Elizabeth Murphy, climate outreach specialist, NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary Program and Cornell University explains the basics of climate science and climate projections for New York State. She also introduces mitigation and adaptation techniques.

1. How and why our climate is
changing in the Hudson Valley
Covering Climate Change in the Classroom
November 19, 2014
Libby Murphy
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

2. Roadmap
• Hudson River Estuary Program
• Climate science basics
• Climate change in NY
• How changes will affect New Yorkers
• How to get involved

3. Hudson River Estuary Program
Core Mission
• Ensure clean water
• Protect and restore fish, wildlife, and their
habitats
• Provide water recreation and river access
• Adapt to climate change
• Conserve world-famous scenery
Ladder of stewardship: engage, inform, empower

4. Basics of climate science

5. Climate is the longer-term average of
our weather
• Variability and shifts are constant
• Global climate change presents varying
regional and local impacts
• “You dress for the weather and build a house
for the climate”
• “Climate is what you expect, weather is what
you get”

6. Our climate changes according to
major earth system dynamics
• Milankovitch cycles
• Atmospheric composition
• Carbon Cycle
• Ocean-atmosphere interactions
• Feedbacks

7. The Milankovitch Cycles determine
amount and distribution of incoming solar
radiation

8. The composition of our atmosphere
determines our ability to reflect and absorb
solar radiation

9. We have detailed records of our atmosphere
from ice cores going back 800,000 years

10. Recent trends: carbon dioxide and
surface warming have been increasing
rapidly since 1910

11. This warming trend is a result of an
imbalance in our carbon cycle

12. Warmer temperatures change
our ocean-atmosphere
interactions and the distribution
of our water cycle

13. Feedbacks can help to amplify or
dissipate climate trends

14. Climate change in New
York

15. New York is experiencing
increasing temperatures, rising
sea level and changing
precipitation patterns

16. Our average annual temperature has
risen faster than national and global
averages
Since 1970:
• Global annual average temp. up nearly 1°F
• US annual average temp. up 1.8°F
• New York annual average temp. up nearly 2°F
• New York winter temperatures up almost 5°F

17. Our temperature could
become similar to
South Carolina by end
of century

18. 15” in NY Harbor in the past 150 years
Because the Hudson is
an estuary it experiences
tides and sea level rise

19. 74% Increase in heavy downpours between 1950-1979 and 1980-2009
Precipitation is
becoming more variable
and extreme in New
York

20. Climate change will affect New
Yorkers in three major ways
 Heat waves
 Short-term drought
 Flooding

21. Heat waves will
become more
frequent and severe

22. We will experience more short-
term droughts

23. Flooding will
occur more
frequently and
severely

24. You can explore
sea level rise along
the Hudson using
Scenic Hudson’s
mapper
http://www.scenichudson.org/slr/mapper

25. What do we do?

26. We need to mitigate and adapt
productively to our changing climate
• Climate mitigation = reducing the
magnitude of climate change
• Climate adaptation = reducing
our vulnerability to climate
change

27. Resilience

28. We need people of all ages to get
involved
• We need many policy makers,
scientists, engineers,
entrepreneurs, and much more
• We need people involved in
local government
• We need people making smart
decisions day to day

29. Recap
• Our climate system is very complex
• Global climate change presents varying regional and local
impacts
• The global average temperature causing rapid changes to our
climate
• Our climate is changing more rapidly in NY
• We need to prepare for our climate risks
• You can help

30. Questions?
Thank you.
Libby Murphy
Hudson River Estuary Program
Phone: (845) 256-3016
Email: Elizabeth.murphy@dec.ny.gov
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
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