Adaptation

Living with the impacts of climate change.

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March 1, 2012 | 7:00 AM | By

Mitigation no substitute for adaptation … and vice versa

The science is clear: temperatures are increasing, weather is getting more erratic, and sea level is rising. The question is: what should we do about it? In the final installment of our Cape Change series, we take a look at Massachusetts’ officials’ attempts to find the right balance between stopping climate change and preparing for it … starting with some lessons from the natural world.

David McGlinchey / Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences

Black-bellied plovers typically spend their winters in the tropics, not Plymouth Harbor. If they can survive the winter, staying put may prove to be an energy-saving adaptation to climate change.

When it comes to climate change, plants and animals face a tough ultimatum: adapt or perish. Trevor Lloyd-Evans has spent the past forty years observing the wildlife – particularly birds – that surround his lab at the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences. He says it’s obvious the natural world is responding to rising temperatures.

“There really is a change,” says Lloyd-Evans. “There’s a noticeable, measurable change, which is amazing to me. I mean I learned that evolution worked extremely slowly, and it still does. But natural selection can work quite quickly. And we’re seeing recognizable changes just in three or four degrees. Which is an astonishing thing.”

As he walks through the woods on a chilly late December morning, Lloyd-Evans points out some of those changes – here a southern tupelo tree, there a pair of turkey vultures that he says would have been a rarity in mid-winter thirty or forty years ago.

The turkey vulture is one of nearly two hundred eastern bird species whose winter territories have shifted north in the past fifty years, in some cases by hundreds of miles. But Lloyd-Evans says that even more important than where birds spend the winter is where they are come early spring.

“So in the spring they are feeding on a very temperature sensitive prey,” he explains, “which would be insects that are hatching out in correlation with leaves that are coming out and coming out earlier and correlating with temperature.”

Birds who opt not to fly south for the winter are guaranteed to be here when the bugs emerge, but migrating birds need perfect timing to hit that all-important spring bloom. Lloyd-Evans says that birds who time their spring migrations based on temperature cues are arriving back in southern Massachusetts as much as nine days earlier than they did just forty years ago. But long-distance migrants who rely on internal clocks aren’t making the adjustment.
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FILED UNDER: Adaptation, Cape Change
December 15, 2011 | 1:45 PM | By

The feast of seven (sustainable) fishes

hbfotographic / Flickr

Here’s a Christmas tradition I could really get into …

A couple of weeks ago, Elspeth Hay, who blogs about eating local (a phrase I have to admit to hating for grammatical reasons – locally, localLY!) on Cape Cod, started asking around about the Feast of Seven Fishes. She wanted to write about it. Did anybody local celebrate it?

The name piqued my interest, sparked my curiosity: which fish? cooked how? So I kept my eyes peeled for what Elspeth posted today: a first-hand account of the old Italian tradition. She also produced an audio version:

What Frank Tenaglia of West Dennis describes isn’t fancy, but sounds delicious (FYI, baccala is salted, dried cod):

“More than seventy five years ago, my mother used to make this meal and I loved it. She would have fried smelts, fried anchovies, baccala, stuffed squid, calamari, oysters, scallops, or crab.”

Frank told Elspeth that his mother battered and deep-fried almost everything in olive oil.

His favorite were smelts—small, oily, migratory fish—that she cooked whole, gutted but with the scales and skin on and the skeleton still in. He also loved anchovies and baccala (dried, salted codfish), and his mother’s specialty, stuffed squid.

Then Elspeth offered her ideas for a feast of seven fishes:

  1. Stuffed Oysters
  2. Lobster Fra Diavolo
  3. Stuffed Clams
  4. Calamari with Stewed Tomatoes
  5. Salt Cod Stew
  6. Stuffed Squid
  7. Seared Sea Scallops

At this point, I’m in – hook, line, and sinker, so to speak. But then a nagging little voice in the back of my head starts asking: could you get all those things locally and sustainably caught?

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FILED UNDER: Adaptation, Fish & Wildlife, Christmas, sustainable seafood
December 9, 2011 | 2:18 PM | By

Is erosion Falmouth’s forgotten problem?

Heather Goldstone / WCAI

Stretches of Falmouth's Surf Drive lie just feet from the high tide line. Sand often washes over the road during storms and has to be plowed off, creating the pseudo-dunes seen here.

I’ve been trying for a week to track down what – if any – progress has been made on the recommendations made by Falmouth’s Coastal Resources Working Group some eight years ago. I have yet to conduct a single interview, but I think the process itself has been revealing. So I’ll share.

