Richard Primack

Researchers: Please Stop Peeing in Walden Pond

April 6, 2018

NECN Richard Primack Walden Pond is supposed to be a serene setting, but researchers say placid does not mean pristine and human urine is taking a toll on the iconic Massachusetts locale… Expert quote: “Eventually, the water will get cloudy with algae, and there might be scum on top of the pond. We really need to […]

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Science says: Jack Frost nipping at your nose ever later

October 27, 2017

The Morning Call Richard Primack Winter is coming later. And it’s leaving ever earlier… Expert quote: “The long-term consequences are really negative.” View full article

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Analysis: Winter months are shrinking

October 27, 2017

Santa Fe New Mexican Richard Primack Across the United States, the year’s first freeze has been arriving further and further into the calendar, according to more than a century of measurements from weather stations nationwide… Expert quote: “In New England, many trees aren’t changing colors as vibrantly as they normally do or used to because […]

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Where the heck is autumn?

October 11, 2017

Popular Science Richard Primack You cannot and will not convince me that there is any season better than fall… Expert quote: “There is definitely a documented pattern of the conditions that are associated with fall, such as leaf color change, occurring later than they did in previous decades.” View full article

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Swimming (illegally?) in Crystal Lake

August 3, 2017

Wicked Local Newton by Richard Primack, College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences “It is a hot day, and more than a dozen young people are enjoying swimming and wading in Cronin’s Cove at Crystal Lake near Beacon Street…” View full article.   

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How Thoreau Helped Make Walden Pond One Of The Best Places To Study Climate Change In The U.S.

July 12, 2017

WBUR quoting Richard Primack, College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences “Today is the 200th birthday of author, activist and abolitionist Henry David Thoreau…” Expert quote: “We know that climate change is partially responsible. A lot of the species that have declined the most are the cold-loving, northern wild flowers.” View full article. 

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Mount Auburn Cemetery Tree Trackers Gather Climate Data Amid Changing Beauty

June 28, 2017

WBUR quoting Richard Primack, College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences “About 10 years ago, Liza Ketchum of Watertown noticed that the peonies in her garden were unfurling their big, showy blooms more than three weeks earlier than normal…” Expert quote: “What we know is that plants are now flowering about two weeks earlier than […]

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Taking the Pulse of the Planet

May 22, 2017

Undark quoting Richard Primack, College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences “EACH YEAR, as the earth’s tilt eases back toward the sun, the wintry northern hemisphere gives way to spring, and thousands of species of plants, insects, and animals stir back to life…” Expert quote: “Now we’re in a distinct warming period because of […]

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Spring’s early arrival is a troubling indicator of climate change

May 8, 2017

WGBH Richard Primack, College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences “It’s spring, and everywhere you look flowers are blooming and trees are sprouting leaves…” Expert quote: “There’s actually a plant I never noticed here before,” he said. “Maybe it could be new. This is a bigtooth aspen.” View full interview. 

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Half of All Species Are on the Move—And We’re Feeling It

May 2, 2017

National Geographic Richard Primack, College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences “The shrubs probably responded first. In the 19th century, alder and flowering willows in the Alaskan Arctic stood no taller than a small child—just a little over three feet…” Expert quote: “Everywhere throughout the world, things are happening earlier in the spring—in China, Japan, Korea, […]

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