Meteorological drivers of groundwater recharge for spring (February-June), fall (October-January)... more Meteorological drivers of groundwater recharge for spring (February-June), fall (October-January), and recharge-year (October-June) recharge seasons were evaluated for northern New England and upstate New York from 1989 to 2018. Monthly groundwater recharge was computed at 21 observation wells by subtracting the water levels at the end of each month from the level of the previous month; only positive monthly
(A) Response percentages for climate-change question on 3 national and 21 statewide New Hampshire surveys; (B) percentage choosing the now/human response on 11 CERA/CAFOR surveys
<p>Respondents who said they do not know, or gave no answer, are categorized as DK/NA in (A... more <p>Respondents who said they do not know, or gave no answer, are categorized as DK/NA in (A).</p
December 2015 was 13.7 degrees Fahrenheit above the twentieth-century average; it topped the seco... more December 2015 was 13.7 degrees Fahrenheit above the twentieth-century average; it topped the secondwarmest December (2006) by 3.7 °F and the thirdwarmest (2001) by 4.6 °F.
RESEARCH ARTICLE Tracking Public Beliefs About Anthropogenic Climate Change
A simple question about climate change, with one choice designed to match consensus state-ments b... more A simple question about climate change, with one choice designed to match consensus state-ments by scientists, was asked on 35 US nationwide, single-state or regional surveys from 2010 to 2015. Analysis of these data (over 28,000 interviews) yields robust and exceptionally well replicated findings on public beliefs about anthropogenic climate change, including regional variations, change over time, demographic bases, and the interacting effects of respondent education and political views.We find that more than half of the US public accepts the scientific consensus that climate change is happening now, causedmainly by human activities. A sizable, politically opposite minority (about 30 to 40%) concede the fact of climate change, but believe it has mainly natural causes. Few (about 10 to 15%) say they believe cli-mate is not changing, or express no opinion. The overall proportions appear relatively stable nationwide, but exhibit place-to-place variations. Detailed analysis of 21 conse...
Examining Sea Ice in the Southern Ocean Using ArcGIS
Abstract: A ,National Science Foundation (NSF) project is underway ,with researchers at the Unive... more Abstract: A ,National Science Foundation (NSF) project is underway ,with researchers at the University of Delaware, the Australian Antarctic Division, the National Ice Center (NIC), Clarkson University, and the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) to evaluate two datasets - in situ (point) sea ice thickness observations and weekly ,ice charts (polygon). The goal is to ascertain their quality
to evaluate two datasets-in situ (point) sea-ice thickness observations and weekly ice charts (po... more to evaluate two datasets-in situ (point) sea-ice thickness observations and weekly ice charts (polygon). The goal is to ascertain their quality for use in monitoring sea-ice thickness and mass balance changes in the Southern Ocean. Sea-ice thickness calculations from both datasets are temporally joined with spatially averaged in situ observations matching their respective NIC ice chart using ArcGIS's field calculator, attribute query, spatial join and dissolve tools. The uncertainties of total ice thickness for both in situ observations and NIC ice charts are propagated through individual calculations and GIS tools. A composite product of the two datasets and their error estimates is being developed for monitoring sea-ice thickness, mass balance and validation fields for climate modeling. ArcGIS is used for the analysis of sea-ice conditions over the 1995-2000 period of study by visually and quantitatively examining the spatial extent of sea-ice and the variability of sea ice thickness for selected weeks during 1995 and 1998. The 3D Analyst extension also provides a means for displaying sea-ice thickness fields by draping the errors over the thickness estimates.
Will Arctic warming affect mid-latitude weather? Many researchers think so, and have addressed th... more Will Arctic warming affect mid-latitude weather? Many researchers think so, and have addressed this question through scientific articles and news media. Much of the public accepts such a connection as well. Across three New Hampshire surveys with more than 1500 interviews, 60% of respondents say they think future Arctic warming would have major effects on their weather. Arctic/weather responses changed little after Superstorm Sandy brushed the region, but exhibit consistently strong partisan divisions that grow wider with education. Belief in an Arctic/weather connection also varies, in a nonlinear pattern, with the temperature anomaly around day of interview. Interviewed on unseasonably warm or cool days, respondents are more likely to think that Arctic warming would have major effects on their weather. This unscientific response seems to mirror the scientific discussion about extremes.
A series of polls provides new tests for how weather influences public beliefs about climate chan... more A series of polls provides new tests for how weather influences public beliefs about climate change. Statewide data from 5000 random-sample telephone interviews conducted on 99 days over 2.5 yr (2010–12) are merged with temperature and precipitation indicators derived from U.S. Historical Climatology Network (USHCN) station records. The surveys carry a question designed around scientific consensus statements that climate change is happening now, caused mainly by human activities. Alternatively, respondents can state that climate change is not happening, or that it is happening but mainly for natural reasons. Belief that humans are changing the climate is predicted by temperature anomalies on the interview day and the previous day, controlling for season, survey, and individual characteristics. Temperature effects concentrate among one subgroup, however: individuals who identify themselves as independent, rather than aligned with a political party. Interviewed on unseasonably warm da...
