Climate Impacts Group

Seattle-area Nordic skier on her way to Beijing Paralympics

Fellow nurses train together in the Methow Valley, leading one of them to compete in the games. Climate Impacts Group research on snowpack is and snowmelt is referenced. 

What new projections of sea level rise mean for Puget Sound and the WA coast

Sea level rise will affect each area of the planet in a unique way, but new projections are helping researchers and lawmakers in Washington state identify which coastal communities are most vulnerable. Dr. Guillaume Mauger is quoted. 

“Even if we could magically turn off greenhouse gases tomorrow, we’re kind of stuck with what we’re going to get by 2050. What we see at the end of the century … is strongly dependent on how much we emit between now and then.” – Guillaume Mauger 

‘Easy to melt’: Snowpack in Cascades, Olympics is at serious risk

With warmer and shorter winters, researchers say the state’s snowpack will continue to shrink over the next several decades. Dr. Guillaume Mauger is quoted. This segment also ran in KREM2. 

The Office of the Washington State Climatologist, Climate Impacts Group, and partners release 2021 PNW Water Year Impacts Assessment

The 2021 Pacific Northwest Water Year Impacts Assessment summarizes the water year conditions and related impacts experienced by farmers, water managers, fisheries managers, and other natural resource managers.

ACCESS THE ASSESSMENT

This assessment describes the climate of the water year and related impacts. For several years, researchers, water and resource managers, and organizations working to integrate research and resource management in Oregon and Washington have held a joint Water Year Recap and Outlook meeting. A separate but similar meeting in Idaho is also held each year. In addition to these annual water year meetings, an Annual Pacific Northwest Water Year Impacts Survey is used to collect information on water year impacts for multiple sectors. 

Climate Impacts Group celebrates 25th anniversary with painting (Column)

The Climate Impacts Group at the University of Washington is celebrating its 25th anniversary in an innovative and optimistic way — with an original painting. Dr. Amy Snover is quoted. 

“We saw this as an opportunity not only to connect with people in a different way, but also to connect with our work differently. We were interested in seeing what would happen when we asked someone with a different way of looking at the world to communicate our goals for the project.” – Amy Snover  

Trends show decreasing snowfall in the Pacific Northwest, potential impacts to water supply

Annual snowfall in the Pacific Northwest appears to have decreased since the 20th century, part of a larger trend of declining snowfalls in the western United States partially driven by climate change. Matt Rogers and Karin Bumbaco (Office of the Washington State Climatologist) are quoted. 

“What we do in the next several decades by mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and also by adapting to how we’re seeing the climate change can really make an impact on how that affects recreation, how that affects people, and whether or not we’re ready for it.” – Matt Rogers  

Weather experts forecast spring temperatures in Lower Columbia area through Sunday

Temperatures in the Lower Columbia area through Sunday are expected to counter the six more weeks of winter predicted on Groundhog Day just last week. Research from the Climate Impacts Group is referenced.  

An unexpected item is blocking cities’ climate change prep: obsolete rainfall records

New sewers and storm drains will need to withstand rainfall that’s becoming more intense in a changing climate. But as cities make plans to tear up streets and pour cement, most have little to no information about how climate change will worsen future storms. Research from the Climate Impacts Group is referenced. 

Local climate change research projects future floods

Projections of future flooding from the Climate Impacts Group are referenced.  

Local artist, Climate Impacts Group collaborate to share vision for climate-resilient future

Ever wonder what a climate-resilient future might look like? How the communities, wildlife and landscapes might compare to what we see in the Pacific Northwest now?

Local artist Claire Sianna Seaman and the Climate Impacts Group are helping us envision this future with a painting depicting climate resilience in the Pacific Northwest region.

An album of pictures taken by UW Photographer Mark Stone capture the many details and scenes of the painting. To portray the project digitally, staff from the Climate Impacts Group developed a web-based story combining photos of the painting, a written statement from Claire, and audio clips from a showcase of the painting.