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How Climate Change Is Impacting the Puget Sound Region
From receding glaciers to a rising sea level, evidence that our region is warming is already profound. The question isn’t “if” climate change happening, but “how severely will it impact us?” And the answer hinges on actions taken (or not taken) today.
Warming temperatures
Average annual temperatures in the Pacific Northwest continue to rise, warming at a rate substantially greater than the global warming trend. A recent study by the University of Washington’s Climate Impacts Group found that since 1950, winter temperatures have warmed by 2.7 degrees F. These increases affect weather trends, and are predicted to bring wetter winters and warmer, drier summers.
Receding glaciers
Nearly every glacier in the Cascade and Olympic Mountain ranges has retreated during the past 50 – 150 years in response to warming. With roughly 70 percent of our electricity generated from hydropower, the reduction of regional snow pack will have significant implications for our energy future ‑ underscoring the need for conservation, efficiency, and diversifying the energy mix to include additional, renewable sources of power.
Rising sea levels
Sea level rise resulting from the melting of the polar icecaps, coupled with increased winter precipitation and sinking land is projected to be faster in the Pacific Northwest than the global average. This is likely to increase the rate of coastal erosion, near shore habitat loss, and landslides.
Ailing Salmon
Climate change is likely to create severe pressure for already stressed Puget Sound salmon population by impacting their physical environment, including the availability of food. Decreased and warmer summer flows in streams and lakes, increased salinity and pollutant concentrations and changes in the ecosystem and food availability are likely impacts of climate change that would stress sensitive salmon species.
Increased Drought and Risk of Forest Fires
Drier, warmer summer weather accompanied by reduced runoff in spring and summer will likely increase drought and the risk of forest fires. More forest fires will result in increased particulate matter, impacting air pollution and human health. A hotter climate could also lead to more noxious pest infections, as trees are often more susceptible to pests and disease when stressed by heat and lack of water. In British Columbia, warmer winters have been cited as a major cause of the Mountain Pine Beetle outreach, which has already destroyed an area of forest more than five times as large as Vancouver Island.
