Climate Change
Climate change is causing long-term shifts in temperature, precipitation, and severe weather events globally. The climate in the Lake Champlain basin is becoming warmer, especially in winter, and wetter, even while experiencing prolonged droughts due to shifts in the water cycle. See the 2021 Vermont Climate Assessment for more data and extensive analysis.
Negative impacts from climate change include more flooding, stormwater runoff, and cyanobacteria blooms. More frequent and intense storms cause flooding along streams, rivers, and lakes, negatively impacting housing, businesses, farms, and water quality. Stormwater runoff in towns and cities resulting from more intense storms, out-of-date wastewater systems, and impermeable surfaces overwhelms infrastructure and increases water pollution. The number and duration of cyanobacteria blooms, catalyzed by excess nutrients mixed with warmer water temperatures, have increased within and across lakes in the region.
As part of Lake Champlain Sea Grant’s mission to develop and share science-based knowledge to benefit the environment and economies of the Lake Champlain basin, climate change is interconnected to many aspects of our work, even if not explicitly named. We work to help people increase climate change resilience at home and in communities by providing guidance and informational resources. Please contact us with questions or comments at seagrant [at] uvm.edu.
Guidance and Informational Resources
Actions to Increase Climate Change Resiliency
- Build a Rain Garden
- Install a Riparian Forest Buffer
- Raise the Blade for Greener Lawns and Cleaner Water
- Reduce Use of Deicing Salt
Our Outreach Initiatives
- Cyanobacteria
- Flood Resiliency & Shoreline Protection
- Green Infrastructure & Stormwater
- Lawn Care and Stormwater Runoff
- Riparian Forest Buffers
- Road Salt & Water Quality
Educational Resources from Lake Champlain Sea Grant
- Assessing Climate Change Within Lake Champlain (PDF) (educational poster)
- Climate Buoys on Lake Champlain (PDF) (rack card)
- Climate Change and Rainfall (webpage)
- Climate Change in the Champlain Basin (video)
Research from Lake Champlain Sea Grant
- Data and Information from climate buoys
- Floodplain mapping
- Reducing nutrient pollution from agricultural fields
- Reducing stormwater runoff from roads