Climate Impacts Group

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. 

Tribal leaders host summit to share climate change stories, solutions

About 500 people representing at least 120 tribal nations, environmental organizations, researchers, energy developers and government agencies converged in Muckleshoot for the sixth climate summit hosted by the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians. A UW tool is mentioned and Dr. Krosby is quoted.  

How the drought hit WA’s farms, forests, fisheries and drinking water 

Virtually every aspect of life in Washington suffered during last year’s drought. Groundwater wells ran dry, fields produced fewer crops, trees died in greater numbers, fish faced disease and famine, according to a study from the University of Washington’s Climate Impacts Group and the Office of the Washington State Climatologist. Karin Bumbaco, interim state climatologist, is quoted. The 2023 PNW Water Year Assessment is referenced.  

New report shows how drought impacted WA, helps agencies plan for future 

Researchers released their 2023 “Pacific Northwest Water Year Impacts Assessment” this month, examining how Washington, Oregon and Idaho were impacted by precipitation and temperatures. Karin Bumbaco is quoted. The Climate Impacts Group and the Office of the Washington State Climatologist are mentioned.  

Climate Impacts Group, partners release fourth PNW Water Year Assessment

As drought persists across parts of Washington and the Pacific Northwest, a team of scientists have developed an annual assessment to help water managers and agricultural producers prepare for dry conditions and other weather extremes.

The fourth Pacific Northwest Water Year Impacts Assessment, released today, summarizes variations in temperature, precipitation and snowpack across Oregon, Washington and Idaho in 2023. Additionally, it details the impacts of these variations on key sectors such as agriculture and drinking water, and how sectors responded to these impacts. For the first time, a summary of the assessment is also available in Spanish.

The assessment is one product of a collaborative process between water managers and scientists at the Office of the Washington State Climatologist, the Climate Impacts Group, Oregon Climate Service, Idaho Department of Water Resources and NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS). 

Biden earmarks half a billion for salmon on upper Green River

An additional $500 million could be on its way to help unlock almost half, or about 100 river and stream miles, of the Green River’s historical salmon spawning and rearing habitat behind Howard Hanson Dam. The UW Climate Impacts Group is mentioned.  

Join our team and support climate justice research & outreach!

Do you have a background in the social sciences and a passion for climate or environmental justice? Apply to join the Climate Impacts Group team!

The Climate Impacts Group is hiring a research scientist to support climate justice research and outreach through the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative. This position will contribute to a body of work that focuses on moving climate adaptation and climate justice into an implementation space. The research scientist will help create case studies and synthesis reports related to climate justice, community-based research and projects within the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative. Additionally, this position will support the development and logistics of a climate justice summer institute and other projects.