While many Marylanders go "down d' ocean" to enjoy the shore beaches, many others head to the rivers, reservoirs and streams to fish, kayak, or canoe. As the climate changes and temperatures and precipitation rise, those rivers will feel the heat and rising water, but not nearly as much as the shoreline. That's mostly because the state's rivers already are controlled by a series of dams and reservoirs.
There's no question that temperature and precipitation are increasing, causing a rise in global sea level. That is reflected up stream in tidal rivers in Maryland and elsewhere in the U.S.
Precipitation, particularly in the summer months, is also increasing, according to Dr. Konstantin Vinnikov, research scientist in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science at the University of Maryland, who published a thorough study of Maryland climate change in 2014. Vinnikov says increase in sea level is the most worrisome development for Maryland due to climate change. Rivers, he said, can be controlled by existing dams.
Vinnikov's report called for more funding for local research into climate change, since the effects will be nothing short of disastrous without research and preventive techniques and the state should be prepared, he said.
When the Maryland authorities, like the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission which controls the Patuxent River and adjoining reservoirs in surrounding counties like Montgomery and Howard, want to know how much precipitation they are going to see, they consult UMD scientists like Dr. Ross Salawitch, professor of atmospheric science.
That precipitation information means that the WSSC and other water authorities can decide whether to release water from the reservoirs to prevent flooding and to protect the drinking water supply. When there is a heavy or long-lasting rainfall, WSSC says they will routinely release water from the Brighton and T. Howard Duckett dams on the Patuxent River spanning the Montgomery and Howard County lines to protect the dam and to reduce peak flooding levels downstream. There has been no great flooding in the areas since June 1972 in the aftermath of Hurricane Agnes.
While the first priority of the WSSC is to protect drinking water, it also oversees recreating on the reservoirs of the Patuxent River, Maryland's longest river. The WSSC Patuxent River Watershed recreation program allos visitors to pay a fee to fish, boat, horseback ride, hike, bird watch, bow hunt (with restrictions) and picnic.
Meanwhile, "down d' ocean," one of the biggest worries about climate change has to do with a Maryland delicacy -- crabs. Scientists are concerned about rising acid in the water, which hampers crab development.
While the first priority of the WSSC is to protect drinking water, it also oversees recreating on the reservoirs of the Patuxent River, Maryland's longest river. The WSSC Patuxent River Watershed recreation program allos visitors to pay a fee to fish, boat, horseback ride, hike, bird watch, bow hunt (with restrictions) and picnic.
Meanwhile, "down d' ocean," one of the biggest worries about climate change has to do with a Maryland delicacy -- crabs. Scientists are concerned about rising acid in the water, which hampers crab development.
http://www.atmos.umd.edu/~kostya/Sclim/Reports/Lancaster_march15_2014.pdf
From the ocean beaches to the rivers and reservoirs, Maryland depends on its water resources. As climate change continues to take hold in the state, coastal communities might take a look at the series of dams and reservoirs located along the rivers. Coastal cities and towns might think about instituting breakfronts, and enhanced zoning rules to take into account the rising waters. As the nation and the world struggle with how to mitigate the coming climate change, Maryland's beach areas can learn from the river management. Otherwise, there may be "shorefront" property available far, far inland in just a few years.
