Four teams of Climate Impacts Group research scientists and partners were awarded funding from the UW College of the Environment’s 2025 Collaborative Research in Earth System Science and Technology (CRESST) initiative to pursue action-oriented environmental research.

What do drilling small holes in trees, catching rain to quantify precipitation amounts, hosting community conversations on flooding, and training community college faculty on tribal co-management have in common? These are some of the ways that the UW Climate Impacts Group is conducting applied research to support the development of climate adaptation strategies.

The Fund For Science and Technology, a new foundation within the Paul G. Allen philanthropic ecosystem, generously supported the creation of the CRESST program to further innovation and research related to climate solutions. Each CRESST project that Climate Impacts Group is leading aims to bridge the gap between gaining foundational understanding of climate impacts, such as drought and flooding, and building practical strategies to lessen the harm from these impacts on people and ecosystems. 

These efforts are in-progress, but here’s a sneak peek:

Observations to quantify water and carbon fluxes within temperate forests

Problem:

Trees absorb or use water at different rates depending on species, age, and other factors, which can affect drought conditions. Strategic forest management may influence forest water use enough to have a detectable effect on buffering (or exacerbating) drought conditions, but the models that demonstrate this adaptation strategy are uncertain.

Building Solutions:

We are collecting tree sap flux as an indicator for forest water use and soil moisture data across a range of tree ages at two sites with drastically different climate conditions: Snoqualmie Pass and at UW Friday Harbor Labs (which, although known for its marine science research, has 400 acres of forest which includes lots of 300+ year old trees!). We will make this data publicly available to support future forest management as a strategy to address future drought and for improving hydrologic modeling.

Novel observational constraints on precipitation for flood management

Problem:

Modeling and planning for future water supply and flooding is hampered by highly variable precipitation patterns and gaps in the observational data network.

Building Solutions:

With our team of four UW researchers, we pursued three parallel efforts to explore ways to fill gaps in the observational network. We evaluated existing precipitation datasets to understand how they compare to each other, and to rain gauge observations. As part of that work we also identified areas where a new rain gauge might have the most added value. Separately, we explored seismograph stations as a potential alternative source of precipitation data, some of which can detect rain. Although we learned that some station designs could hold promise, none are available in the current network for Washington State. Finally, we are collaborating with the Sauk-Suiattle Tribe, to install a tipping-bucket rain gauge near the City of Darrington, where observations are sparse. Together this project has laid the groundwork for improved precipitation monitoring, a necessary source of ground truth for accurate water supply and flood modeling – needed for both weather forecasting and climate projections.

Figure. Comparing heavy precipitation estimates from two datasets. Although the patterns are similar, there are important differences. For example, the intensities are generally lower for the Weather Research and Forecasting model (right), especially on windward slopes. The spatial distribution of precipitation is also very different, especially at high elevations where there are fewer rain gauge observations available as ground truth. (Figure credit: Matt Rogers)

Flood responses and decision-making processes: A case study of the Duwamish Valley

Problem:

Current and future flooding in the Duwamish River valley is amplified by sea level rise. The effectiveness and design of numerous in-progress and planned adaptation efforts would benefit from increased coordination with the community to build awareness and meet locally-specific needs.

Building Solutions:

In collaboration with the Center for Disaster Resilient Communities and the Duwamish River Community Coalition, we are working with South Park neighbors to better understand their preferences for flood adaptation approaches. We are also developing a publicly accessible inventory of flood-related projects in the Duwamish Valley to help inform the community on active adaptation work in their area.

Building capacity in community college faculty to teach about Tribal co-management and climate change impacts in the northwest

Problem:

Tribal communities are vulnerable to climate change due to their close ties to the natural environment. They are also protectors of natural resources because of these connections between the environment and their culture, health, and livelihoods. However, many Tribal natural resource departments aren’t well equipped to handle a changing climate.

Building Solutions:

We developed a project to support education for a new generation of Tribal leaders and non-Tribal environmental co-stewards skilled in natural resources management with a focus on climate resilience. The project included curriculum development and faculty training workshops that integrated Tribal co-management and climate resilience knowledge into college workforce programs.