Although Al Gore received most of the fanfare when it was announced that he and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had won the Noble Prize, Gore was just one of many individuals who played a role in winning the prestigious award. Berrien Moore III, director of the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space at the University of New Hampshire, was among the network of scientists who received credit for researching the threat of climate change. 

Moore joined the UNH faculty in 1969 after receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, and he now specializes in biogeochemical modeling. Moore was the coordinating lead author of the final chapter, entitled “Advancing our Understanding,” of the IPCC’s Third Assessment Report. The IPCC has authored four assessment reports, the fourth of which is due out soon.  

Moore has been recognized for his help in leading the scientific charge on how best to study and address global climate change issues. In particular, he has focused his attention on steering the scientific community toward a more holistic, Earth system approach to investigating climate change.

“We must understand the Earth as a system, and I think that is the message we must kept (sic) banging on over the coming years—that this is not a luxury, not something to satisfy intellectual curiosity. A scientific understanding of the Earth system is required to help human society,” Moore said in a UNH press release. 

Willand Pond reopens

On July 12, the N.H. Department of Environmental Services issued an advisory, warning people that high levels of cyanobacteria—toxic blue-green algae—had made Willand Pond unsafe for swimming and other recreational activities. The advisory effectively closed the pond on the Dover-Somersworth town line for the remainder of the summer. After four months of weekly testing at the pond, the DES recently announced that cyanobacteria levels have subsided and the pond is once again safe for public use.  

But, the only reason cyanobacteria levels are down is because colder temperatures and less sunlight have slowed down the biological activity that causes the algae to flourish, according to Jody Connor, Limnology Center Director for the DES. The root causes of the contamination have not disappeared. 

“Typically, when we have less sunlight and cooler water temperatures, we see that both the algae and bacteria decrease in population. It’s probably not less nutrients, but less sunlight and biological actions,” Connor said.

A high level of cyanobacteria is a result of too much phosphorous and nitrogen in the water. Connor believes Willand Pond has seen a dramatic increase of nitrogen and phosphorous because of rising water levels, lack of natural drainage and too much development near the pond.    

“There is a lot of development in that area. With all of the parking lots and streets, whenever there is a storm, runoff gets into the lake. There are impervious surfaces instead of trees and fields. They divert the water instead of filtering it into groundwater,” Connor said. “The other issue is the lake is not flushing anymore. The nutrients are staying in the water now. A lot of structures are helping to keep the water in the lake instead of helping it flow out.”

Officials from DES are meeting with representatives from Dover and Somersworth to address the problem. They hope to organize a volunteer sampling program, which would help pinpoint where the nitrogen and phosphorous is coming from. Employees of DES will likely explore the watershed to see if there are any obvious sources of nutrients, like a dog kennel or horse farm, but Connor believes their research will probably point toward development as the main source of contamination.   
The DES is also looking into dredging a portion of the lake, which would create more drainage and flush out some nutrients.
The signs that were posted in July warning residents to avoid Willand Pond will soon be removed. Dover City Manager Mike Joyal recently announced that pond waters are now safe for humans and pets. However, when spring arrives, the water temperatures will rise, the sun will be out longer and all the necessary ingredients for cyanobacteria to flourish will be in place. Come spring, the Willand Pond issue, like the algae, will likely bloom again.