Climate Impacts Group

Letter from the Director – September 2026

Dear Climate Impacts Group Community:

As summer comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on growth and transformation — work and life move in cycles, just like nature. 

This summer, we hosted seven EarthLab interns who brought their passion and expertise to a variety of projects. One project with the Northwest Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change network (NW RISCC) resulted in a management brief that beautifully renders art and science to inform us about climate change impacts on ticks in the Northwest. As our interns move on to their next adventure, I continue to be grateful for CIG’s place at the university and our connection to the next generation of environmental leaders. 

Trees, Rain, Floods, and Capacity Building: Four Climate Resilience Projects In Action

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. 

Climate Adaptation Science Center Network Convenes at UW Seattle for a Week of Connection and Learning

This week, the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (NW CASC) hosted 50 collaborators from the National CASC and nine regional CASCs for the network’s annual meeting. Traveling from the Pacific Islands, Alaska and across the lower 48, CASC staff gathered in Seattle to connect, share lessons learned from regional and national CASC programs and areas of research, and advance efforts to evaluate and communicate the impact of the CASC program.

This meeting provided an opportunity to reflect on the strong relationships and trust across the network, which has been built over the program’s 16 years and has been key to its impact and longevity. 

We’re hiring a research scientist specializing in water management – apply by 9/27

The UW Climate Impacts Group has an outstanding opportunity for a mid-career research scientist who specializes in water management systems to join our team and play a critical role in advancing climate resilience for the Pacific Northwest.

UW Environment celebrates partnership and impact at Community-Engaged Research Symposium

The Climate Impacts Group, EarthLab, and Washington Sea Grant co-planned a community-engaged research symposium for the environment. CIG Climate Resilience Scientist Rishi Sugla was featured on a panel. 

Letter from the Director – July 2026

Dear friend,

With summer upon us and drought conditions continuing to develop across the Pacific Northwest, I am especially appreciative of the work of our team in the Washington State Climate Office, who provide credible, accessible updates on climate topics ranging from snowpack to predictions for El Nino conditions. And, personally, I love having climatologists a few doors away from my office to pepper with my many questions on historical context and weird weather!

Although the UW Seattle campus is quieter in the summer months, our collaborations continue forward at full pace — ranging from the NW CASC Deep Dive workshops on emerging climate risks in the PNW to supporting our partners at state agencies with the implementation of Washington’s Climate Resilience Strategy. 

Understanding How Growth Management, Water Efficiency, and Climate Could Shape Future Residential Water Demand in the Puget Sound Region

Despite the Puget Sound region’s reputation for abundant water, communities across western Washington are increasingly confronting summer water stress. Hotter, drier summers, declining snowpack, and rapid population growth are reshaping the timing and reliability of freshwater availability in the Puget Sound Region. 

Over the next 40 years, the region is expected to add roughly five million residents, increasing pressure on water infrastructure, freshwater ecosystems, and instream flows that support salmon and other species.

Understanding both how future regional water demand may change and the potential for alternative supplies are critical pieces of the region’s broader climate resilience strategy. To help address this challenge, the Climate Impacts Group partnered with Puget Sound Partnership on a multi-year project examining how future water management actions can support broader Puget Sound Recovery goals, both past and future.  

Letter from the Director – April 2026

Dear friends, supporters and colleagues:

I loved seeing so many of you at our 30th anniversary film screening event! We were honored to celebrate with over 250 supporters, collaborators, and community members. I particularly enjoyed the thoughtful panel discussion at the end, when former governor Jay Inslee asked far-reaching questions about resilience, storytelling, climate policy, and hope. And, I appreciated the insight of the former Climate Impacts Group director, Dr. Amy Snover, about the important climate change adaptation work happening at every level of government and across diverse organizations. Most importantly, the evening was a reminder of the power of being part of a vast community of people who care deeply about a more just and resilient future. 

Pacific Northwest Water Year 2025 Impacts Assessment Released

The sixth annual Pacific Northwest (PNW) Water Year Impacts Assessment provides a detailed evaluation of climate conditions and related impacts across Idaho, Oregon, and Washington during the 2025 water year (October 1, 2024–September 30, 2025). 

“Finding Tomorrow’s Climate in Today’s Landscapes”: New Study and Tools Available to Support Land Management Decisions Around Vegetation Change

A new, NW CASC-supported study led by researchers at the University of Montana and partners in the U.S. Forest Service, Conservation Science Partners, and Vibrant Planet, uses climate-analog modeling to explore the future of vegetation change in the western U.S. This study found that about one third of the western U.S. is highly vulnerable to ecological transformation by the middle of the 21st century, and that more than any other vegetation groups, subalpine forest and alpine ecosystems are most at risk of declining by mid-21st century.