Climate Change Affects to Hit Salem
SALEM, Mass., Dec. 11, 2016 — Species of fish are on the brink of extinction as life on Earth is currently undergoing it’s 6th major extinction event. Extreme temperatures are occurring all over the planet while the ocean is becoming more acidic and sea levels are continuously rising.
The City of Salem Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Plan, “Ready for Tomorrow,” released in 2014, outlines four key climate change impacts specific to the Salem area. Those identified are extreme heat events, extreme precipitation events, sea level rise, and storm surge.
According to Salem Sound Coastwatch, the sea level has rose over seven inches in the last 100 years and ocean temperatures are up by three degrees in parts of New England in the last 50 years.
Due to increased temperatures, ice caps in areas such as Antartica and Greenland are melting causing the ocean levels to rise.
Significant flooding has been a problem in many areas of Salem, including the Rosie’s Pond neighborhood and parts of the Salem State University campus. As the region experiences increased temperatures, storm surges, sea level rise, and extreme precipitation events, there is a high risk for flooding in these areas to worsen, causing serious damage to nearby infrastructures.
Historic landmarks such as Pickering Wharf and the Pioneer Village are also in danger of flooding and erosion. Many communities in the city border bodies of water and are at the same potential risk and all of that worries Salem State University Professor Marcos Luna who has been studying the areas expected to flood, up and down the North Shore, for the last six years — mapping out levels along the coast numerous times.
“This part of the coast, the sea level is rising faster than it is in most other parts of the coast,” Luna said.
Luna teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on various aspects of climate change and the science behind it. His students focus on policy implication, various ways it effects people, changes in heat patterns, and communities at risk of flooding.
“It’s kind of dramatic because it’s a good chunk of the city, population wise, that’s potentially at risk. We’re talking 30 percent of the population,” he added.
Storm surges are defined as the rise of water above average tide levels that occur during a storm. Storm tides are naturally higher than normal. However, due to climate change affects causing sea level rise, the additional amount the tide rises during a storm can lead to escalated flooding and damage. Storm surges are predicted to increase by the year 2100, occurring more often in a given 100-year span and rising to over 13 feet.
Because of higher temperatures and dry conditions over the summer months, the North Shore was put under a drought watch while many cities had mandatory water restrictions. The Ipswich River hit a historic low this past summer after 16 months of little rainfall, according to the Salem News. The river supplies drinking water to fourteen cities and towns, including Salem.
“I’ve looked at what heat means for communities in the Boston region and, believe it or not, people in this region are highly vulnerable to changes in heat,” Luna noted.
Extreme heat events are days where the maximum temperature is equal to or above 90 degrees. The Adaptation Plan explains that mid-range predictions from climate models show that Salem could experience an increase of 11 days per year of extreme heat by 2050.
Because of this, air quality implications could also be of concern.
Other forms of life on Earth, like plants and animals, are also in danger of climate change affects.
“We will face a major drop in biodiversity because a lot of our biodiversity in Salem comes from our forests and marshes which, as sea levels rise, will flood and acidify them, making them die off,” said Wesley Hildebrand, a Salem State senior majoring in geography with a concentration in environmental stability.
Oceans are becoming acidic as about half of the carbon dioxide emissions that humans have generated over the last 200 years has been absorbed by them, according to the Salem Sound Coastwatch. At this point, the planet is absorbing more energy than it is emitting.
These are direct results of climate change and the excelling rate that the changes are occurring due to human interference, countless studies indicate. Emissions from greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are all contributing to the changes in climate conditions, a 2011 Massachusetts report notes.
Salem Mayor Kimberley Discoll has noted her concern.
“Salem is focused on strategies that will reduce our overall carbon footprint and lessen our community’s role in changing our planet’s climate,” she said in a letter that is part of the city’s Adaptation Plan.
Salem city officials, an advisory working group, and CDM Smith produced “Ready For Tomorrow” was put together for the city by the firm CDM Smith and was overseen by an advisory working group that consisted of representatives from the MA Office of Coastal Zone Management, Salem Sound Coastwatch, and Salem State University.
