Very interesting to see the change in sea surface temperatures off the east coast. I would say this is what is driving the increased temperatures in the Maritimes, which seems mostly coastal.
I can certainly attest to the fact that winters are now generally milder with more rain and less snow than 50 years ago, with even snowy Moncton now not getting staying snow on the ground until early January. We have not had a decent blizzard in Moncton for the last two years.
Don't get me wrong, we still get lots of snow, it's just that the severity and intensity of winter is now a lot less than in the 1970s. Back then (before the Confederation Bridge), there would be so much ice build-up in the northumberland Strait, with pressure ridging, that the ice breaking ferries could get stuck and require rescue from the Coast Guard. Now the strait is never choked with ice - just some floating pan ice.
Summer heat waves are more intense too, and, we seem to jave droughts every summer, especially in August. The drought this year came early.
Increasing ocean temperatures can be bad for the lobster fishery. Lobsters like cold water. Yields have been decreasing in New England for some time now. Lobster is still plentiful on the Canadian east coast, but, it does make you worry about the future.
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