{"id":3374,"date":"2025-02-19T13:17:48","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T18:17:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/dsr\/?page_id=3374"},"modified":"2026-01-16T14:49:50","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T19:49:50","slug":"climate-change","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/deptest.nj.gov\/dsr\/climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"DSR Climate Change Research"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces”][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”3390″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” css=””][vc_raw_html css=””]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[\/vc_raw_html][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][breadcrumb-shortcode][vc_separator color=”blue” border_width=”3″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”3\/4″][vc_column_text css=””]Climate change is already impacting New Jersey\u2019s ecosystems, natural resources, community health, and economy. Locally focused research is essential for understanding these statewide impacts and planning for resilience. This page showcases ongoing and completed climate-related research projects led by the Division of Science and Research, often in collaboration with external partners. This work contributes to the knowledge base that informs the Department\u2019s efforts to build a more climate-ready state. For more on climate preparedness, visit New Jersey\u2019s Climate Resilience page<\/a>.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/4″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1740777841832{border-top-width: 2px !important;border-right-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-width: 2px !important;border-left-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;padding-right: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;padding-left: 15px !important;border-left-style: solid !important;border-right-style: solid !important;border-top-style: solid !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;border-radius: 2px !important;border-color: #000000 !important;}”]<\/p>\n

For more information, please visit the NJDEP Climate Change Website<\/a>.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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Climate Change in New Jersey: Impacts and Effects<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

This key resource presents material in a streamlined digital format for all audiences. Here you can find regularly updated summaries of climate change research findings relevant to New Jersey. This resource covers a range of effects and impacts, including the drivers of climate change, temperature, precipitation, sea-level rise, ocean acidification, marine ecosystems, freshwater, land, carbon sequestration, and human health and communities.<\/span><\/h4>\n

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Completed Research<\/a> | Ongoing Research<\/a> | Tools and Resources<\/a> | Research Gaps<\/a><\/h2>\n

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Completed Research<\/h2>\n

Impacts and Effects of Climate Change<\/h3>\n

2025 New Jersey Scientific Report on Climate Change<\/strong> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

DEP has an updated 2025 scientific report on climate change that summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding the effects of climate change on New Jersey\u2019s environment. The purpose of this report is to inform state and local decision-makers, as well as the citizens they support, as they seek to understand and respond to climate change. This report identifies and presents the best available science and existing data regarding the current and anticipated environmental effects of climate change in our state. This new report updates the 2020 Scientific Report on Climate Change and incorporates the 2022 Climate Change Impacts on Human Health and Communities: Addendum to the Scientific Report on Climate Change as well as several recent New Jersey specific studies, the latest reports from federal and international sources.<\/p>\n

December 2025 | Report Link<\/a><\/p>\n

A 30-Year Heat Wave Analysis in New Jersey\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

This study of heat wave temperature data aimed to determine whether there has been a significant increase in the frequency and duration of heat waves in New Jersey over the 30-year period from 1994 to 2023. Trends in the range between the daily high and low temperatures during heat waves were also evaluated. Heat wave frequency and heat wave temperature range have experienced significant changes (an increase and decrease, respectively), whereas heat wave length did not experience a significant change in the 30-year period. Overall, there is a trend toward more heat waves in recent years and less daily cooling associated with each one.<\/p>\n

July 2025 | Report Link<\/a><\/p>\n

Future Projections of Phytoplankton Dynamics and Marine Harmful Algal Bloom Events Due to Climate Change: New Jersey\u2019s Changing Coastal Shelf Ecosystem<\/strong><\/p>\n

New Jersey\u2019s coast, encompassed within the Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB), is characterized by physical and seasonal dynamics that drive phytoplankton growth, abundance, and composition. Phytoplankton are generally highest in abundance during the fall bloom, when the temperature-induced stratification breaks down stimulating mixing and increasing nutrient concentrations in surface waters. The MAB is one of the fastest warming regions of the ocean, which has coincided with small decreases in primary productivity and shifts in the timing of seasonal transitions. The relative contribution of larger groups (e.g., diatoms) to the phytoplankton community has decreased, whereas the relative contribution of smaller groups (e.g., dinoflagellates, green algae) has increased. These trends, including the variation in growth patterns, are likely to continue as climate change progresses. These variations may result in the increase in the harmful overgrowth of the phytoplankton population, known as a harmful algal bloom (HABs). Harmful algal blooms have occurred in NJ marine waters for decades with the potential to negatively impact New Jersey residents and ecosystems. While there is a lack of short- and intermediate-terms studies investigating the future of HABs in the MAB, future conditions associated with climate change will likely increase the potential for marine HAB events.<\/p>\n

