Your Minnesota climate change questions, answered

An infrared lamp warms a sugar maple tree.
An infrared lamp warms a sugar maple tree Monday, October 7, 2014 as part of the B4WARMED project near Cloquet, Minn. The plot was an average of 3.4 degrees Celsius warmer than a nearby plot that was not heated. B4WARMED stands for Boreal Forest Warming at an Ecotone in Danger. The ultimate goal of the study is to determine how Minnesota trees will respond to warmer climates.
Derek Montgomery / For MPR News

This week, MPR News is running a series of special reports on climate change in Minnesota.

Your questions, answered: This show kicks off a week-long online event to compile your best questions around our series. Submit questions here.

From MPR News:

Data collected systematically over nearly two centuries make it irrefutable: Minnesota's climate has changed and so has the state's diverse web of life.

Cold weather species like moose and lake trout are disappearing. Maple trees are migrating north. Bugs once killed off by winter are surviving to destroy tens of thousands of acres of forest. Lake Superior is one of the fastest warming lakes on the planet.

Climate scientists get nervous attributing one really warm month or one big storm to climate change. But undeniable trends are giving Minnesotans reason to look out the window every day and wonder whether climate change has something to do with what they see.

On The Daily Circuit, we take listener questions about climate change in Minnesota. What do we know about how the climate is changing in our state, what are researchers still trying to figure out and how's it affecting our state?

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.