Climate Change in New England at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History

NEW HAVEN - Learn more about how New England climate is changing and how might it affect you beginning Dec.15 at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History.

A new exhibit, "Seasons of Change: Global Warming in Your Backyard,” is an "interactive traveling exhibition from Brown University's Center for Environmental Studies and Clean Air-Cool Planet's New England Science Center Collaborative, opens at the Peabody" then.

The exhibit "illustrates how climate change is impacting the landscape of New England over the change of the seasons. Although New England climate change is the focus, global climate change is addressed as well," according to a release.

The exhibit runs through Feb. 24.

 

"This family-friendly exhibition uses computer games, videos and hands-on specimens to illustrate the science of global warming and climate change," the release said. 

"As visitors control a global climate change simulation and compare coastal flooding today with projections for the year 2100, they will have help formulating answers to the question: What will you miss most about your current climate? The ultimate message is that it’s not staying the same." 

Also according to the release: "New England is already experiencing changes that are consistent with global warming: rising temperatures and sea levels, decreasing snow cover and earlier springs. With these changes, we can also expect more extreme weather: more summer days above 100°F; more damaging nor'easters; and more seasonal droughts. Scientists also predict a 10 percent increase in precipitation in the next 50 years, including fewer, more intense rain events and more winter rainstorms. Coastal regions will be at greater risk of flooding and erosion.

"Changes in climate are in turn affecting our local flora and fauna in the form of altered habitat, breeding and migration patterns and the availability of food. Invasive insects are eating through forest habitats. Migratory bird ranges are shifting in response to warmer weather and changing forest composition. Higher temperatures and decreased water quality pose health risks for cold-water fish like brook trout. And how will our beloved New England diet of lobster, cod and scallops be affected? With rising temperatures in the North Atlantic putting these marine species at increasing risk, these foods and others will become scarcer. As our climate continues to change, some species will adapt. Others may have nowhere to go."

"Seasons of Change was made possible by a grant from the National Science Foundation and support from the Environmental Defense Fund, the release said The presenting sponsor is Energize CT.

Editor's note: All information and the photo in this post were contributed.