The Gulf of Maine and its coastal regions, including Downeast Washington County, are experiencing rapid ecological changes due to climate change. While the information below is daunting, research and conservation projects like those we support at EMCI are making a difference by helping improve management and adaptation plans. It is critical that work like this continues to get funded in order to protect the unique ecosystems and traditional industries that support the communities in Washington County. Please consider making a donation to help us continue our support of projects that preserve this beautiful and underserved region.
Here’s a consolidated overview of the key issues:
Warming Waters and Sea Level Rise
The Gulf of Maine is warming 97% faster than the global ocean, with water temperatures rising 3 times faster than the global average. This warming trend is accompanied by accelerated sea level rise, which has nearly doubled in the past 30 years. These changes resulted in massive storms in early January 2024 that severely impacted local communities, particularly the fishing community which experienced enormous loss of their working waterfront infrastructure.
Marine Biodiversity & Ecosystem Shifts
The Gulf’s rich biodiversity, home to over 3,300 species of marine plants and animals, is under threat:
- Warming waters are becoming too warm for cod and kelp forests.
- Kelp forests are declining, with some areas witnessing a 36.2% decrease between 1987 and 2015.
- In Downeast Washington County, kelp forests are transitioning to red algae turf reefs, altering habitat structures and potentially impacting fish communities. They now cover 50-60% of the ocean floor in some areas.
- Coastal mudflats in Washington County have seen drastic reductions in species diversity since the 1980s. Shellfish populations, crucial for local economies, are threatened by increasing ocean acidification.
- Other important commercial species like American lobster, Atlantic cod, and sea scallops are affected by changing conditions, which put additional pressure on the livelihood of traditional fishing communities. Cunner (also known as Tautog) and Pollock, fish species of less market value are now becoming dominant.
- The critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, among 30 at-risk species in the Gulf, faces challenges due to seasonal mismatches affecting food availability.
Terrestrial Ecosystem Changes
Climate change is having significant impacts on terrestrial species in Washington County, Maine. Here are some specific effects:
- The treeline and growing season in Washington County’s forests are shifting, with peak fall foliage now occurring almost two weeks later than it did in 1950.
- Climate change, coupled with increased pressure from non-native pathogens, insect pests, and invasive species, is altering the composition of Maine’s forests.
- Cedar and fir trees are sensitive to temperature and precipitation changes in the region. Spruce forests, particularly red spruce, are among the most climate-sensitive ecosystems in Maine. The U.S. Forest Service predicts a 50% decline in red spruce by 2100. Warming temperatures and changing precipitation patterns are also expected to reduce habitat suitability for balsam fir and other spruce species. Even small climatic changes could lead to rapid changes in these forests, as they are at the southern edge of their range. The spruce-fir forest decline could have cascading effects on wildlife, such as the potential loss of 60 bird species in Acadia National Park by 2150
- Beech leaf disease is becoming more visible, with many stands failing to recover after several seasons of canopy loss.
- White pine trees across the state are universally affected by white pine needle disease.
- Eight new wildlife species were added to the Maine State List of Endangered and Threatened Species in 2023, many due to climate change impacts. Newly listed species include the Saltmarsh Sparrow, Bicknell’s Thrush, Blackpoll Warbler, Marginated Tiger Beetle, Cliff and Bank Swallows, the Tricolored Bat, and Ashton’s Cuckoo Bumblebee. (Note: Several of these species live outside the Washington County area).
- Additional species vulnerable to climate change in Washington County include bats, amphibians, turtles, salmonid fish, and moose.
- A quarter of Maine’s at-risk butterflies are threatened by climate change.
- Maine birds are shifting their ranges due to climate change. Two-thirds of short-distance migrants and one-third of long-distance migrants are projected to decrease in the region. The Boreal Chickadee is already moving northward.
- Many of Maine’s insects, foundational to ecosystem food webs, are altering their flight periods due to climate change. These changes are causing mismatches between flowering and pollination, as well as between predators and prey.
- Changes in precipitation and hydrology, especially in ephemeral or vernal pools, are likely impacting Washington County’s amphibians.
- Climate warming is facilitating the establishment and spread of more invasive plant species in Washington County. The county’s biodiverse river shores and floodplains are particularly vulnerable to invasive plant proliferation. Invasive species like Common and Glossy Buckthorn are flourishing in warmer winters and replacing native understory plants.
Your support of projects that help understand and mitigate these impacts has enduring impacts! Thank you.