Climate Indicators

Climate indicators appear in different topic areas, and include physical, biological, chemical, and socioeconomic measures. The breadth of measures is because conditions affected by the changing climate such as sea level rise, temperature change, and increased ocean acidification can impact animals and plants and their habitats as well as humans throughout the region. These indicators help resource managers assess current impacts on the the Sound, and project future trends.

Warm Water/Cold Water Index

Focus Question What is the warm/cold water species index? Answer: This indicator tracks the species composition of fish that prefer colder temperatures and those that prefer warmer temperatures. Long term changes… View Indicator

Spring Freshet

Focus Question WHAT IS THE SPRING FRESHET? Answer: A spring freshet is the sudden rise in river flow during spring that is mainly due to snow and ice melt. Monitoring when this occurs each year can… View Indicator

Length of Growing Season

What Was Measured This indicator uses air temperatures measured at Tweed-New Haven Airport in New Haven since 1973 and compares it to frost measurements from an 18th and 19th century… View Indicator

Heavy Precipitation

Focus Question What is the Heavy Precipitation Indicator? Answer: The heavy precipitation indicator shows the frequency of heavy single-day rain or snow events over a year. These events exceed the normal… View Indicator

Sea Level Trends

The Sea Level Rise indicator shows the average sea level at a given point, over a year. View Indicator

Water Temperature

Long-term annual water temperatures from 1960-2023, measured from multiple locations throughout the Long Island Sound. View Indicator

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