Climate Change Institute

University of Maine faculty, staff and students will present at several events during the Maine Science Festival, a program of the Maine Discovery Museum in Bangor that will include more than 70 events and activities from March 20-24.  The full programing for the event can be found on its website. The festival is a five-day […]

A data visualization from the University of Maine Climate Change Institute’s Climate Reanalyzer was cited by NBC News in an article titled “12 months of record ocean heat has scientists puzzled and concerned.” The article stated the average sea surface temperatures are roughly 1.25 degrees Fahrenheit warmer now than from 1982-2011, an anomaly that could […]

Nature interviewed University of Maine associate professor of terrestrial paleoecology Jacquelyn Gill on the concept of using the term “Anthropocene,” which defines the age of irreversible human impacts on the planet, in light of a decision by geologists to not mark Anthropocene as an official period in Earth’s geological timeline. “It’s a term that belongs […]

University of Maine Cooperative Extension associate scientist Glen Koehler and Maine State Climatologist Sean Birkel were interviewed by the Bangor Daily News on how the climate is changing and the impacts of it on Maine. Koehler, who is also a member of Maine Climate Council, said the warming trend of the state’s average annual minimal […]

The New York Times Magazine interviewed Jacquelyn Gill, an associate professor of terrestrial paleoecology at the University of Maine, on controversy surrounding the Younger Dryas impact theory, which claims that a comet struck the Earth 12,900 years ago and caused a sudden cooling widespread death among large, ancient mammals. Gill said she was doubtful of […]

USA Today and Wide Open Spaces cited data visualizations from the University of Maine Climate Reanalyzer for average ocean surface temperatures. USA Today used the tool for the most recent record-setting high average temperature of the ocean, and Wide Open Spaces used it to show how surface temperature averages of the North Atlantic Ocean have […]

Grist interviewed University of Maine assistant professor of sustainable agriculture and cooperating faculty in anthropology Rachel Schattman on whether the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s funding for “climate-smart” farming is actually helping. Schattman supports the funding and said it has created new opportunities for farmers, whose climate-friendly practices can differ depending on location. Even if practices […]

  Icebergs as seen from a boat in Ilulissat Icefjord.         Photo by Mark Carey.                                       Over the last four decades, warming climate and ocean temperatures have rapidly altered the Greenland Ice Sheet, creating concern for marine ecosystems and weather patterns worldwide. The environment has challenged scientists in their attempts to measure how water moves around […]

A data visualization on sea surface temperature anomalies from the University of Maine Climate Change Institute’s Climate Reanalyzer was cited by Forbes in an article on early signals of the 2024 hurricane season.

The Boston Globe showcased work done by UMaine’s Climate Change Institute on the pattern of record sea-surface temperatures. These patterns have been fueled by both El Niño and human-caused climate change. The planet’s average sea surface temperature reached an all-time record of 70.2 degrees Fahrenheit (21.2 Celsius) on Feb. 9.