Climate change to have serious impact on New York

Hema Easley in LoHud.com (New York): If you lost power after the recent nor’easter or struggled with flooding from Tropical Storm Irene, gear up. There’s more to come. Scientists at some prestigious New York universities say the recent bizarre weather may be a part of a trend in the coming decades as the state faces an outsize effect of climate change because of its northern latitude and geology.

“It’s certainly an excellent example of what is to come,” said Klaus Jacob, senior research scientist at Columbia University’s Palisades-based Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, one of several scientists who authored a study on the impact of climate change on New York state. “It has been relatively rare till now. What will be different is that it will be more frequent. Therefore the impact will be more severe,” Jacob said.

The study released by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority paints a grim picture of the impact, with high temperatures, a rise in sea level, downpours, floods and droughts. The effects of climate change, the study said, could have an impact on every region and facet of the economy by 2080, from farms to subways, local streets and businesses.

Temperatures in New York have risen by 2.4 percent in the last 40 years, more than twice the global average, and the sea level has increased by a foot, surpassing the global average of 7 inches, the study said.

It projects temperatures to rise 4 to 9 degrees by 2080, and the sea level by 8 to 23 inches. But in a worst-case scenario, sea levels could rise by 55 inches and have a dire effect on coastal communities. Though the study's predictions are dire, it says the state has the potential capacity to address many climate-related risks. By doing so it can reduce the impact and take advantage of possible opportunities....

Crews from Metro-North Railroad worked round the clock on the weekend of Oct. 29-30 to restore service as quickly as possible after a powerful nor'easter brought down many trees and power lines. Photo by Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license