Background information about the Climate Change Network

The Climate Change Network (CCN) strives to bring the latest climate change science, impacts, and adaptation information to the Gulf of Maine community. The following are goals of the CCN:

1. Provide climate change information pertaining to the Gulf of Maine region to Council participants (researchers, planners, policymakers,
   etc.) in a variety of forms.
2. Identify opportunities within the Gulf of Maine community for
   outreach activities, focusing on climate change information.
3. Provide assistance to initiatives identified by Gulf of Maine
   Council that could benefit from climate change information, i.e. habitat
   restoration.
4. Coordinate with New England Governors/Eastern Canadian Premiers’
   efforts on climate change issues.
5. Review emerging issues related to climate change and the Gulf of
   Maine.
6. Provide a forum for discussion of topics linked to climate
   change.

The Adaptation Experience in the Gulf of Maine

The Gulf of Maine Council’s Climate Change Network provided the resources to convene a Climate Adaptation Information Session at the Gulf of Maine Symposium in St. Andrews, New Brunswick on October 7, 2009. 

The purpose of this session was to advance the level of interaction between Gulf of Maine Climate Change Network members and Gulf of Maine constituents and to share information about specific climate adaptation programs and projects at the state, provincial, and federal level. 

The session consisted of a series of presentations followed by facilitated discussion.  Participants concluded that further cooperation and consultation would be beneficial to developing any future projects and that subsequent Climate Change Network gatherings would facilitate that collaboration.

A Summary Report, presentations, and compilation of comments from a participant survey were created. These documents are available by clicking here.

The Climate Change Network co-hosted a one-day workshop on June 11, 2007, about possible impacts of climate change on ecosystems in the Gulf of Maine region and implications for indicators and monitoring. The CCN is continuing to work with ESIP to help incorporate climate change information into the subcommittees of ESIP (coastal development, contaminants and pathogens, eutrophication, aquatic habitat, and fisheries and aquaculture).

The CCN is preparing regional criteria to be used to identify coastal habitats at risk from sea-level rise, extreme precipitation, and other climate change impacts. The criteria results will be presented to decision makers responsible for coastal habitat restoration to increase their knowledge about restoring and monitoring coastal habitats. To help accomplish this goal, the CCN is working with the Council’s Habitat Restoration Subcommittee to identify reasonable conclusions about how climate change will impact the habitat restoration process and restored ecosystems.