Climate Impacts Group

Counting Every Drop: CoCoRaHS Observer Stories

Apply now for the 2026 EarthLab Summer Internship Program!

EarthLab summer internships offer a robust, cohort-based experience for University of Washington undergraduate students. Undergraduate students currently enrolled as of Spring Quarter 2026 in a degree-granting program at any UW campus (Bothell, Seattle, or Tacoma) from a variety of disciplines are encouraged to apply. These paid 9-week internships will engage students in interdisciplinary and community-engaged research projects and will cover a variety of subjects. Interns will be provided professional development training and mentorship throughout. This year, the Climate Impacts Group will host seven (7) interns! 

Letter from the Director – December 2025

Our hearts go out to the communities that have been affected by the devastating flooding across Washington state. Climate Impacts Group researchers have been briefing news stations on the science behind the severe weather and the likelihood of increased flooding in the future (see media mentions below). We remain committed to serving as a reliable resource on climate science and working in partnership to develop climate adaptation and resilience strategies.

Building community is at the heart of our work, which is why it was a delight to see and talk with so many partners, alumni, and friends of the Climate Impacts Group at our recent 30th anniversary celebration on Dec. 

NW CASC’s Research Fellowship Program: Championing Early-Career Climate Adaptation Scientists for Almost a Decade

A researcher wades into a mountain river to install a structure that creates deep, cold-water pools for sensitive fish in the heat of summer. Another hikes through remote terrain to set up trail cameras that will share secrets about where elusive, snow-dependent species are present and where they are not. Meanwhile, states away, another researcher treks into a burned forest to see what is growing back after the flames. The thread that connects these endeavors? These are Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (NW CASC) research fellows, conducting projects to understand how species and ecosystems are being impacted by climate change, and what can be done to help them persist in our rapidly changing world. 

Letter from the Director – October 2025

Happy Fall!

As the UW community begins a new academic year, we are reminded just how much students and faculty make the Climate Impacts Group what it is. While the CIG is not a degree-granting department, we interact with students in many ways. We host undergraduate summer interns and a graduate student summer school, employ graduate students to support projects, serve on thesis advisory committees, and even teach a course on co-production of climate change adaptation solutions. We’ve found incorporating students and faculty as collaborators on our projects and the cross-pollination of their studies and our research to be invaluable! We’re pleased to introduce you to this summer’s fantastic interns and their projects in this issue. 

Q&A with our summer interns: Studying Adaptation, Building Skills for a Career in Climate

Intern season is one of our favorite times of year! The EarthLab Summer Internship Program is a nine-week paid internship for UW undergraduate students to build knowledge in environmental and climate justice through a cohort-based peer learning model. Every summer, the Climate Impacts Group hosts interns who reliably provide fresh and valuable input on our projects while receiving career development support. This year, our five interns entered the program representing a breadth of disciplines — computer science, education, business marketing & sustainability, medical anthropology and biology. They worked with the Washington State Climate Office on a flood modeling analysis project and Inclusive Excellence evaluation; with the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center on science communications and invasive mussel research; and with CIG scientists on mutual aid research.  

Planning for Extreme Heat in Western Washington: Ongoing workshops highlight opportunities for regional collaboration and coordination

Summers in western Washington have historically been quite mild, but extreme heat has become much more common in the past couple of decades. This summer, the Washington State Climate Office (WASCO) participated in three separate extreme heat planning efforts, led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, and the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES).

Integrating Climate Adaptation into Water System Planning: CIG’s Collaboration with WA Dept. of Health

HB1181 tasked the Climate Impacts Group with supporting DOH’s development of the WSP CRE, recently published in the updated Water System Planning Guidebook. Resources developed as part of this effort include the supplemental DOH WSP Climate Resilience Element workbook and a webpage with curated resources. “This new requirement provides an important opportunity to connect water system practitioners with a broad array of established tools and resources designed to strengthen system resilience to emerging climate-related risks,” describes Ryan Hasert, CIG Scientist and co-author of the CRE.

Director’s Corner: Onward

Dear Climate Impacts Group community:

I was delighted to join the Climate Impacts Group as the new director this February, and I am honored to lead this amazing team. Between collaborating with Amy Snover on a chapter of my PhD dissertation in 2016, to frequently crossing paths with Guillaume Mauger on aquatic habitat restoration and climate change adaptation issues over the last several years, when I decided to make the transition to CIG, it felt like coming home! I have so appreciated the warm welcome from the CIG staff, the UW community, and all of our partners and collaborators.

As many of you know, it’s been a difficult few months for CIG with the termination of two of our major NOAA grants, including the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative. 

Introducing the Climate Impacts Group “Our Climate Future” Webinar Series

The Climate Impacts Group (CIG) is beginning a new webinar series, titled “Our Climate Future,” building on 30 years of the organization’s research, data, tools, and impact, to inspire new ways to stay connected and move forward during this critical time.