March 2025 | Report Link<\/a><\/p>\n

Potential Impact of Climate Change on Groundwater Quality<\/strong><\/p>\n

This report synthesizes available scientific literature on the potential responses of different hydrogeological and biogeochemical processes to climate change and discusses how these processes could impact groundwater quality in New Jersey.<\/p>\n

October 2023 | Report Link<\/a> | Fact Sheet<\/a><\/p>\n

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New Jersey-Specific Rainfall Studies<\/h3>\n

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection released two studies by the Northeast Regional Climate Center (NRCC), a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) partner, which confirmed increases in precipitation across New Jersey over the last 20 years, and projected further increases in precipitation intensity through the end of this century due to climate change. To visualize these projected increases in extreme precipitation intensity, check out the\u202fNew Jersey Extreme Precipitation Projection Tool<\/a>. A third study was completed by the New Jersey State Climatologist and Rutgers University, which showed historic precipitation patterns in New Jersey and how the State\u2019s annual precipitation has significantly increased since rainfall records began.<\/p>\n

Examining Precipitation Across the Garden State From 1900 to 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n

December 2022 | Report Link<\/a> | Fact Sheet<\/a><\/p>\n

Projected Changes in Extreme Rainfall in New Jersey based on an Ensemble of Downscaled Climate Model Projections<\/strong><\/p>\n

October 2021 | Report Link<\/a> | Fact Sheet<\/a> | Supplemental Data Tables<\/a> | NJ DEP Science Advisory Board Peer Review<\/a><\/p>\n

Changes in Hourly and Daily Extreme Rainfall Amounts in NJ since the Publication of NOAA Atlas 14 Volume<\/strong><\/p>\n

October 2021 | Report Link<\/a> | Fact Sheet<\/a> | NJ DEP Science Advisory Board Peer Review<\/a><\/p>\n

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Sea Level Rise<\/h3>\n

Last millennium relative sea-level change on the western coast of southern New Jersey<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scientists within DSR are working with researchers at Rutgers University on a project to reconstruct the sea level fluctuations for the last millennium and current trends on the New Jersey Delaware Bayshore in the anomalous subsidence area of Dennis Creek. The research uses palaeoecological investigations to reconstruct past millennium sea levels, as well as accretion and subsidence rates in the Delaware Bay area of Dennis Creek based on sediment cores and wetland surface sediment samples.<\/p>\n

October 2024 | Report Link<\/a> | Fact Sheet<\/a><\/p>\n

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Mitigation and Adaptation Science<\/h3>\n

Natural and Working Lands Strategy<\/strong><\/p>\n

The DEP and New Jersey Department of Agriculture to develop a Natural and Working Lands Strategy (NWLS) for the State. By protecting New Jersey\u2019s existing carbon sinks, as well as enacting well-informed, scientifically backed land restoration and management strategies, the State can achieve the reduction of 10.8 million metric tons of CO2<\/sub>e due to carbon sequestration necessary to meet the 80×50 Goal. The NWLS aims to access the expertise of subject matter experts and the best available science to develop recommendations, actions, and targets to most effectively bring New Jersey\u2019s climate goals to fruition. The NWLS presents a set of statewide policies and recommendations for the management of natural and working lands, the actions necessary to implement those recommendations within a proposed timeframe, and the associated carbon sequestration benefits. The implementation of these actions will sequester carbon, build ecosystem and community resilience, and protect and enhance our economy.<\/p>\n

September 2024 | Report Link<\/a><\/p>\n

Use of Multispectral Drones to Assess Tidal Wetland Condition<\/strong><\/p>\n

DSR partnered with NJDEP\u2019s Bureau of GIS, the Division of Fish and Wildlife, and Rowan University to explore the use of multispectral drones for mapping and assessing the condition of tidal wetlands. Drone footage and traditional field metrics were collected in Great Bay Boulevard Wildlife Management Area and E. B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. The project 1) evaluated the use of multispectral drones for the delineation of high and low marsh vegetation communities; 2) investigated the use of drone-based multispectral imagery to identify conditions that can lead to high marsh pond expansion and vegetation loss by evaluating relationships between soil and porewater chemistry, vegetation, and multispectral indices; and 3) identified and describe relationships between diatom communities and soil sulfide concentrations.<\/p>\n

