New research from UNH says the effects of climate change on New Hampshire could start to accelerate by the middle of the century.
Researchers at UNH built a model that tries to predict the effects of climate change on New Hampshire specifically. It takes into account things like changes in temperature, land use, and population. It combines that with what we know about how different ecosystems will react.
The vision of the future the model spits out is bleak. In 20 years we could be down to an average of just 18 snow days a year. That’s compared to the current average of 60.
The research also shows that cold water fish, like trout, could lose more than half of their habitat.
Wilfred Wollheim is one of the study’s authors.
“The kinda surprising thing on this though was that even though we’re already seeing some changes in all these factors now, around 2040s, 2050s, that’s when all these changes will really accelerate.”
But Wollheim says their research also shows that a dire future isn’t inevitable. Under best case scenario projections, where we aggressively cut back on carbon emissions, the model shows the effects on the state are relatively minor.
