Josh Laufer
1/25/13
UEP 231: Intro GIS
Professor Parmenter
Assignment#1: Environmental Analyses in Maine
Topic #1: Maine Biomass Energy Potential in the Context of Climate Change
Maine is the most forested state in the United States (Jacobson, Fernandez, Mayewski, &
Schmitt (Eds.), 2009). The relative abundance of forest in the state contributes to their high
potential and utilization of wood residues for energy (“Maine: Profile analysis,” 2009; Roberts,
2009). Climate scientists predict that climate change will affect the resilience, species range, and
survival of many trees in the state (Jacobson, Fernandez, Mayewski, & Scmitt (Eds.), 2009).
These impacts will likely alter the biomass potential in the state spatially and quantitatively. One
question I could explore is how the ranges and densities of the state’s major hardwoods may
change under different climate change scenarios. Another question is how will various climate
change scenarios alter the overall biomass potential for the state.
One source that helped me reflect on my topic was the “Maine’s Climate Future: An
Initial Assessment” report (Jacobson, Fernandez, Mayewski, & Schmitt (Eds.), 2009). In its
third chapter, there is a section that goes into some detail about predicted climate change impacts
and species range changes in Maine’s forests. Wood production is expected to increase, while
root and foliage production is anticipated to decrease due to drought stress. Many of Maine’s
current species are reliant on nutrient-poor, acidic soils; climate change may render these
adaptations less favorable because of higher nutrient densities and CO2 concentrations in the
atmosphere. Thus, some species will not survive within the state, while others will adapt to the
new conditions in the state.
With regards to energy from wood residues, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory
(NREL) and US Energy Information Administration (EIA) both provided information and data
useful in going forwards on an analysis of wood residue energy in Maine (“Maine: Profile
Analysis,” 2009; Roberts, 2009). These sources spatially and quantitatively delve into the
current abundance and utilization of wood residue for electricity generation. These data sets will
be critical in pursuing this topic because it provides a baseline abundance and utilization that
changes in climate can alter.
A preliminary scan of several sources revealed that there are at least several possible
sources of freely available data I could use on this topic. The NREL, EIA, and Forest Inventory
Analysis National Program (FIA) all have free and publicly available data sets on Maine. I still
need to search for updated climate data. At this stage, I’m unaware of other possible useful
sources of data sets on this topic and whether these sources alone would be enough to answer my
research questions.
Topic #2: Vulnerability of Maine Coastal Residents to Climate Change Impacts
Maine’s coast houses a large fraction of the state’s permanent population and is the
source of a substantial amount of the state’s economic activity (Jacboson, Fernandez, Mayewski,
& Schmitt (Eds.), 2009). Climate scientists predict sea levels will continue to rise and violent
storms will likely create storm surges unprecedented in recorded history (Vermeer and
Rahmstorf, 2009; Schiermeier, 2008). Maine’s coastal residents, businesses, and industries may
be at risk from these impacts (Jacobson, Fernandez, Mayewski, & Schmitt (Eds.), 2009). One
question on this topic I could investigate is the extent of sea level rise under various climate
change scenarios: how much coastal land may become permanently flooded? A corollary
question is what residents and businesses will be affected by varying degrees of sea level rise. A
second line of inquiry could be how far inland are coastal residents and businesses vulnerable to
storm surge based upon varying storm strengths and sea level rise scenarios.
“An Estimate of Population Impacted by Climate Change Along the U.S. Coast” grappled
with essentially the topic I’m considering, but at a much broader scale (Lam et al., 2009). The
goal of the authors was to map out vulnerable coastal areas along all of the U.S. coastlines, and
determine the number of people at risk from sea level rise and hurricanes. The authors used GIS,
US Census data, LandScan population data, national elevation data from the U.S. Geological
Survey, and shoreline geospatial data from NOAA. They found that over 27,000 people in
Maine were within one kilometer and less than three meters above sea level, putting them at an
elevated risk to climate change impacts.
“Maine’s Climate Future: An Initial Assessment” provided context on the issue of
climate change in the state (Jacobson, Fernandez, Mayewski, & Schmitt (Eds.), 2009). The third
chapter of the report has a section that focuses on the potential impacts along the coast of the
Gulf of Maine. Among these include estimates of human and economic damage resulting from
sea level rise and storms amplified by elevated sea levels.
In terms of relevant data, the data sources utilized in “An Estimate of Population
Impacted by Climate Change Along the U.S. Coast” may be a great place to start. However, I
have yet to determine how accessible those data sets are, and where else I may be able to acquire
GIS data relevant to Maine’s coastline. Recent climate change projection data would also prove
valuable for this project, but I have yet to find it.
References
Jacobson, G. L., Fernandez, I. J., Mayewski, P. A., & Schmitt, C. V. (Eds.). (2009, April).
Maine's climate future: An initial assessment (Rep.). Retrieved January 24, 2013, from
UMaine website: http://climatechange.umaine.edu/files/Maines_Climate_Future.pdf
Lam, N. S., Arenas, H., Li, Z., & Liu, K. (2009). An estimate of population impacted by climate
change along the U.S. coast. Journal of Coastal Research, (56), 1522-1526. Retrieved
January 24, 2013, from http://egeo.fcsh.unl.pt/ICS2009/_docs/ICS2009_Volume_II/1522.1526_N.Lam_ICS2009.pdf
Maine: Profile analysis. (2009, October). U.S. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved
January 24, 2013, from http://www.eia.gov/beta/state/analysis.cfm?sid=ME
Roberts, B. (2009, September 23). Biomass resources of the United States: Forest residues
[Map]. In National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Retrieved January 24, 2013, from
http://www.nrel.gov/gis/images/map_biomass_forest_residues.jpg
Schiermeier, Q. (2008, September 03). Hurricanes are getting fiercer. Nature.com. Retrieved
January 24, 2013, from
http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080903/full/news.2008.1079.html
Vermeer, M., & Rahmstorf, S. (2009). Global sea level linked to global temperature.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 1-6. Retrieved January 24, 2013, from
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/12/04/0907765106.full.pdf+html