The very first recommended action was to “establish a Town Coastal Management Committee to review proposed coastal projects, coordinate coastal activities and to inform the public concerning coastal processes.” So I headed over to the Town of Falmouth website to peruse the list of departments (which also includes committees, working groups, advisory boards, etc.). There’s the Coastal Pond Management Committee, which a member I was subsequently put in contact with (that comes later) explained does not deal with erosion issues. There’s the Beach Department, whose mission includes beach maintenance but There’s a link to the now-disbanded Coastal Resources Working Group, itself. But nowhere on that list could I find anything that might be the recommended committee. So …

Since the Coastal Resources Working Group reported to the Board of Selectmen, I decided to try there next. I emailed the chair(wo)man of the Board, Mary Pat Flynn to request an interview. She explained that the Board hadn’t taken up erosion issues in several months, but likely would at their meeting in January when they develop the coming year’s strategic plan. In the meantime, she suggested I contact Selectwoman Melissa Freitag, who she referred to as the Board’s “liaison to the committee” (which I presume refers to the Coastal Resources Working Group, but we’ll come back to that) and very knowledgeable on the subject. So …

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FILED UNDER: Adaptation, Coast, coastal change, sea level rise
December 5, 2011 | 3:04 PM | By

Are you ready for the storms of the future?

Sam Lehman / Flickr

Climate change is making weather more extreme, and that means more wind and flood damage. Are you ready?

Interested in helping with some local climate change research and maybe winning some cash to spend at Home Depot? Rhode Island Sea Grant is running a survey for homeowners in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts regarding attitudes and actions to reduce storm damage. The basic premise is to gauge buy-in on the idea that climate change is raising sea level and making storms more extreme, and that demands action to reduce risks from wind and flood damage.

I just spent about half an hour taking the survey, largely out of curiosity, and I can’t say that I recommend the experience unreservedly. I found it a bit frustrating, at times. The wording of some of the requests just didn’t quite make sense to me … but maybe it’s just me. And I did learn a bit about what officials think we should be doing to reduce the risk of damage from hurricanes, nor’easters, and other extreme storms. I also learned a bit about myself (To be quite honest, I think I came off looking pretty blasé and a bit over-confident). So it certainly wasn’t wasted time.

In case you’re not interested in the full experience but would like to see how you stack up in terms of storm preparedness, here are a few sample questions:

  • Do you have – or intend to install – hurricane clips on your roof rafters?
  • Do you have hurricane shutters or fitted plywood window covers?
  • Have you trimmed or cut down trees that could damage your home?
  • Are your furnace, water tank, and electrical panel above flood level?
FILED UNDER: Adaptation, extreme weather
December 2, 2011 | 1:45 PM | By

Fixing Falmouth’s sand deficit problem

Heather Goldstone / WCAI

The beaches along Falmouth's south coast are facing a sand deficit, thanks to a legacy of coastal armoring that has disrupted the natural ebb and flow of sand.

Falmouth’s south coast is already degraded by development and erosion, and the problem will only get worse as the rate of sea level rise accelerates. Unless …

In their 2003 report to the town, the Coastal Resources Working Group painted a pretty dire picture of the future of Falmouth’s coast under a ‘business as usual’ scenario. And, as I pointed out yesterday, we won’t have to wait for 2100 to see many of their predictions come to life … they already have.

But they also presented an alternative vision (and steps for achieving it) in which the coastal area is largely restored to its natural state and function.

  • Beaches and dunes will be wide enough for protection from storms and for public access and use.
  • Sufficient sand will reside in the coastal system to maintain those beaches.
  • Water quality, habitat and fisheries resources of the coastal zone, estuaries, ponds and marshes will be sustained and enhanced.

Sounds good so far. I mean, who doesn’t want nice big beaches and healthy waters? Now for the hard part …

  • A minimum of hard structures (groins, seawalls, etc.) will be found in the coastal zone, to reduce maintenance costs, allow natural sediment transport, and for ease and safety of public use; adverse impacts of their presence will be mitigated by passive and active management approaches.
  • Shoreline armoring structures, where present, will not detract from the aesthetics of and access to the shoreline environment.
  • Public infrastructure will be removed from the immediate coast to reduce maintenance and repair costs and to reduce its impact on the coastal system.
  • A proactive approach to shoreline management will be aimed towards prevention of problems and provide a response protocol when shoreline damage occurs.

This represents some major changes from the status quo. In fact, the authors state outright that, “over the long-term, this amounts to planning for a managed retreat from an advancing sea.”
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FILED UNDER: Adaptation, Coast, coastal change
November 2, 2011 | 2:34 PM | By

What Massachusetts plans to do about sea level rise

Chris Devers / Flickr

The coast of Scituate, MA has been walled, but the town still faces erosion, flooding, and storm damage that is likely to get worse as sea level rises.

