Effects of Global Warming to the Winter Recreation and Tourism Sector in the North East Region, Essay Example

Winter recreation is an essential element of the Northeast United States cultural identity, thus it appears to contribute billions of dollars to the regional economy. The whole New England economy is based predominantly on the recreation and tourism sectors. Climate change, especially global warming, potentially can influence a significant part of the key natural resources that attract people to visit the region. For instance, the quality of fall foliage viewing, hiking and fishing in summer, and skiing or snowmobiling in winter, are all susceptible to the swift climate change that is expected to occur in coming years. “New England will experience shorter winters; longer, drier summers; and increased frequency of flooding, winter thaws, and summer droughts, all associated with global warming.”(Sinclar 2001)

The New England fall foliage season brings visitors from all over the world to see its natural demonstration, an inspired mix of reds, oranges, purples, browns and yellows. During this season weekends are usually the busiest for the tourism business. Nevertheless, the fall foliage season is vulnerable to global warming and climate change, for the colors and display directly depend on the tree species at hand, as well as on single tree health. Consequently, the significant change in weather will most definitely cause the ski season to begin later and end earlier. “Snowmobiling is the most vulnerable of the region’s economically important winter recreation activities because, unlike the ski industry, it cannot rely on machine-made snow.”(Frumhoff et all. 2007) It is also expected the more precipitation to fall as rain rather than snow due to warming temperatures. Recreational fishing in north east region can also be influenced by climate and global warming, for it may directly affect fish habitat and populations in cold-water streams and rivers. This can happen as a result of the effect of warmer temperatures and changes in rainfall on flow rates and stream temperature.

References

Sinclair, Mark. 2001. The tourism sector and climate change in Northeast: The need for a green resort effort. Results from: http://www.clf.org/resources/reports/docs/tourismandclimatechange.pdf

Frumhoff, Peter et al. 2007. Confronting climate change in the U.S. North-East. Results from: http://www.northeastclimateimpacts.org/pdf/confronting-climate-change-in-the-u-s-northeast.pdf

David N. Zurick, “Preserving Paradise,” The Geographical Review 85, no. 2 (1995), http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5000386636.

Robert B. Richardson, and John B. Loomis, “Climate Change and Recreation Benefits in an Alpine National Park,” Journal of Leisure Research 37, no. 3 (2005), http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5010808491.

Jamison Colburn, “Bioregional Conservation May Mean Taking Habitat,” Environmental Law 37, no. 2 (2007), http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5021256888.