This report was completed in fulfillment of: RSA 483-B:22 Coastal and Great Bay Region Reports. T... more This report was completed in fulfillment of: RSA 483-B:22 Coastal and Great Bay Region Reports. The commissioner of the department of environmental services shall convene representatives of the department of transportation, the division of homeland security and emergency management, the office of strategic initiatives, and other agencies as he or she deems appropriate, at least every five years, commencing July 1, 2019 to supervise an updating of storm surge, sea-level rise, precipitation, and other relevant projections recommended in the coastal risks and hazards commission 2014 report "Sea-Level Rise, Storm Surges, and Extreme Precipitation in Coastal New Hampshire: Analysis of Past and Projected Trends. " This report shall be distributed to all state agencies, municipalities in the coastal and Great Bay region, the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, the president of the senate and the chairs of the house and senate committees with jurisdiction over issues related to such projections.
The albedo of seasonal snow cover plays an important role in the global climate system due to its... more The albedo of seasonal snow cover plays an important role in the global climate system due to its influence on Earth's radiation budget and energy balance. Volunteer Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow-Albedo (CoCoRaHS-Albedo) observers collected 3249 individual daily albedo, snow depth and density measurements using standardized techniques at dozens of sites across New Hampshire, USA over four winter seasons. The data show that albedo increases rapidly with snow depth up to ~0.14 m. Multiple linear regression models using snowpack age, snow depth or density, and air temperature provide reasonable approximations of surface snow albedo during times of albedo decay. However, the linear models also reveal systematic biases that highlight an important non-linearity in snow albedo decay. Modeled albedo values are reasonably accurate within the range of 0.6–0.9, but exhibit a tendency to overestimate lower albedo values and underestimate higher albedo values. We hypothesize t...
Cold Winters Warming? Perceptions of Climate Change in the North Country
Weather, Climate, and Society
Public acceptance of the reality of human-caused climate change has risen gradually in the United... more Public acceptance of the reality of human-caused climate change has risen gradually in the United States, reflecting cumulative impacts from scientific research and communication, and perhaps also from experienced manifestations such as extreme weather or change to familiar seasons. In the rural North Country of northern New England, a key manifestation of climate change has been warming winters. A 2017 survey asked North Country residents whether they thought that recent winters have been warmer compared with earlier decades. Winter warming, which in this historically snowy region has broad impacts ranging from the economy to everyday life, was recognized by a majority of residents young and old, male and female, with little or much education—but not by the most conservative. Although our winter question does not mention climate change, responses followed patterns similar to a subsequent question about human-caused climate change. Moreover, the partisan gradient in response to both...
A simple question about climate change, with one choice designed to match consensus statements by... more A simple question about climate change, with one choice designed to match consensus statements by scientists, was asked on 35 US nationwide, single-state or regional surveys from 2010 to 2015. Analysis of these data (over 28,000 interviews) yields robust and exceptionally well replicated findings on public beliefs about anthropogenic climate change, including regional variations, change over time, demographic bases, and the interacting effects of respondent education and political views. We find that more than half of the US public accepts the scientific consensus that climate change is happening now, caused mainly by human activities. A sizable, politically opposite minority (about 30 to 40%) concede the fact of climate change, but believe it has mainly natural causes. Few (about 10 to 15%) say they believe climate is not changing, or express no opinion. The overall proportions appear relatively stable nationwide, but exhibit place-to-place variations. Detailed analysis of 21 conse...
Spatial-resolution errors (E R) of sea-ice thickness (z) remain largely unquantified. We address ... more Spatial-resolution errors (E R) of sea-ice thickness (z) remain largely unquantified. We address this issue using remotely sensed and in situ observations of the Southern Ocean (south of-60°) to determine appropriate number of observations (frequency) and length scales for continental-scale sea-ice studies. Sea-ice thickness is not normally distributed such that the mean, median and mode are distinct from each other. Averaging only retains the mean value, thereby reducing both bias and natural variability as z is aggregated to coarse resolutions. Analysis of E R evaluated for 1°, 2°, 3°, 4°, and 5°resolutions shows absolute E R increasing with grid-cell size and sea-ice extent from sea-ice charts and ship observations. The absolute E R for 1°gridded thickness distribution ranges from 0.02 to 0.40 m and for the 5°grid from 0.03 to 0.78 m. Although the E R for gridded ice-chart products is lower (E R ≤ 0.20 m) than gridded ship observations (0.10 m < E R < 0.80 m), relative E R between datasets remains consistent. From these results, recommendations for dataset use and future sea-ice observation frequency and distribution schemes are discussed.
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Papers by Mary Stampone