Climate Change In New Jersey
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Climate change in New Jersey is of concern due to its effects on the ecosystem, economy, infrastructure, and people of the U.S. state of
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
. According to
climatology Climatology (from Greek , ''klima'', "slope"; and , '' -logia'') or climate science is the scientific study of Earth's climate, typically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of at least 30 years. Climate concerns the atmospher ...
research by the U.S.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ) is an American scientific and regulatory agency charged with Weather forecasting, forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, Hydrography, charting the seas, ...
, New Jersey has been the fastest-warming state by average air temperature over a 100-year period beginning in the early 20th century, related to
global warming Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes ...
.


Temperature

"The statewide average temperature in 2012," , "was the highest in 118 years of records." This was above the 1981-2010 mean. As of 2013, " ne of the ten warmest calendar years on record have occurred since 1990 and the five warmest years have occurred since 1998, consistent with the long-term upward trend of per century."


Precipitation

According to the EPA, as of 2016, " erage annual precipitation in New Jersey has increased 5 to 10 percent in the last century, and precipitation from extremely heavy storms has increased 70 percent in the Northeast since 1958." Similarly, according to a 2013 Rutgers Climate Institute study, " nce 1895, annual precipitation has increased at a rate of (or about 9%) per century." As of 2013, 2011 was the wettest year on record. Heavy precipitation events have been increasing in New Jersey, as is also the case "throughout the northeastern United States."


Ecosystems

Many coastal species are already changing their distributions. If the
sea level rise The sea level has been rising from the end of the last ice age, which was around 20,000 years ago. Between 1901 and 2018, the average sea level rose by , with an increase of per year since the 1970s. This was faster than the sea level had e ...
s along the coast of New Jersey, " tlands along Delaware Bay in Cumberland County" are "likely to be lost" due to such rise. Many species rely on tidal marshes which would be threatened as marshes erode. Such species include
blue crab Blue crab may refer to: * Blue Crab 11, an American sailboat design * ''Callinectes sapidus ''Callinectes sapidus'' (from the Ancient Greek language, Ancient Greek ,"beautiful" + , "swimmer", and Latin , "savory"), the blue crab, Atlantic blue ...
,
perch Perch is a common name for freshwater fish from the genus ''Perca'', which belongs to the family Percidae of the large order Perciformes. The name comes from , meaning the type species of this genus, the European perch (''P. fluviatilis'') ...
,
weakfish ''Cynoscion'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family, Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. These fishes are found off the coasts of North and South America in the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific Oceans. Many fishes in ...
,
flounder Flounders are a group of flatfish species. They are demersal fish, found at the bottom of oceans around the world; some species will also enter estuary, estuaries. Taxonomy The name "flounder" is used for several only distantly related speci ...
, and rockfish (which "rely on the tidal marshes in Delaware Bay to hide from predators"), as well as sea turtles and shorebirds (which feed on species that inhabit the marshes). "In Barnegat Bay and Little Egg Harbor, the rising sea is already eroding and submerging small marsh islands, which are important nesting areas that protect common terns, black skimmers, and oystercatchers from land-based predators." "Changing temperatures could also disrupt ecosystems. For example, if water temperatures exceed during summer, eelgrass could be lost, which would remove a key source of food for many fish." Higher acidity in the water also threatens certain species, like scallops and surf clams; this could lower their populations, threatening New Jersey's commercial fishing industry. "Water temperature data from the late 1980s to early 2000s, collected at Rutgers University Marine Field Station, demonstrate milder winter temperatures in recent years while in this same period larvae of multiple fish species of southern origin became more abundant and those of northern species declined in richness and abundance."


