Exeter developing climate change adaptation plan

Aaron Sanborn in Seacoastonline.com: By the end of 2014, the town [of Exeter, New Hampshire] is expected to have the most rigorous climate change adaptation plan on the Seacoast. Through a $683,472 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the University of New Hampshire and Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve are working with the town to develop a plan based on Exeter's perspectives using hydraulic and hydrologic modeling and climate change scenarios.

Paul Kirshen, a research professor with UNH's Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space, said Exeter was a good fit for the grant because the grant focuses on the protection of large watersheds and Exeter sits along the Great Bay watershed.

In addition, Exeter is already focusing on some of the areas this study will highlight, such as stormwater runoff, non-point source pollution and flood projections. The study will also look at how climate change may impact the Squamscott River and its ecosystem.

"Exeter is already concerned about many of these issues and climate change will make them worse," Kirshen said. "As part of climate change we're expecting more intense rain storms. Any problem Exeter already has with water is going to be worse with climate change."

Kirshen said there are some models that indicate the area could see a sea-level rise of 1 to 2 feet by 2050, which would put additional stress on the tidal marshes of the Squamscott River. He said it's important for the town to understand what the potential impacts of this might be so it can factor it into its future planning of developments, land use decision-making, drainage networks and future infrastructure needs, such as the new wastewater treatment plant....

The Exeter Town Hall, shot by Beancounter603, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

New Hampshire experts express concern for rising sea levels, lack of planning

Christa Marshall in Fosters.com: Driving past an undulating sea wall on New Hampshire's coast, Steve Miller pointed at the blue ocean and said the placid waters were deceptively calm. During winter storms now, the ocean gets busier than it has gotten in the past. Sometimes it flings baseball-sized rocks over the barrier onto the road, he said. Just across the road are miles of mansions with their manicured lawns and gazebos. Because of its high property values and the tourism dollars it attracts, the stretch is known as the Gold Coast.

As the climate warms and the sea level rises, though, the Gold Coast could quickly become an expensive problem. Farther north, Miller turned onto a causeway connecting the city of Portsmouth with the island community of New Castle. The bridge artery is a few feet above the water line on a sunny day, but looks like a floating strip of highway during heavy rains and recent high "king tides."

"Imagine if you add climate change and storm surges to the situation," said Miller, a coastal training program coordinator at the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve who spoke as a private citizen for this article.

"I worry about a day when this entire bridge will be underwater," said Miller, passing floating buoys. "It's the only way in and out. If someone had a heart attack on the island, how would we get them out of here, and who would pay for it?"...

Sailboat crosses under the lift span of Portsmouth's Memorial Bridge, shot by JayDuck, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license