Climate Impacts Group

Register Today: Ore.-Wash. Water Year 2022 Recap & 2023 Outlook Meeting

REGISTRATION AGENDA WATER YEAR SURVEY

Registration is now open for the Oregon-Washington Water Year 2022 Recap & 2023 Outlook Meeting! Participants will meet virtually on the mornings of October 25 and 26. This annual water year meeting, now in its 17th year, is an opportunity to review climate-related impacts of the previous water year and learn about the forecast for the upcoming water year. There is no cost to attend but you are required to register.

The goal of this meeting is to share and gather information regarding climate impacts of the 2022 water year. Continuing drought in some areas, flooding in the fall of 2021, and the exceptionally wet spring will be the focus. 

Heat wave serves WA a lesson in climate adaptation, mitigation

For better or worse, this heat wave is forcing Washington to recognize and confront the impacts of climate change. Dr. Meade Krosby is quoted.  

King County hoping to close heat disparity gap in low-income areas

Earlier this year, King County announced it’s developing an Extreme Heat Mitigation plan to better handle heat waves. Part of the county’s plan is to work on closing the heat disparity gap. Erica Asinas is quoted.  

The scientists who switched focus to fight climate change

Four researchers describe how they found different ways of responding to the planet’s biggest threat — from quitting tenure to overhauling their academic programme. Dr. Meade Krosby is quoted.  

Seeking Postdoc Focused on Climate and the Future of Aquatic Flows

Are you a researcher interested in the nexus of climate change and aquatic flows? The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, in partnership with Boise State University, is searching for a postdoctoral scholar with a passion for developing science that meets real-world needs to lead regionally-focused research related to modeling aquatic flows under climate change.

The postdoctoral scholar will join a national cohort as part of the National and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Center’s Climate Adaptation Postdoctoral (CAP) Fellows Program. In addition to leading regional research, the Climate Adaptation postdoctoral scholar will collaborate with other Climate Adaptation scholars from across the country on national-scale research and synthesis on climate-aquatic flows issues and how this information can be integrated into aquatic ecosystem management. 

CIG study investigates influence of federal policy on local climate action

Dr. Jason Vogel, interim director of the Climate Impacts Group, is co-author on a recently published article in Sustainability on the influence of federal policy on local climate adaptation efforts. 

The article, Climate Adaptation at the Local Scale: Using Federal Climate Adaptation Policy Regimes to Enhance Climate Services, was published earlier this month in a special edition of Sustainability focused on climate services. 

Vogel and his co-author, Charles Herrick, reviewed 17 case studies of local climate adaptation efforts for the role of federal law, policy and programs, the organizations and agencies involved, and the use of science. 

They found in many cases, federal laws and policies provide a framework for local policy as well as “technical and fiscal resources beyond what any individual locality could muster on its own.” An overlooked element of the climate adaptation landscape, they write, is the role of federal policy as a “bottom-up” approach to local climate action, as local governments take advantage of policy tools to achieve their own resilience objectives.  

AP News: From dry to deluge, how heavy snow, rain flooded Yellowstone

In Yellowstone, rivers and creeks this week raged with water much higher and faster than even the rare benchmark 500 year flood. Weather-whiplashed residents and government officials raced to save homes, roads and businesses. Guillaume Mauger is quoted. This article was picked up by five different news outlets.  

We’re Hiring! Leadership Positions at CIG and NW Climate Adaptation Science Center

Do you want to help lead climate adaptation research across the Northwest? The UW Climate Impacts Group and the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center are hiring! The Climate Impacts Group is seeking a Director and the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center is seeking a Deputy University Director. In case you missed it, Amy Snover has retired after more than 20 years with our team. Learn more about each opportunity below.

CIG DIRECTOR NW CASC DEPUTY UNIVERSITY DIRECTOR

The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center is hosted by the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group. Both are EarthLab member organizations.  

Testing a new time-traveling VR experience that explores sea level rise in Seattle

The Seattle Public Library and the University of Washington have created a virtual reality experience for teens and families that explores climate change and its impacts on sea level rise in Seattle’s industrialized Duwamish River and South Park neighborhood.

Former CIG Researcher Heidi Roop is quoted. A story about this project was also recently published in UW News.

“VR allows us to give people an experience that we couldn’t otherwise give since we’re looking toward the future.”
– Heidi Roop 

The NW CASC is Hiring a Deputy University Director

The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, a program of the Climate Impacts Group, is hiring a Deputy University Director to play a leading role in their efforts to foster actionable adaptation science across the Northwest. 

The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center is a federal-university partnership that produces accessible science on climate change impacts and adaptation actions for Northwest natural resource managers and decision makers. The NW CASC is hosted by the Climate Impacts Group on behalf of a multi-university consortium that includes Boise State University, University of Montana, Oregon State University, Washington State University and Western Washington University. Both the NW CASC and the Climate Impacts Group are member organizations of UW EarthLab.