Climate Impacts Group

A costly cool: Seattle residents turn to AC during heat wave

With Puget Sound region temperatures in the 90s, box fans aren’t cutting it. Residents are turning to something that was once as un-Seattle as umbrellas and honking in traffic: air conditioning. Jason Vogel, interim director of the UW Climate Impacts Group, is quoted. 

Washington snowpack already mostly melted heading into heat wave.

High temperatures across Washington will contribute to fire danger, elevate temperatures in streams and have an impact on wildlife, but they won’t likely play a major role in melting snowpack because so much of it is already gone by this time of year. Washington State Deputy Climatologist Karin Bumbaco is quoted.  

Welcoming our EarthLab Summer Interns

The Climate Impacts Group is excited to welcome four UW undergraduate students to our team this summer! Caroline Hale, Lupita Ocampo, Anusriya Rahman Ornie and Cora Schultz are joining our team through the EarthLab Summer Internship program. Learn more about each of these students:  

Caroline Hale 

Climate Justice Academy Curriculum & Coordination Intern

Caroline Hale (she/her) is a rising senior at the University of Washington, double majoring in Environmental Studies and Sociology. Her interests converge at the intersection of the natural world, biological sciences and sociological perspectives. Throughout her academic journey, Caroline has had the opportunity to work in collaboration with faculty members on research projects related to her degrees and is eager to leverage these experiences to support research in the Climate Impacts Group. 

GHC among WA colleges sharing $9.3 million to build a climate-ready workforce

The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) will receive a $9.3 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop a climate-ready workforce. The UW Climate Impacts Group and the Office of the Washington State Climatologist are partners in this program.  

WA Welcomes a New State Climatologist

Washington has a new state climatologist. Guillaume Mauger, a research scientist in the UW Climate Impacts Group, succeeds Nick Bond in the role. Mauger is quoted.   

Dr. Guillaume Mauger named Washington State Climatologist

Dr. Guillaume Mauger has been named the next director of the Office of the Washington State Climatologist. Mauger’s appointment began earlier this month. 

Mauger succeeds Dr. Nick Bond, who retired from the role in February after nearly 14 years. Karin Bumbaco, deputy state climatologist, served as interim state climatologist from February to May. 

Currently a research scientist at the Climate Impacts Group, Mauger has 15 years of experience working in climate change impacts and adaptation in the Pacific Northwest with a focus on flooding and water availability.

“Mauger’s deep knowledge of climate impacts in the Northwest and long history working with decision makers, resource managers and community members makes him an excellent choice for the next State Climatologist,” Jason Vogel, interim director of the Climate Impacts Group, says. 

NW CASC is Hiring a Research Scientist!

The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center is hiring a full-time research scientist to coordinate the Northwest Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (NW RISCC) Network and to lead the planning and implementation of our Actionable Science Deep Dives. Additionally, this position will contribute to logistics, program management and integration for the NW CASC as a whole.

The responsibilities of this new position will require significant partner outreach and engagement, science synthesis and event coordination. Thus, we are seeking candidates with strong organization and communication skills. Candidates must have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in natural resource management, environmental sciences, natural sciences, or a related field with a minimum of 4 years of relevant experience. 

Trees Are Coming To Your Neighborhood. That Might Not Be Enough.

Decades of racist zoning and housing practices cast a long shadow in Seattle, sometimes literally. Wealthy white areas like those surrounding Discovery Park and the Arboretum enjoy ample tree cover and shade, while less-affluent neighborhoods are gray with concrete, trapping heat and extending high summer temperatures into the night. Dr. Jason Vogel, interim director of the Climate Impacts Group, is quoted.  

State Route 20 reopens for the year

State Route 20 opened for the season on April 19. Lower-than-average snowfall in the Cascades contributed to a smooth spring clearing process for the Washington Department of Transportation’s crew in its North Central Region. Dr. Crystal Raymond, climate adaptation specialist at the Climate Impacts Group, is quoted.  

Grizzlies are returning to WA’s North Cascades – how will that work?

Among the jagged peaks of the North Cascades, lush alpine meadows rich with berries and wildflowers blanket valleys carved by glaciers, some threaded with trickling creeks. But these idyllic landscapes are missing one big thing that had helped sustain them over the millennia: grizzly bears. Dr. Krosby is quoted.