Public Libraries Advancing Community Engagement (PLACE): Environmental Literacy Through Climate Change Discussion

A project developed to assist communities in becoming resilient to the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events. All events occur at public libraries in the Mad River Valley of Vermont during the fall of 2017. This opportunity is made possible by grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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Libraries

Joslin Memorial Library Waitsfield, VT (802) 496-4205 joslinmemoriallibrary.com

Moretown Memorial Library Moretown, VT (802) 496-9728 moretownlibrary.com

Warren Public Library Warren, VT (802) 496-3913 warrenlibrary.com

Announcement

Data links

Weather data for Waitsfield, VT, from the National Weather Service Forecast Office.

Current stream stage and flow for the Mad River near Moretown, VT, from the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service.

Annual peak streamflow and daily discharge for the Mad River near Moretown, VT (USGS 04288000).

Subscribe to the USGS WaterAlert to get notifications (via cell or email) about stream stage. Click here, then enter '04288000' in the field for 'Search by Site Number', then click the green arrow. Click on the grey marker in the Mad River, and click 'Subscribe to WaterAlert'. Enter your contact information, select 'gage height, in feet', and finally, enter '8' into the 'Real-time value is greater than' field. You will then receive notifications when the stream stage is greater than 8.0 feet (which is the action stage for the Mad River at this location; flood stage is 9.0 feet).

Climate Prediction Center three-month outlook and drought outlook from the National Weather Service.

National Hurricane Center.

Weather Glossary from the National Weather Service.

Climate Change Glossary from the British Broadcasting Company.

Past and present levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from CO2·Earth and NOAA.

Effects of ENSO events on weather patterns in the US.

Access the US Climate Resilience Toolkit.

Mansfield Heliflght provided numerous pictures of the flooding and destruction associated with Tropical Storm Irene.

The Vermont Department of Libraries produced a video entitled "In the Wake of Irene".

US Global Change Research Program Climate Science Special Report (Fifth Order Draft, 28 June 2017). This is a final draft report by scientists from 13 federal agencies. The report is part of the National Climate Assessment that is mandated by congress every four years. Some refer to this as the 'leaked' report, but this draft, and previous drafts, have been available online for many months.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (climate indicators) published a report, 'Climate Change Indicators in the United States (Fourth Edition, 2016)'. The authors state that: "The Earth's climate is changing. Temperatures are rising, snow and rainfall patterns are shifting, and more extreme climate events–like heavy rainstorms and record high temperatures–are already happening. Many of these observed changes are linked to the rising levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, caused by human activities."

The National Climate Assessment is mandated by law. The final report was released on 2 November 2017. The report states (page 10):

"This assessment concludes, based on extensive evidence, that it is extremely likely that human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gases, are the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century. For the warming over the last century, there is no convincing alternative explanation supported by the extent of the observational evidence."

Informational graphs