Climate Change in the Mystic River Watershed: Vulnerabilities & Adaptation Strategies
MA Climate change impacts include warmer summersOver 50 people joined the Mystic River Watershed Association for a special presentation by Paul Kirshen, PhD, Research Professor at the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space at the University of New Hampshire on February 11th. Dr. Kirshen outlined the impacts of Climate Change that one can expect to see in the Mystic River Watershed such as increased intense storms, flooding, CSOs and sea level rise. Dr. Kirshen stressed the importance of trying to control our greenhouse gas emissions today.
Dr. Kirshen recommeded the following resources for additional climate change information:
The Boston Harbor Association's Preparing for the Rising Tide Report (Feb. 2013)
Northeast Climate Impacts Assessment (July 2007)
Massachusetts Climate Change Adaptation Report by MA Energy and Environmental Affairs
About Paul Kirshen, PhD:
Dr. Kirshen is a Research Professor with 30 years experience in the management of complex, interdisciplinary research related to water resources and climate change and has much local experience in climate change adaptation. He has carried projects and research related to managing climate impacts in collaboration with stakeholders for over a decade. Presently he is carrying out vulnerability and adaptation research and projects in Exeter and Portsmouth NH, Boston and Cambridge MA, the eastern shore of Maryland and several other sites in New England. He is a Lead Author of Chapter 26, North America, of the Working Group II contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), 2014 and the 2013 US National Climate Assessment (coastal chapter). He received his ScB in Engineering from Brown University and his MS and PhD from MIT.
The Mystic River Watershed Association would like to thank Paul Kirshen for his presentation as well as Tufts University for hosting.
