Report: Climate change will hurt fish, birds, among others (New England, Gulf of Maine)

[jpak]

http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/013714.html

AUGUSTA — A changing climate could mean the disappearance of cod from Georges Bank and Bicknell's thrush from the Maine woods, as well as a dramatic decline of the state's skiing and snowmobiling industries, according to a scientific report released Wednesday.

The Union of Concerned Scientists issued the 125-page report on climate change in the Northeast as a follow-up to more general findings issued last fall. It includes the most specific projections yet about how climate change could affect Maine.

The report projects more intense storms such as the recent Patriot's Day storm, as well as frequent summer droughts. It also says winters will be less snowy and more rainy.

Using computer models of climate change, teams of scientists applied the changes to regions and to sectors such as forests, oceans and recreation. The projections are limited by unpredictable events and the complexity of natural systems such as the ocean. But scientists involved in the work said the research clearly shows dramatic changes lie ahead, depending largely on whether global emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are reduced or not.

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