Climate Impacts Group

CIG to provide keynote & host community-wide climate conversation at 7th Annual San Juan Agricultural Summit

Dr. Heidi Roop will give a keynote lecture at the San Juan Agricultural Summit on Sunday, February 3rd. Heidi’s keynote address, “From Coastlines to Crops: What Climate Change Means for the Puget Sound,” will highlight the range of climate impacts we expect in the Puget Sound region. She will share the range of climate impacts we expect in the region, and around the world, and discuss climate change communication best practices. Heidi will also host two community conversations on climate change in the Puget Sound. The first, open to the public, will be held prior the Summit Hoedown at Brickworks in Friday Harbor on Saturday, February 2nd. 

UW Grant Opportunity: EarthLab Innovation Grants

EarthLab is seeking applications for its first round of EarthLab Innovation Grants! Awards of up to $50,000 USD will be awarded to project teams undertaking bold, innovative  transdisciplinary research, scholarship and creative activities related to addressing our most pressing environmental challenges. EarthLab is “looking for risky, cool ideas with impact and the ability to motivate change.” UW faculty and employees with PI status are eligible to apply. Applications are due January 30th, 2019. 

Mapping Future Flood Risk – project update and blog post

CIG research scientist, Guillaume Mauger, recently completed a project mapping the future flood risk in the Stillaguamish and Snohomish Rivers. This project explores two key questions: 1) what is the combined effect of sea level rise and changes in river flooding, and 2) where will the extra water go? 

CIG’s Heidi Roop featured in National Geographic

CIG scientist Heidi Roop recently spoke with National Geographic about the 4th National Climate Assessment and what it means for the Northwest, and our nation. “The message is it’s us, humans, changing the climate,” says Heidi Roop. It’s already affecting “many things we take advantage of every day—our wastewater management, our natural environment, our power generation, our roadways, our food. But the report highlights the other part of that: that people are doing something, and there’s hope.” 

A NW Climate Change Conversation on KUOW

CIG’s Heidi Roop sat down with Bill Radke on KUOW’s The Record to discuss the 4th National Climate Assessment, what climate change means for us in the Northwest and the many relevant actions and adaptations underway across the region. 

Support CIG’s Mission

Did you know you can help to support the work of the Climate Impacts Group? Donations of any size help support cutting-edge climate research, innovative community engagement & valuable hands-on training opportunities for students. Donate today: http://bit.ly/cigdonate 

Volume 2 of the 4th National Climate Assessment Now Available

On November 23rd, the U.S. Global Change Research Program released Volume 2 of the 4th National Climate Assessment – a congressionally-mandated synthesis of climate science and the observed and projected impacts of climate change across the United States. This report is the result of a three-year effort by hundreds of experts around the country. The Climate Impacts Group served as a co-author on the Northwest chapter.

For the Northwest region, the key messages from the report include:

Key Message #1: Natural Resource Economy

“Climate change is already affecting the Northwest’s diverse natural resources, which support sustainable livelihoods; provide a robust foundation for rural, tribal, and Indigenous communities; and strengthen local economies. 

CIG-OWSC Trends Tool Featured in GeekWire

The Climate Impacts Group recently partnered with the Office of the Washington State Climatologist and data visualization software company, Tableau, to develop a climate trends analysis tool for Washington, Idaho, Oregon and western Montana. CIG project lead, Heidi Roop, hopes this tool will help communities and organizations better communicate and understand regional trends in climate across the Northwest. 

Chasing Ice Film Screening and Panel on November 28th

Join EarthLab and the Simpson Center for the Humanities for a screening of Chasing Ice, as part of the Anthropocene Film Salon series. CIG’s Heidi Roop and the Simpson Center’s Jesse Oak Tayler will be on hand after the film for a panel discussion. The goal of this event is to foster mutual learning and catalyze new, cross-cutting collaborations to address the unique social-ecological challenges of the Anthropocene.

Details

What: Chasing Ice, a film by Jeff Orlowski

When: November 28th, 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Where: Fisheries Sciences lobby and auditorium (room 102), University of Washington, Seattle

Panelists:
Jesse Oak Tayler, Associate Professor of English and Co-director, Anthropocene Research Cluster (Simpson Center for the Humanities)
Heidi Roop, Lead Scientist for Science Communication, Climate Impacts Group (EarthLab) 

Webinar Recording: Tribal Vulnerability Assessment Resources for Northwest and Great Basin Tribes

Are you concerned about what climate change might mean for your tribe? The Climate Impacts Group, in partnership with the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (NW CASC), hosted a webinar to introduce a new suite of Tribal Vulnerability Assessment Resources designed to support Northwest and Great Basin tribes’ efforts to assess climate risks to natural and cultural resources.

In this webinar, Dr. Meade Krosby, Senior Scientist at the Climate Impacts Group and University Deputy Director of the NW CASC, introduced the web-based resources, including: 

A Tribal Climate Tool, which provides interactive maps, graphs and reports summarizing projected changes in climate for the unique geographies and impacts of concern to Northwest and Great Basin tribes.