Connecticut’s Changing Coast in the Era of Climate Changeat Pardee-Morris House

New Haven, Conn. (June 24, 2024) –  Connecticut’s coastline is a dynamic area –changing daily with the tides, seasonally and with major storm event like Tropical Storm Irene and Superstorm Sandy. But the impacts of climate change are affecting our shores:  rising water temperatures are changing the fish, tidal marshes are getting wetter with rising sea level, beaches are migrating or even disappearing. The New Haven Museum will present, “Connecticut’s Changing Coast in the Era of Climate Change, ” with environmentalist Dr. Juliana Barrett, at the Pardee-Morris House on Sunday, July 14, 2024, at 2 p.m. Register for this free event here. For weather updates check FB/IG or call 203-562-4183.

Barrett’s goal is for visitors to gain understanding and appreciation of coastal habitats and how climate change is impacting them. “Our shoreline is changing both due to natural causes and climate change,” she says. “More and more communities are grappling with how to preserve coastal areas and further resilience efforts. The better that we can understand the geology and ecology of coastal habitats, the better we can consider resilience efforts that are appropriate.”

Barrett explains that the diversity of Connecticut’s coastal habitats provides homes and food for a wide range of species. During her lecture, Barrett will highlight different habitats and the species that may be found in them, such as American beach grass, which is the predominant plant of our dune systems and is specially adapted to living in a harsh environment.

Barrett notes that the projection for sea level rise on the Connecticut coast is 20 inches by 2050. She’ll discuss the impacts of climate change on the coastal ecosystems and different adaptation techniques that are proposed or in use to improve the resilience of these area. She’ll also offer simple-yet-effective ways the public can affect change, from landscaping with native plants to replacing gas-powered yard equipment with electric ones, and much more.