September 12, 2024 — Climate change is already affecting the Chesapeake Bay, its watershed, and its residents—human and otherwise. Education can help people identify and work toward climate change solutions. It’s important that educators across the Chesapeake Bay watershed understand the effects of climate change. Then they can pass the most up-to-date scientific knowledge along to their students. They can also help their students—tomorrow’s watershed leaders— learn how and why to take specific actions. That’s why the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office offers in-person workshops, online webinars and courses, and year-round opportunities to connect with other educators to support and learn from each other.
Chesapeake Bay and Climate Change
Sea Level Rise
The Chesapeake Bay can expect an additional 1.3 to 5.2 feet in sea level rise over the next century.
Increasing Temperatures
Air temperatures are rising. In 2021, the average air temperature in different parts of the Bay watershed was 0.6 to 2.8 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the 1901–2000 average.
Surface water temperatures have increased around the Chesapeake Bay. At many locations, water temperatures in 2022 were 1.8 to 4.0 degrees F higher than they were in the mid-1980s.
Precipitation
Some areas of the watershed are getting a little less precipitation, but other areas are getting much more. Compared to the 1901–2000 average, in 2021, central New York (including the headwaters of the Susquehanna River) got nearly 20 percent more precipitation.
Temperatures and precipitation in 2021 and 2022 are consistent with a long-term trend in the observational data from sites around the region