THE MERRIMACK VALLEY SIERRA CLUB HEARS BARRY ROCK SPEAK 0N CLIMATE CHANGE IN NEW ENGLAND

On April 9, 2005, Professor Barrett (Barry) Rock from UNH -Durham spoke to the Merrimack Valley Sierra Club members and members of the public at the auditorium at UNH Manchester. The title of his presentation was "Preparing for a Changing Climate." In the photograph shown here, Professor Rock appears with Beverly Weigler, Chair of the Merrimack Valley Sierra Club, who introduced him to the audience.

At UNH-Durham, Dr. Rock is an Associate Professor in the Complex Systems Research Center. A botanist, he has published extensively on climate change causes and effects. He and his colleagues have authored the "New England Regional Assessment of the Potential Consequence of Climate Variability and Change" - a document intended to inform the general public of potential impacts the phenomenon may have on New England.

Dr. Rock presented data that shows ever-increasing levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the global atmosphere. CO2 is the "greenhouse gas" that traps energy derived from the sun and heats up the atmosphere. Rock presented data obtained at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Honolulu, where CO2 recordings have been made since 1958, as well as data derived from ice cores in polar regions. The ice core data indicated that levels of CO2 were generally stable over the past few thousand years, but started to rise with the start of the industrial revolution. Mauna Loa measurements were not begun until 1958, but show striking increases in CO2 levels since that time. The ever-increasing burning of fossil fuels by humans correlates well with the gas increases.

Rock explained that ever-increasing temperatures are generally considered to cause unusual weather, and to affect plant and animal species that have adapted to the climate of their present habitats. He considered how the New England region has apparently already been affected in this fashion. As examples, he noted the unusual ice storm that occurred in this region in 1998, as well as ever-diminishing levels of New England maple syrup production, and the earlier-than-usual arrival of certain migratory birds in the spring.

After the conclusion of the presentation, Rock and some of the audience discussed what environmentalists could do to limit CO2 production. Rock has made an interesting personal contribution to this cause - the purchase of two hybrid cars!

PERTINENT LINKS

New England Regional Assessment: Executive Summary and Acknowledgements (PDF)

A Modest Proposal to Stop Global Warming (Sierra Magazine, May-June, 2001

 

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