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crnatumd.bsky.social
Climate Resilience Network
@crnatumd.bsky.social
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Unifying the University of Maryland’s groundbreaking research with the immediate requirements of Maryland’s decision-makers to address the complexities of climate change as it affects our home.

https://go.umd.edu/essicarticle072125
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Join us on November 12, at 4:30 PM in room 2204 in the Edward St. John Teaching and Learning Center. Dr. Karen Prestegaard will give a talk about changes in precipitation timing and their links to flash floods and droughts. We hope to see you there!
Headshot of Dr. Karen Prestegaard. Wed. 11/12: Karen Prestegaard. Changes in precipitation timing and their links to flash floods and droughts. In the past decade, many regions of Maryland have experienced hot, dry periods during summer months leading to flash droughts that have affected crops, forests, and stream baseflow. In the same time period, the intensity of summer storms has been increasing, with some sites experiencing multiple storm events in excess of the 100-year storm in the same year. My research group has been developing techniques to characterize precipitation clustering and the impacts on streamflow. We also have been monitoring small streams in Maryland urban and non-urban areas to measure flood rise rates, stream channel erosion, and the underlying geologic, geomorphic, and land use characteristics that mitigate or enhance these stream responses. Our goal is to provide information that can be used to identify existing flood hazard regions and to identify areas that have enhanced responses when developed.
October 27, 2025 at 3:31 PM
crnatumd.bsky.social
Happy #latinamericanheritagemonth! Today, we're highlighting Nicole Hernandez Hammer, a Guatemalan-American oceanographer.
Source: vanalen.org/person/nicole-hernandez-hammer
Nicole Hernandez Hammer is a Guatemalan-American sea-level researcher and climate-change expert. She served as a climate-science and community advocate at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Previously, she was assistant director of the Florida Center for Environmental Studies at Florida Atlantic University. Hernandez Hammer is a participant in the Keeping Current project at the Van Alen Institute in Miami, Florida.
September 23, 2025 at 12:57 PM
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September 19, 2025 at 2:54 PM
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September 19, 2025 at 2:54 PM
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How do satellites support #Maryland's economy?
September 19, 2025 at 2:54 PM
crnatumd.bsky.social
Happy #LatinxHeritageMonth! To celebrate, we'll be showcasing Latinx earth and environmental scientists every week of the month.

Our first scientist is Julia Carabias Lillo, a Mexican ecologist, professor, and public servant.
September 16, 2025 at 6:30 PM
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What are some possible solutions to this problem?
The road salt issue has a relatively simple solution: use less. It can be an all-around win for communities. In Edina, Minnesota, they install heated sidewalks or position a building’s entrance toward the sun, leveraging better city planning to melt snow. In New Hampshire, workers and contractors who apply salt are often protected from lawsuits from people slipping and falling.
August 26, 2025 at 1:03 PM
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Salt contamination is a major concern due to overapplication of road salt in winter, drought, and sea level rise.
“We have good management plans in place, but the information we have is telling us that the same management plans will probably not be effective enough at some point in the future,” said Kristen Kavanaugh, executive director of the Delaware River Basin Commission. Salt concentration increases over the past 40 years. Potomac river: +41%. Patuxent river: +102%. Anacostia river: +500%. Over time, salt can corrode our infrastructure. according to the EPA, Chloride ions cause billions of dollars’ worth of damage to bridges, parking structures, and buildings around the U.S. each year. Excess road salt wears away concrete and leaves calcium carbonate behind on the supports underneath bridges over the Anacostia River. Along the eastern coasts, ghost forests have succumbed to increased salinity, no longer able to protect coastal communities from large storms. An inlet near D.C.'s Kenilworth Gardens shows indications of drought. Salt concentrations can spike in freshwater rivers when rain is scarce.
August 26, 2025 at 1:03 PM
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Dr. Sujay Kaushal, a professor and researcher in the Department of Geology at UMD, was featured in the article "Why salt is threatening America's rivers and drinking water," published in the Washington Post on 6/4/25.
Why salt is threatening America's rivers and drinking water. Written by Kasha Patel. June 4, 2025. Washington Post. Tall tan grasses known as Phragmites australis are seen along the Anacostia River in Bladensburg, Maryland. These invasive plants, which grow in salty environments, are warning signs of the changing chemistry of the environment. Freshwater ecosystems, like the Anacostia River, are growing saltier year-round. That increasing salinity has not only been linked to mass deaths of aquatic life and damaged infrastructure, but some people can even taste it in drinking water. Too salty to drink. Around the DC metro area, the biggest salt contamination comes in the winter. People apply an abundance of salt on roads – if you can hear it crunch under your feet, it’s too much – and the excess runs off into riverways. The biggest source around DC and other major northern inland cities is an overapplication of road salt to thaw winter ice, which enters into rivers or the ground, According to sujay kaushal, professor and reseacher at umd and member of the Climate resilience network.
August 26, 2025 at 1:03 PM
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LGBTQIA earth system scientists and environmentalists you should know! Click go.umd.edu/pride2025 for a larger image with clickable links. #pride
June 30, 2025 at 6:38 PM
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Thank you for visiting the Climate Resilience Network at Science and Tech Way on #MarylandDay! See you next year!
May 2, 2025 at 1:46 PM
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Community science is a great way to celebrate Earth Day all year long! Anyone of any age, experience level, or background can provide valuable information that increases scientific knowledge. #earthday #communityscience go.umd.edu/earthdaycomm...
April 22, 2025 at 1:23 PM
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#MarylandDay is almost here! Join us in College Park for a daylong celebration of learning, discovery and all things UMD 💛 marylandday.umd.edu
April 14, 2025 at 3:53 PM
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It's #WorldHealthDay! Did you know that regular time outside improves your physical and mental health? Click this link to check out some of the research about nature's health benefits. go.umd.edu/natureshealt...
April 7, 2025 at 3:05 PM
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Here are 4 of the many women who have made an impact in earth and environmental sciences. #womenshistory Link to larger image: www.canva.com/design/DAGht...
March 20, 2025 at 3:26 PM
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#GivingDayUMD is on Wednesday, March 5! Save the date to contribute to the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center to support projects that bring Maryland fearlessly forward, including the Climate Resilience Network. go.umd.edu/essicgivingday
Your contribution will help CRN in our work to help Marylanders become better prepared for extreme weather.
February 24, 2025 at 2:39 PM