Rising Seas and Warming Waters: climate stresses to Gulf of Maine marine species

Speakers: Dr Hannah Baranes, and Andrew Allyn

The Gulf of Maine has one of the most biologically productive marine ecosystems in the world. It is also warming faster than 96% of the world’s oceans and experiencing rates of sea level rise higher than the global average. These changes place numerous stresses on Gulf of Maine marine species, particularly colonial nesting seabirds that use Maine’s coastal islands for nesting habitat and rely on marine resources to feed themselves and their young. Hannah and Andrew invite you to their presentation to learn more about expected climate-driven changes in the Gulf of Maine and their potential impacts on marine species.

Dr. Hannah Baranes: Hannah joined GMRI in 2022 as a post-doctoral researcher in the Climate Center. Her work at GMRI uses statistical techniques to estimate flood hazard in areas where there are multiple drivers of flooding, such as sea level rise, tides, storm surge and river flow. Before coming to GMRI, Hannah completed her M.S. and Ph.D. in Geosciences from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she focused on understanding the dynamic processes that shape the structure and function of coastal environments. Outside of work, Hannah plays on Maine’s professional ultimate team, Portland Rising, and is an avid backcountry snowboarder.

Andrew Allyn: Andrew is a quantitative research associate at GMRI and a PhD candidate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Since joining GMRI in 2017, Andrew’s work has focused on building species distribution models to understand where marine species are now and where they might go in the future under different climate change scenarios. Before coming to GMRI, Andrew completed his M.S. in Environmental Conservation at the University of Massachusetts Amherst while studying seabirds in Alaska and in the Gulf of Maine. When he isn’t at work, Andrew enjoys exploring Maine’s great outdoors and making a mess in the wood shop.