Last week brought a small spate of news about efforts to plan for the three feet or more of sea level rise that scientists say we can reasonably expect this century, thanks to rising water temperatures and melting ice sheets. In North Carolina, state officials’ recommendations that local governments plan and regulate development with this amount of change in mind has brought resistance from coastal communities and businesses who fear growth restrictions. The news from Texas was even more dire. A report by Rice University oceanographers recommends that the west end of Galveston Island should be abandoned and the city consolidated on higher ground behind a seawall in order to weather rising seas.

All this may have left you wondering: What about Massachusetts? The Commonwealth boasts some 1500 miles of ocean coastline and faces among the most rapid rates of sea level rise and erosion. So what are we going to do about it?

Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs recently released a comprehensive climate change adaptation report. The final chapter is dedicated to coastal and ocean issues, primarily sea level rise. I came away with four major themes, which we’ll explore over the next few days.

1. Build for tomorrow, not today

When you build a road, or a house, or a wastewater treatment plant, or a _____ (fill in the blank here), you expect it to be around for a while. So why build it in an area that’s likely to flood or wash away? Massachusetts has a variety of laws, codes, executive orders (you get the idea) that discourage or outright prohibit new development in vulnerable or dangerous areas. The report recommends continuing with or strengthening those measures. But the definitions of those areas are often based on current or even historic data.

The report recommends updating maps and documents that delineate wetlands, dunes and beaches, eroding coastlines, and flood hazard zones so that they reflect not only current conditions, but future projections. Then, base decisions about where to build (or where not to, as the case may be) on those projections. The report also notes that, in cases where development will occur in flood- or erosion-prone areas, buildings should be constructed to withstand predicted storm/flood/erosion conditions and to meet a standard of ‘no adverse impact’ on surrounding properties.

2. Rebuild wisely

It seems to be an almost instinctual human response: if something we’ve built is damaged by the forces of nature, we rebuild. For those with significant financial and emotional investment in a property, it may seem like the only possible response. And, in cases where the natural disaster was a rare or one-time event, it may well be warranted. But sea level rise isn’t like that. It’s a constant, inexorable process that will only lead to greater and greater damage to structures in its path.

The report offers several recommendations for avoiding or decreasing “repetitive losses.” First and foremost, vulnerable structures that are being rebuilt or renovated should be raised, not just above current wave height (as currently required), but above projected sea level and storm surge. Rebuilds could also be subject to the updated erosion and flood hazard maps mentioned above. There’s also a recommendation to provide financial incentives, perhaps reduced insurance rates, to communities that are early adopters of climate change adaptation policies. That’s the easy part.

The hard part is this: in the long run, reducing repetitive losses means reducing the number of structures in harm’s way. The report contains two recommendations on this front. Both would warm the hearts of those who authored EPA’s recent guidelines for beating an organized retreat from rising seas. The first is to establish some variety (and they list a few possibilities) of funds for buying properties or otherwise compensating private owners for abandoning their coastal properties. The second is to establish a statewide rolling easements policy that would allow owners to develop their properties, but not take any action to hold back the sea or stop erosion. The word “rolling” refers to the fact that the zone covered by such a policy would “roll back” to match the changing coastline.

3. Armor sparingly

During the 1940′s and1950′s significant chunks of Massachusetts’ coastline were hardened, or armored, with a variety of structures intended to hold back the sea – seawalls, revetments, jetties, groins, bulkheads, and breakwaters. Over time, it became clear that these hard structures weren’t the panaceas they might seem. By disrupting the constant, natural flow of sand and sediments on, off, and between beaches and saltmarshes, they can actually exacerbate erosion problems. Thus, the construction of new coastal armoring has been severely limited – by state law – since the late 1970′s.

Still, as a comprehensive 2009 inventory made all too clear, there are a lot of homes in Massachusetts sitting behind aging – and often ailing – seawalls. The cost of repairing all those structures is estimated at more than $600 million. To actually upgrade them to meet expected sea level rise puts the price tag at more like $1 billion. So the Commonwealth faces some tough decisions about which structures to repair and which to let go. The new report says as much, and recommends a thorough cost-benefit analysis and consideration of all alternatives when deciding what to do with existing structures. It offers only one hint as to possible criteria for deciding which communities to protect, saying that densely populated urban areas – particularly low-income areas – are top candidates for structural engineering projects.

Actually, most of the section on coastal engineering focuses not on hard structures, but on so-called soft solutions, namely beach nourishment. Soft engineering gets treated as a necessary evil – made necessary by the disruptions in natural sand flow brought about by hard armoring. Recommendations focus on ensuring that the source of sand used for such projects is sustainable, not ecologically damaging.

On Monday … Protect natural coastlines.

FILED UNDER: Adaptation, sea level rise
October 27, 2011 | 2:50 PM | By

Tough decisions about sea level rise face push-back

Vicky Sawyer / Flickr

Sea level rise could make low-lying towns like Elizabeth City, NC more prone to flooding, but suggested restrictions on development are meeting with opposition.

