Five Environmental Issues Facing Maryland

Climate change is here and affects your community now, in ways you might not even realize. Here are five environmental issues facing Maryland right now.

1. Eutrophication in the Chesapeake Bay. The Bay is the largest estuary in the United States, and the third largest in the world, according to the EPA. The farmland runoff washes directly into the Bay, leading to excess nitrogen and phosphorous which leads to algal blooms. Those blooms block out the sun and use up all the oxygen in the water. The blooms then die and create dead spots. Warmer water will increase the incidents of blooms and increase eutrophication in the Bay. This kills fish, crabs, and natural vegetation, vital to the health of the Bay. which is very important economically and culturally to Maryland.
2. Sea level rise. As we all know Southern Maryland is surrounded by water. Increased ice melt will cause the sea level in Maryland to rise by 2.1 feet by 2050. This may not seem like a lot, but this will cause an increase in flood potential and will also lead to increased storm surges, which will cause economic damages. It will also pose a serious threat to island communities.
3. Extreme weather events. Hurricanes like Florence and Michael were severe, and will continue to increase in intensity and frequency. These storms are fed by the warm ocean water and air and start to spin. So, with warmer water, the storms get bigger and more powerful, and we see many more. With no end in sight for global warming, there is no end in sight for record breaking storms.
4. Aquifer depletion. Underground aquifers provide drinking water for about 1.4 million people in the Central Coastal Plain of Maryland, according to the Geological Society of America. Overuse of potable water from underground aquifer waters lowers the level of the water table, and if this continues it will lead to saltwater intrusion. Saltwater intrusion occurs when the fresh water level is so low underground salty sea water moves into it to replenish it. This creates brackish aquifers that are not usable by humans, and greatly threatens water accessibility.
5. General health. Increased environmental temperatures are not good for community health, with the elderly most at risk. Heatstroke and asthma are on the rise due to increasing temperature and decreasing air quality. Not only is it harmful to be out in high temperatures, it changes insect phenology, which is the timing for important biological functions. The tick nymph stage is going to last three weeks longer, which is projected to increase human exposure to Lyme disease.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of environmental challenges facing Maryland. All projections indicate there will be no relief anytime soon, so our attention should be directed towards surviving the oncoming storm and saving as much as we can. In addition, there are feedback loops in the environment that could drastically change the projections, like the albedo effect or the thawing of peat in Siberia. The albedo effect is how much light is reflected back into space by the ice sheets and deserts. When the ice sheets melt, they are replaced by darker ocean water. Think of it like a t-shirt the Earth is wearing. Which is cooler, a white t-shirt or a dark blue one? The peat bogs in Siberia trap methane. As they thaw, they release methane bubbles, which is a greenhouse gas. This also happens in ice-sheets, but that’s another story. These climate change multipliers could mean dire consequences for Maryland if we do not act to address them now.