Living Shorelines

Living shorelines represent a natural defense against coastal flooding and erosion. A growing number of resources are available to help landowners and communities stabilize shorelines using nature-based strategies. Read more »

Find Regional Climate Data Online

Climate research, reports, tools and resources from around the Gulf can be found in the NExUS database.

Quarterly Climate Outlook

The Climate Network has helped launch a new bulletin offering recent Gulf-wide climate data and seasonal projections. See the latest edition and sign up to receive it.
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Climate Adaptation Strategies around the Gulf

The Climate Network has a study on the status and needs of climate adaptation in municipalities bordering the Bay of Fundy. Read more »

Climate Network Dashboard

A new dashboard offers recent and real-time climate data for the northeast US and Atlantic Canada. Read more »

Extreme Precipitation in the Gulf of Maine Region

Extreme precipitation events are a growing regional concern. To learn more about challenges and responses. Read more »

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Climate Network Projects

The Gulf of Maine Council’s Climate Network helps citizens and governmental leaders find the resources needed to adapt to a changing climate. Here are links to recent projects that provide adaptation guidance and opportunities for taking action:

Living Shorelines: Working with Nature to Protect Coastal Communities and Habitats.

King Tides: Envisioning Sea-Level Rise: The Climate Network helps coordinate a regional initiative to engage citizens in photographing extreme high tides, helping document how sea-level rise may affect infrastructure and ecosystems. Learn more about this initiative at http://gulfofmaine.kingtides.net.

Regional Climate Dashboard: The Climate Network helped create a dashboard of recent and real-time data, giving site visitors ready access to a wide range of temperature, precipitation and oceanic data sets.

Municipal Climate Adaptation: The Climate Network surveyed more than 30 municipal leaders around the Bay of Fundy to learn more about climate adaptation measures underway, actions planned and resources needed.

Planning for Change: A Binational Gathering in September 2013 highlighted actions needed in forestry, fisheries and transportation

Precipitation from extreme events in the GOM region has increased 74 percent since 1958 (NOAA).
Extreme weather already poses economic and ecological challenges, and these events are expected to grow more frequent in coming decades, with precipitation increasing 5-9 percent (IPCC 2013).

Credit: Sherry Godlewski

By 2050, climate scientists project a more rapid increase of 2.5 to 3.5°C (4.5 to 6.3° F) in regional air temperature (IPCC 2013).
Temperatures in the Gulf of Maine have risen much more in recent decades than many other coastal waters around the world, and a 2012 "heat wave" in sea surface temperatures had damaging economic impacts.

Projected Temperature Changes in the Gulf of Maine Region by the 2050s (°C.), reflecting the most recent IPCC models (Credit: Adam Fenech, UPEI Climate Lab)

What’s Climate Change and What’s Just the Weather?

This one-minute animation by Ole Christoffer Haga, produced by Teddy TV for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, clearly and humorously illustrates the difference between long-term climate trends and variable weather patterns.