Climate Impacts Group

Now Open! Call for Abstracts and Sessions at Virtual Northwest Climate Conference, October 2-4

Organizers of the 12th Northwest Climate Conference (NWCC) are now accepting abstract and session proposal submissions for this year’s Conference, to be hosted virtually by Boise State University on October 2-4, 2023. For more than a decade, this conference has provided a networking and learning community for practitioners, scientists, tribal members and community organizers interested in climate change impacts and adaptation in the Northwest.

SUBMIT ABSTRACT OR SESSION PROPOSAL 

Climate Impacts Group & partners release report in English and Spanish aimed at preventing heat-related illness and death in Washington

Texto en español a continuación

Two years ago, in the summer of 2021, Washington experienced the deadliest weather disaster in the state’s history with days of record-breaking heat. More Washingtonians died from heat exposure each day during the 2021 heat dome than die from heat exposure in a typical summer.

The devastating impacts of the heat dome, coupled with projections that extreme heat events will be more frequent and more intense as the climate changes, serve as a call to action to address heat vulnerability across our state. 

In the hot seat: Saving lives from extreme heat in Washington state describes the problem of extreme heat and outlines specific, actionable guidance for short-term emergency response and long-term risk reduction. 

NW CASC seeks research fellowship program proposals

The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center invites proposals for its 2023-2024 Research Fellowship Program from graduate students at University of Washington, Boise State University, Oregon State University, University of Montana, Washington State University and Western Washington University and from postdoctoral scholars at Boise State University, Oregon State University, University of Montana, Washington State University and Western Washington University (this fellowship cannot support postdocs at the University of Washington).

The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center’s Research Fellowship Program supports research related to climate adaptation for Northwest natural and cultural resource management and provides training in the principles and practices of developing decision-relevant science. 

Wide-open spaces for TerrAdapt 

The large-landscape conservation planning tool has spun into an independent non-profit, with CIG’s Andrew Shirk at the helm

When Andrew Shirk and two colleagues first conceived of the large-landscape conservation planning tool, TerrAdapt, in 2018, they knew they were starting something special.

Shirk, research scientist at the Climate Impacts Group, Carly Vynne, biodiversity and climate team lead at RESOLVE, and Gregory Kehm, principal advisor at Gregory Kehm Associates, knew they wanted to help fill a gap in regional-scale conservation planning. “Managers often have great local information to inform natural resource management within their boundaries, but rarely have access to the big picture regional-scale view needed to cooperatively manage the resource across boundaries,” Shirk says. 

NW Climate Adaptation Science Center welcomes new deputy director

The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center is excited to welcome Dr. Scott Kalafatis to the team as the new deputy university director! Scott is a social scientist with a research background focused on understanding collaborations between scientists and policymakers and how these engagements contribute to decisions informed by climate science.

The UW Climate Impacts Group is the host of the Adaptation Science Center, a federal-university partnership dedicated to helping fish, wildlife, water, land and people adapt to a changing climate.

Learn more about Scott on the Adaptation Science Center’s website. 

New Chapter for Climate Impacts Group Director Amy Snover

Dr. Amy Snover, director of the UW Climate Impacts Group, is retiring on June 15, 2022, having worked for the Climate Impacts Group for more than 20 years and served as the director for nearly a decade. In her time at the Climate Impacts Group, Amy has grown and strengthened our team and programs significantly. Amy led the team in successful applications to host the USGS-funded Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center and the NOAA-funded Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative, broadening the scope and reach of our work. She has developed enduring partnerships with policymakers, resource managers, researchers and others across the Northwest and beyond. 

New Chapter for CIG Researcher Harriet Morgan  

After seven years with the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group, Harriet Morgan is leaving to start a new chapter as the Climate Coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). In her new role, Harriet will be collaborating with internal and external partners to facilitate the development and implementation of a coordinated agency response to the impacts of climate change. This includes building off the agency’s recently developed report ‘Preparing Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for a Changing Climate: Assessing Risks and Opportunities for Action.’

As a Research Scientist with the Climate Impacts Group, Harriet has been involved in many facets of climate resiliency across the region—from planning to implementation. 

Now Hiring: NW CASC Actionable Science Postdoctoral Scholar!

The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (NW CASC) is hiring an Actionable Science Postdoctoral Scholar, who will play a leading role in the NW CASC’s efforts to foster co-production of decision-relevant science across the Northwest. The NW CASC Actionable Science Postdoctoral Scholar will advance transdisciplinary research that addresses complex socio-ecological problems by facilitating training for NW CASC fellows, supporting NW CASC regional science dialogue and information-sharing activities and evaluating the efficacy of these activities in advancing actionable climate science and regional communities of practice.

This position requires a Ph.D. or foreign equivalent in an area of natural or social science related to climate change, with demonstrated experience conducting research, assessment, evaluation and stakeholder engagement related to climate change impacts and/or adaptation. 

UW Climate Impacts Group and partner organizations launch the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative 

The UW Climate Impacts Group, along with nine community, nonprofit, and university partners, is launching a program of community-led, justice-oriented climate adaptation work across Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. The Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative will be founded with a five-year, $5.6 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The program will be one of eleven across the country funded through NOAA’s Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments program.

The Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative will advance efforts to adapt to climate change in frontline communities — communities that have been excluded from spaces of power and who are disproportionately facing the impacts of climate change. 

NW CASC Seeks Postdoc Focused on Fire & Climate

Are you a researcher interested in the nexus of climate change and wildfire? The University of Washington, in partnership with the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (NW CASC) and the University of Montana, is searching for a talented scientist with an interest in climate-fire-ecosystem dynamics and associated natural resource management in the Northwestern US and a passion for delivering research that informs decision-making!

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