Climate and Coastal Resilience Archives - Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment

Acadia National Park Stream Crossings Assessed for Erosion Potential and Flood Vulnerability

Joan LeBlanc — Thu, 21 May 2026 15:51:02 +0000

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researchers working in coordination with the National Park Service (NPS) found that Acadia National Park has had stronger and more frequent precipitation events in recent years, leading to a rise in high, infrastructure-damaging streamflows, stream erosion, and costly impairments to historic carriage roads and trails.

To improve infrastructure management in anticipation of more frequent and intense flooding events, the USGS, in cooperation with the NPS, has developed multiple datasets that can help Acadia National Park’s natural resource managers identify the stream reaches and stream crossings (i.e. culverts and bridges) that have the highest potential for erosion and flood damage.

In addition to the report, USGS and NPS have created an online dashboard that enables users to click on a stream reach or crossing to view its erosion potential and flood vulnerability details.

Read the complete update from the USGS New England Water Science Center: HERE

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2025 Gulf of Maine Temperature Report Now Available

Joan LeBlanc — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 12:47:00 +0000

The Gulf of Maine Research Institute recently released its 2025 Gulf of Maine Temperature Report, which summarizes recent ocean temperature changes in the region through three perspectives: facts, drivers, and impacts.

Highlights from the Year

In 2025, the Gulf of Maine experienced its 15th warmest sea surface temperature (SST) year on record (51.3°F; +0.74°F above normal).
Bottom temperature (BT) ranked as the 11th coolest year on record (-0.38°F below normal), marking a notable surface-bottom contrast.
Surface warming was strongest during late summer and early fall, with three marine heatwave events between July and October, while bottom temperatures remained relatively cool and did not reach extreme thresholds.
Long-term trends continue to show rapid warming in the Gulf of Maine, nearly triple the global ocean average at the surface, with the strongest warming occurring during the stratified summer months.

The complete 2025 report is available on the Gulf of Maine Research Institute’s website: HERE

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New Hampshire Updates Coastal Flood Risk Summary

Joan LeBlanc — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 00:45:00 +0000

New Hampshire recently released the first in a series of planned updates to the state’s Coastal Flood Risk Summary. The New Hampshire Coastal Flood Risk Summary – Part 1: Science provides a synthesis of the state of the science relevant to coastal flood risks in New Hampshire. Specifically, this document provides updated trends projections of sea-level rise, coastal storms, groundwater rise, precipitation, and freshwater flooding for coastal New Hampshire. This 2025 report updates the earlier 2019 report. This information is intended to serve as the scientific foundation for the updated companion resource, Part II: Guidance for Using Best Available Science, which will be published in 2026.

This report and details about additional planned updates are available on the NH Department of Environmental Services website: HERE

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New Brunswick Launches State of the Coast

Joan LeBlanc — Sat, 08 Nov 2025 01:11:00 +0000

The New Brunswick Department of Environment and Local Government has launched a State of the Coast report to begin tackling complex coastal pressures. This is a foundational step toward understanding the challenges facing New Brunswick’s unique coastal regions and identifying opportunities for improvement and action. This report will lead to recommendations to help protect and strengthen coastal communities in the face of increasing pressures. New Brunswick is collaborating with other provincial and federal departments, Indigenous groups, coastal experts, and members of the public to develop the report:

In the fall of 2025, the Department of Environment and Local Government hosted two coastal expert engagement sessions with more than 100 participants. The first session focused on information gathering and sharing, while the second explored key challenges and practical solutions to reduce coastal risks impacting natural, built, and socioeconomic systems. A summary of feedback received from these discussions and details about future public engagements planned for 2026 are available: HERE.

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Massachusetts Releases ResilientCoasts Final Plan

Joan LeBlanc — Sat, 08 Nov 2025 00:32:00 +0000

On November 6, 2025, the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) released the ResilientCoasts Final Plan, which outlines guidance and strategies to address near- and long-term vulnerability to coastal hazards like sea level rise, storm surge, and erosion along the Massachusetts coastline over the next 50 years.

The Executive Summary and complete Final Plan are available on the MA CZM website: here

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Fall 2024 Climate Outlook

gomc_wpadmin — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 14:04:58 +0000

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook
Gulf of Maine Region
December 2024

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Summer 2025 Climate Outlook

gomc_wpadmin — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 14:02:52 +0000

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook
Gulf of Maine Region
September 2025

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CLIMAtlantic Coastal Adaptation Toolkit

Joan LeBlanc — Thu, 08 May 2025 19:56:20 +0000

During the Gulf of Maine Council’s May 2025 meeting, Jenna Miller presented an overview of New Brunswick’s CLIMAtlantic Coastal Adaptation Toolkit, which provides guidance to help coastal communities in Atlantic Canada prepare for coastal climate impacts. View the presentation here. Link directly to the toolkit here.

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