"A study promised a rare positive development from global warming for Maryland’s favorite crustacean. But the bad news wasn’t far behind."

"Beleaguered blue crabs are poised to start living their best lives in the warming waters of the Chesapeake Bay.

Over the years leading to 2100, a study says, the bay will probably experience a blue crab baby boom as climate change shaves weeks off the winter season. Bay crabs ride out winter by burrowing in mud when the cold sets in, but juvenile crabs are more prone to starve as the season wears on because they eat less than adults do.

By the turn of the century, though, winters will decrease from an average of 117 days to about 90, based on the study’s conservative estimate of temperature changes. A liberal estimate cut the season by half, to fewer than 60 days. The study’s analysis relied on 100 years of reported temperatures from gauges close to the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Studies near Cambridge."

Darryl Fears reports for the Washington Post July 31, 2019. [2]