newjerseynewsroom.com

BY JOE TYRRELL

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Some like it hot, and those who do can stay put in New Jersey.

Everyone else should expect more record heat, severe rains, heavy snowfalls, rising tides and damaging floods, according to a new report by Environment New Jersey.

"The record temperatures that we experienced in New Jersey this summer have given us a glimpse of what we can expect in the future," said Rutgers professor Jim Miller of the Institute of Marine and Coastal Science, one of the authors of the study.

Entitled "Global Warming and Extreme Weather: The Science, the Forecast and the Impacts on America," the study brought together experts from this region to detail the findings of their research and the overall state of the planet.

"This summer's record-breaking heat, and this spring's nor'easters were just two examples of how extreme weather causes extremely big problems for New Jersey's economy and our public safety," said Whitney Larsen of Environment New Jersey.

In March, one storm unleashed more than six inches of rain in parts of the state, sending the Raritan River nine feet above flood level. Another storm dumped several more inches a few days later.

The "astounding" rainfall affected more than 635,000 customers of Public Service Electric & Gas, the state's largest utility, making the deluge the worst weather event in the company's history, according to corporate Chairman Ralph Izzo.

But in July, PSE&G and other utilities has to ask customers to temper their usage, something many people did anyway as air conditioning bills rose along with the mercury.

According to state climatologist David Robinson, another author of the study, June was the hottest month ever recorded in the 105 years that weather data has been kept in New Jersey. July was second; August was 10th.

Now, a continued lack of rainfall has caused the state Department of Environmental Protection to issue a drought watch, asking residents to voluntarily cut back on their water usage.

"The drought is deepening and showing no signs of letting up soon," DEP Commissioner Robert Martin said in a statement, adding the entire state needs "several days of heavy, soaking rain."

Drought conditions have harmed some New Jersey crops, with corn and hay yields expected to decline about 20 percent, according to Environment New Jersey.

Of course, these results are no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention in the past 20 years. For decades, climate models have shown that as global temperatures rise, weather patterns would get more extreme.

As a generally low-lying state largely surrounded by water, New Jersey is more vulnerable than many areas. Recent decades have seen significant breaks in the historical weather pattern, with more frequent heavy storms causing damaging floods along riverfronts throughout the state, even as sea levels creep up.

"Global sea-level rise is of the more certain impacts of human induced global warming," said one of the report's authors, Benjamin Horton of the University of Pennsylvania.

Horton, a professor of earth and environmental science, was a member of the research team that last year found ocean levels along the Atlantic seaboard rose faster during the 20th Century than at any time in the past 4,000 years.

"Given the large and growing concentration of population and economic activity in the coastal zone of New Jersey, as well as the importance of its coastal ecosystems, the potential impacts of sea-level rise elicit widespread concern," he said.

The new report certainly benefited from its timing, being able to cite many extreme events within the past year. But Environment New Jersey geared the release as much to extreme politics as anything else in the atmosphere.

The release follows congressional action and inaction effectively blocking pollution controls on some major contributors to global warming. Meanwhile, the Obama Administration is reviewing potential new fuel economy and emissions standards for cars and trucks – an initial round had the backing of the auto industry, but a limited timeframe.

In New Jersey, "the Christie Administration is looking at opening up the state's energy master plan," Larsen said. Her group wants to make sure that does not include a "retreat" from programs encouraging alternative energy and limiting pollution, she said.

Joe Tyrrell may be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it