Putnam’s research team and is blogging about the expedition. […]

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Climate scientists say Australia’s uranium polluting Antarctic, Mining.com reports

Mining.com reported University of Maine researchers have found a recent surge in uranium concentrations in the Antarctic can be linked to increased mining activity in Australia. UMaine climate scientists made the discovery during the first high-resolution continuous examination of a northern Antarctic Peninsula ice core. The team, which will publish the results of their research […]

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