February 2023 | Report Link<\/a> | Factsheet<\/a><\/p>\n

Blue Carbon Calculator for Natural Climate Solutions Grants<\/strong><\/p>\n

Natural resources that sequester carbon play a critical role in meeting the State\u2019s 2050 goal of an 80% reduction in greenhouse gases below 2006 levels. Researchers at DSR led the development of a calculator that the Bureau of Climate Change, Clean Energy, and Sustainability uses to estimate the net carbon benefit of tidal wetland projects proposed for Natural Climate Solutions Grant<\/a> funding. The first round of the Natural Climate Solutions Grant program provided $24.3 million to implement on-the-ground projects that create, restore, and enhance New Jersey\u2019s natural carbon sinks, such as salt marshes, forests, urban parks and woodlands, and street trees. These projects can use this calculator to estimate projected carbon benefits.<\/p>\n

January 2022 | Natural Climate Solutions Grants program<\/a><\/p>\n

New Jersey (USA) Wetlands Past, Present and Future: Using Sediment Archives to Inform and Guide Wetland Protection, Restoration and Resilience<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Division of Science and Research partnered with researchers from the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Rutgers University, and West Chester University on a US EPA funded project that concluded in 2018. To effectively protect New Jersey\u2019s coastal wetlands, it\u2019s crucial to understand their history and the factors that have shaped them since the Holocene. This project used sediment cores from four coastal areas in New Jersey to study how human activities since European settlement have impacted these wetlands. By analyzing these cores, which contain records of past conditions, the project aims to assess the wetlands\u2019 original state, the effects of human activities, and the impacts of climate events like storms. The research also advances the use of diatoms (tiny algae) as indicators of wetland health and to set realistic restoration goals based on historical conditions. This approach helps fill in gaps due to the lack of long-term monitoring data.<\/p>\n

January 2018 | Final Report to EPA<\/a><\/p>\n

Beneficial Use of Dredged Material to Enhance Salt Marsh Habitat in New Jersey<\/strong><\/p>\n

From 2014 to 2017, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and partners initiated three beneficial use of dredged material enhancement projects within three sites: (1) Ring Island in Middle Township (Cape May County), (2) the Cape May Wetlands Wildlife Management Area in Avalon (Cape May County), and (3) the Fortescue Wildlife Management Area in Fortescue (Cumberland County). The salt marshes of the New Jersey coastline are at severe risk of drowning due to a synergistic combination of subsidence of underlying peat layers and rapidly rising sea levels resulting from global climate change. Along with the degradation of habitat, invaluable ecosystem services and functions are vulnerable to loss. Beneficial use of dredged material in this context consists of the application of benthic sediments retrieved from the New Jersey Intracoastal Waterways and State maintained navigation channels on stressed marshes to artificially increase the elevation of the marsh platform in accordance with tidal datum-based bio benchmarks. Several methods of sediment application were employed at these sites, including thin layer sediment placement in Fortescue, Ring Island, and Avalon; filling in of expanding pools and pannes in Avalon; the establishment of an elevated nesting habitat for threatened and endangered fauna in Ring Island; and the enhancement of two beaches at Fortescue. As a result of this project, we have synthesized a Monitoring Plan<\/a>; a Lessons Learned document<\/a> that includes the final designs, cost, and construction timeline of the project, as well as guidance for similar future efforts; and a Monitoring and Project Assessment Report<\/a> that details and evaluates the extensive monitoring by NJDEP and its partners.<\/p>\n

October 2017 | Monitoring Plan<\/a> | Lessons Learned document<\/a> | Monitoring and Project Assessment Report<\/a><\/p>\n

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Environmental Trend Reports<\/h3>\n

The NJDEP maintains a series of reports that provide general information on trends and conditions for a variety of environmental factors that, together, comprise an overall assessment of our state\u2019s environmental health. These six are connected to climate-related concerns.<\/p>\n