Coastline


Sea level rise

The sea level along the Jersey coast is rising faster than the global average, where the global average, since the early 1990s, has risen per decade. "Sea level is rising more rapidly along the New Jersey shore than in most coastal areas because the land is sinking. If the oceans and atmosphere continue to warm, the sea is likely to rise to along the New Jersey shore in the next century." The sinking of New Jersey results from the fact that " e sheets that covered New Jersey during that last Ice Age pushed the Earth's crust down into the mantle below and that sinking continues today." (''See
Post-glacial rebound Post-glacial rebound (also called isostatic rebound or crustal rebound) is the rise of land masses after the removal of the huge weight of ice sheets during the last glacial period, which had caused isostatic depression. Post-glacial rebound an ...
)'' Rutgers scientist project that by 2030, "sea level is projected to rise by , with a best estimate of . In 2050, the range is with a best estimate of , and by 2100 the range is with a best estimate of ." "The
United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...
estimates that barrier islands of the New Jersey shore from Bay Head to Cape May would be broken up by new inlets or lost to erosion if sea level rises by the year 2100, unless people take actions to reduce erosion."


Storms

As sea level rises, potential storm surge rises as well, threatening coastal homes and infrastructure. "Wind speeds and rainfall intensity during hurricanes and tropical storms are likely to increase as the climate warms. Rising sea level is likely to increase flood insurance rates, while more frequent storms could increase the deductible for wind damage in homeowner insurance policies."
Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was an extremely large and devastating tropical cyclone which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States in late ...
, which struck New Jersey in 2012, was made particularly dangerous because of the storm surge it caused. "Recent studies find little evidence of an increase in the number of hurricanes and tropical storms in the North atlantic during the past century, but there is evidence of an increase in the frequency and intensity of intense tropical cyclones during the period since 1970." "A recent NOAA study projects that the return period for coastal inundation equivalent to that from Sandy would decrease to less than 20 years by the end of the century if sea level rise in New Jersey is at the high end of the expected range." A March 2019 report prepared by the
United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wo ...
"says coastal communities face a combined average of nearly $1.6 billion a year in damage in the future rom flooding, stormsif steps aren’t taken."


Effects on human health

"Heat-related hospitalizations and emergency department visits in the summer have been rising over the past decade in New Jersey" as of 2017.


Responses to climate change in New Jersey


Government

The New Jersey Global Warming Response Act of 2007 sets targets for New Jersey to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities intensify the greenhouse effect. This contributes to climate change. Carbon dioxide (), from burning fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, oil, and natural gas, is the main cause of climate chan ...
: a reduction to 1990 levels by 2020, and a reduction of 80 percent from 2006 levels by 2050. In December 2019, New Jersey joined consideration for a multi-state gasoline
cap-and-trade Carbon emission trading (also called carbon market, emission trading scheme (ETS) or cap and trade) is a type of emissions trading scheme designed for carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs). A form of carbon pricing, its purpose ...
program. The plan aims to reduce transportation-related tailpipe emissions, and would levy a tax on fuel companies based on
carbon dioxide emissions Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities intensify the greenhouse effect. This contributes to climate change. Carbon dioxide (), from burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas, is the main cause of climate change. The ...
. The most ambitious version of the plan is projected to reduce the area's tailpipe emissions by 25% between 2022 and 2032. The program is in the public comment phase, with individual states determining whether to participate. The program could begin as early as 2022.


University

In 2011, the New Jersey Climate Change Alliance was formed at
Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
. The organization "is a collective of organizations and individuals that share the goal of advancing science-informed
climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
strategies and policy at the state and local levels in New Jersey." "The Alliance is facilitated by Rutgers University through the Rutgers Climate Institute and the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy." The Rutgers Climate Institute at Rutgers University states that it "is a University-wide effort to address one of the most important issues of our time through research, education and outreach." The Institute facilitates collaboration across different academic departments and focuses on outreach.


See also

* Climate of New Jersey *
Effects of Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey Hurricane Sandy was the costliest natural disaster in the history of New Jersey, with economic losses to businesses of up to $30 billion. The most intense storm of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, Sandy formed in the Caribbean Sea on Oct ...
* Plug-in electric vehicles in New Jersey


References


Further reading

-- this chapter of the
National Climate Assessment The National Climate Assessment (NCA) is an initiative within the U.S. federal government focused on climate change science, formed under the auspices of the Global Change Research Act of 1990. Background The NCA is a major product of the U. ...
covers Northeast states


External links


Rutgers Climate InstituteNew Jersey Climate Change Alliance
{{New Jersey
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...