WVII speaks with UMaine faculty, doctoral student for report on climate research - C. McDonough Mackenzie, A. Putnam, P. Strand - Climate Change Institute

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

WVII speaks with UMaine faculty, doctoral student for report on climate research – C. McDonough Mackenzie, A. Putnam, P. Strand

September 5, 2019 News

WVII (Channel 7) spoke with Caitlin McDonough Mackenzie, a postdoctoral research fellow with the University of Maine Climate Change Institute; Aaron Putnam, an assistant professor in UMaine’s School of Earth and Climate Sciences; and Peter Strand, a doctoral student at UMaine; for the first installment of its “Summit to Shore” series focusing on climate research in Maine. “I think the effects I’m most concerned about, as an ecologist, are the places I love changing in totally irreparable ways,” said McDonough Mackenzie. Putnam told WVII that warming conditions can lead to some pest species moving into new areas. “Diseases, tick-borne diseases and mosquito-borne diseases, will have a greater probability of making it into the state,” he said. A team of UMaine researchers traveled to the Himalayas to investigate and identify past climate trends, according to the report. “What we do is compare glacial histories in these different areas to try to get at questions about how the global climate system operates and what sort of mechanics can lead to abrupt changes that have been observed in both the recent past and geologic past,” said Strand, who was part of that research team. McDonough Mackenzie has studied how climate change impacts plant life in Acadia National Park, and found that plants are leafing out earlier in warmer microclimates. “If the plants are leafing out and flowering out earlier, but migratory birds aren’t arriving earlier, then they might be missing their food services or nest materials,” she said. “A big question mark around climate change for ecologists is, what happens?”

FOX 22 – WFVX Bangor

Wednesday, September 4, 2019 6:30

Summit to Shore: A Look at Maine’s Climate Research, Part 1

https://www.foxbangor.com/news/item/summit-to-shore-a-look-at-maines-climate-research-part-1/

Written by Rachel Mann

STATEWIDE – From the shores to the summits, Maine has a lot to offer, but the views as we know them are slowly changing.

“I think the effects I‘m most concerned about, as an ecologist, are the places I love changing in totally irreparable ways,” said Caitlin McDonough MacKenzie.

Climate change researchers say current warming conditions are alarming.

“With that come things like pests, ticks, pests for crops,” said Aaron Putnam, an assistant professor at the University of Maine. “So for Aroostook County, for potatoes, introducing new species can be problematic. Diseases, tick born diseases and mosquito born diseases, will have a greater probability of making it into the state.”

That’s why a team of researchers from the University of Maine made their way to the Himalayas to take a look at the earth’s history.

“What we do is compare glacial histories in these different areas to try to get at questions about how the global climate system operates and what sort of mechanics can lead to abrupt changes that have been observed in both the recent past and geologic past,” said Peter Strand, a doctorate student who was a part of the research team.

By dating and comparing ice-cores, climate trends become more apparent.

An ecologist and Second Century Stewardship Fellow at the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute has been using a similar method to track how climate change impacts plant life at Acadia National Park.

“In looking at ways we can assess the vulnerability of different species, we need to come up with things that are quick, that you can do in a couple years, that aren’t labor- or money- or time-intensive things,” said McDonough MacKenzie.

When it comes to studying plant life in Acadia National Park, micro-climates that exist at different elevations and areas make that possible.

McDonough MacKenzie said data shows plants are leafing out earlier in warmer areas.

“If the plants are leafing out and flowering out earlier, but migratory birds aren’t arriving earlier, then they might be missing their food services or nest materials,” she said. “A big question mark around climate change for ecologist is, what happens?”

McDonough MacKenzie said it’s important to respect the roped off areas in Acadia because they protect what’s already there.