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Assessment Of Historical Climate Variability In Maine With Implications For Future Agricultural Productivity And Adaptation, Carly Frank
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Climate change is a wicked problem with global impacts, one of which being the sustainability of the existing global food system. As temperatures and variability in precipitation are projected to increase, the challenges to agriculture are expected to intensify. This thesis examines the Maine historical climate record over the growing season, in combination with future projections, to assess how conditions have changed and will change with agricultural implications. In this analysis, relevant climatic variables are analyzed, and agriculture-significant measures are derived for Maine’s three climate divisions using four decades of daily and monthly gridded datasets. In addition, this thesis explores …
Adaptation Strategies For Wild Blueberry Growers In A Changing Climate: Mulching Effects On Crop Productivity And Fertility Effects On Blueberry Gall Midge, Rebecca Gumbrewicz
Adaptation Strategies For Wild Blueberry Growers In A Changing Climate: Mulching Effects On Crop Productivity And Fertility Effects On Blueberry Gall Midge, Rebecca Gumbrewicz
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Wild blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton.) cropping systems are considered resilient to environmental changes due to ecological and genetic diversity within each field. However, wild blueberries can be sensitive to weather fluctuations that cause extreme temperature or moisture regimes. Climate change in Maine is represented by increasing rates of warming temperatures, more intense precipitation events, and more frequent atmospheric “blocking” patterns. Warming temperatures result in the northward expansion of pest ranges and altered growing seasons. More extreme rainfall events lead to damaged plantings and soil erosion. Atmospheric blocking leads to an increased likelihood of heat waves and drought. Two experiments were …