A debate in North Carolina over how best to plan for accelerating sea level rise could be instructive for those facing the same issue elsewhere (yes, that means us, here on Cape Cod). The Virginian-Pilot reports that state officials have recommended that local governments should plan – and regulate – for 39 inches of sea level rise by 2100. A group of coastal counties and businesses, known as NC-20, has sprung up to oppose the recommendation.

“This is a ‘what if,’ ” said Willo Kelly, president of NC-20. “We can understand seven inches in 100 years but not 39 inches. If this is reality, then why aren’t they building a sea wall along the entire coast of the United States?”

I’ll be honest. When I first read that quote, I scoffed. The whole wall-us-in idea is one I’ve toyed with in previous posts, but only as a means of provoking conversation about this crucial issue. The reasons not to build a sea wall around the entire U.S. – or even the Cape – seem too numerous and obvious to even begin listing. Cost, feasibility, environmental impacts …

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Adaptation, sea level rise
October 19, 2011 | 11:23 AM | By

Three kinds of climate change adaptation

Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

As mandated by the Massachusetts’ Global Warming Solutions Act of 2008, state officials last year released a Clean Energy and Climate Plan that identified strategies – like energy efficient buildings, renewable energy generation, and alternative fuel transportation – for cutting the Commonwealth’s greenhouse gas emissions to 20% below 1990 levels by 2020. That’s the first step toward an 80% reduction by 2050, the level that scientists generally agree would give us at least a 50/50 chance of limiting global warming to 2ºC and avoiding the most catastrophic impacts of climate change.

But there’s a catch. We are already feeling the effects of climate change, from sea level rise to extreme weather and ocean acidification. And even if Massachusetts hit this admittedly ambitious mark – indeed, even if the entire globe eliminated all greenhouse gas emissions today – there would still be significant impacts of global warming to cope with for more than a century to come, thanks to the long-lived carbon dioxide that’s already bouncing around in the atmosphere.

In other words, mitigating climate change isn’t enough. We have to start thinking about adapting to the unavoidable changes, as well. To that end, Massachusetts officials have now released a Climate Change Adaptation Report. It’s an extensive report – some 129 pages put together by dozens of contributors – and jam-packed with information. But one of the things I found most interesting was simply the way that they categorized adaptation strategies. Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Adaptation
August 11, 2011 | 1:46 PM | By

The history of New England cod fishing: a timeline

Earlier this year, I created a timeline of notable events from the first year of sectors, or catch shares, management of the New England groundfish industry, which covers cod, haddock, flounder, and several other species. Now, Pew Environment Group has created a timeline of cod fishing that puts the intense controversy of the past year into a longer-term perspective. It doesn’t go back to the beginnings of the cod-fishing industry hundreds of years ago, but it does cover the past 35 years of federal fishery management. (Use the left-hand slider to zoom out if you don’t see anything)

Cod: The Fish that Made New England on Dipity.

FILED UNDER: Adaptation, catch shares
August 1, 2011 | 8:22 AM | By

Rethinking the war on invasive species

N Sloth / Biopix

Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) is an aquatic plant that is native to Europe and Asia. It was introduced to the U.S. in the early 1800s via ships' ballast and as an ornamental plant. It is considered a pest because it crowds out native species.

The Ideas section of the Sunday Boston Globe included a thought-provoking article by Leon Neyfakh about organisms that have come to be known by the epithet “invasive species.” These are plants and animals that have been introduced by human activity into areas where they aren’t native. In recent decades, these immigrants have become a prime target of environmentalists.

The reasons to fight invasive species may be economic, or conservationist, or just practical, but underneath all these efforts is a potent and galvanizing idea: that if we work hard enough to keep foreign species from infiltrating habitats where they might do harm, we can help nature heal from the damage we humans have done to it as a civilization.

In a nutshell

Two essays in the journal Nature sum up the arguments for and against fighting invasives:

This war on invasive species has come under fire in recent months, and not just from politicians. Neyfakh points to essays authored by scientists in the field and published in both Science and Nature – the two most prestigious scientific journals – as well as the New York Times.

This flare-up has reawakened a debate over non-native species that goes back more than a decade. And while it would appear that the two sides are badly mismatched – those who oppose the targeting of non-native species are still very much a minority – their disagreement highlights questions about mankind’s relationship to nature that are far from settled. If we’re going to help restore a more natural environment, how do we decide what in the world is “natural” and what is the result of artificial forces? Why do some species get to stay, while others get pulled out by the roots? Their clash points up the fact that as humans take upon themselves the job of managing a changing natural world, there’s no obvious way to know which version of nature we should be aiming for.

Nehfakh’s article is highly recommended reading. But he doesn’t mention what I’d argue is the elephant in the room – climate change. Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Adaptation