Eric Bonewald D-APES: Climate Change at Proctor

This week in APES our assignment is to submit a photo blog on climate change that we see throughout campus. Is there evidence that it is or is not occurring, or perhaps both?

While spending time on campus it is very hard for me to be observant enough to notice climate change and wether or not it is happening. This is my third year at Proctor and wile spending the last couple days walking around campus I can't see and immediate climate change, but I can compare what I see this year with past years.

Recently I have been noticing the lack of snow fall. 'As an Easter Skier how could you right?' So I looked into it. According to RichLeftko, a website I found with average snow falls says the New Hampshire state average snow fall (since they had started keeping data) was 69.75" per year. This winter we have counted just under 29" as an average. I know winter is not over, but Im not convinced we are getting 40 more inches in March.

Lack of snow fall seen on the turf fields (February)

With this crazy winter, I have noticed a dramatic change from last year. In the last two years, we have seen two dramatic winters. Last year was dramatically cold and this year, the opposite, dramatically warm. As a result of the brutally warm temperatures I have seen the small run off stream from the blackwater river you cross on your way to the ski hill is not frozen in mid February.

Unfrozen stream at the ski hill (February)

With this above average warm air it is almost impossible for water to freeze. Especially with the sudden increases and decreases in temperatures. This December in New Hampshire was a record breaking warm month. As you can see in the WMUR calendar, all of the red days are above average, blue is below and gray is average. This calendar goes to show the dramatic winter we are having.

December 2015, Warmest ever

Both examples I have brought up here are reasons to believe Climate Change is happening, But Climate is defined as; "an area's long-term atmospheric conditions" While Weather is defined as; "the state of the atmosphere with respect to wind, temperature, pressure, and perspiration on a short term basis."

With the last two winters New Hampshire has seen, it is safe to say it it neither evidence of climate change or global warming, but 'Extreme Weather' where storms happen on a larger scale and become magnified. The extreme weather can be both snow storms and heat waves.

Change is inevitable, but are we speeding it up? What can we do so slow it down?

Lets stop warm winters like this from ever happening again.

I know the Proctor ski hill will be happy with that!