A woman makes her way through flood waters in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York.
Understanding climate change impacts and assessing their implications for policy makers and managers is challenging. Some risks, such as the extent of projected sea level rise, can be well documented. But the management responses can be technically challenging and politically difficult. For other risks, the complexity of the Hudson River’s ecosystem makes it difficult to grasp all the potential issues, from species migration to water quality. The Foundation strives to develop new scientific information that contributes to the understanding of how climate change and the coastal adaptation necessitated by rising seas affects hydrologic, ecologic and biogeochemical processes of the Hudson River and its drainage basin. Together with the partners in the Harbor & Estuary Program we have examined how specific stressors – like warmer water temperatures and changes in precipitation – will impact shared goals for reducing pollution and improving and improving habitat and public access.