As the Buzzards Bay Coalition continues to tackle the long-term problems that impact the Bay’s health, we find the complexity of the problems expanding with the changing of the climate.

How are warming waters changing the Bay?

Our 2022 State of the Bay report showed significant reductions in nitrogen and toxic pollution. Yet climate change is moving the goal post and changing the Bay restoration landscape.  Warmer water in the Bay – up 4 degrees Fahrenheit since the mid-1990s – now allows bacteria to persist longer leading to shellfish bed and beach closures. It also extends the season of biological activity in the Bay, encouraging algae to bloom on lower levels of nitrogen. In effect, we need to remove more nitrogen in a warmer Bay to see the same water quality improvements. 

Why are salt marshes at risk from rising seas?

Thriving on the ebb and flow of the tide, salt marshes provide a critical ecosystem for wildlife, coastal resilience, and ensuring clean water. Moreover, salt marshes are carbon sinks, storing three to four times more planet-warming carbon than tropical forests.  Our marshes are in trouble. Buzzards Bay salt marshes at low marsh surface elevations are susceptible to drowning with sea level rise. Land protection of areas adjacent to marshes is one of the most promising methods to help conserve marshes into the next century. 

What does extreme weather mean for water quality?

More intense rain events cause flooding and runoff issues that introduce pollutants into our waterways. Most of Buzzards Bay’s beaches are clean and safe to swim. But some beaches near rivers, salt marsh channels, stormwater pipes, and combined sewer overflows (CSOs) can have high levels of bacterial contamination after heavy rains. This bacterial contamination has shut down beaches and shellfish beds throughout the year, and the frequency has risen in recent years with the increased frequency and severity of storm events.