Sun Journal speaks to Birkel about wet summer conditions

In reporting about wet summer conditions and whether they will continue into the fall and winter, the Sun Journal interviewed Sean Birkel, Maine state climatologist and assistant professor with a joint appointment in University of Maine Cooperative Extension and the UMaine Climate Change Institute. “We’re seeing more extremes as the climate warms. So, in terms of heavy rainfall that produces localized flooding and damage, those are the types of extremes that we are seeing more of, and that we expect to become more common in a warmer world. That’s also the conclusion of more than 50 state scientists in a 2020 publication ‘Scientific Assessment of Climate Change and its Effects in Maine,’” Birkel said.