Applied research at the Climate Impacts Group incorporates both the physical and social sciences to provide a foundational understanding of how climate variability and change affect natural systems, people, and the built environment, and how communities and organizations might adapt to those impacts. We work closely with stakeholders in pursuit of this work to identify critical knowledge gaps about climate, climate impacts, and managing climate risks. For more information on Climate Impacts Group projects between 1995-2014 contact cig@uw.edu.

Completed applied research projects include the following.

Habitat Corridors and Connectivity | Ecosystems and Species | Hydrology | Landslides, Lightning, and Windstorms | Coastal Adaptation

Habitat Corridors and Connectivity

Ecosystems and Species

Hydrology

Estimates of Twenty-First Century Flood Risk in the Pacific Northwest Based on Regional Climate Model Simulations

To improve the simulation of future extreme storms and their effect on precipitation and runoff production over complex topography in the PNW and Intermountain West, researchers applied regional climate model (RCM) simulations for streamflow projections over the PNW. The RCM provides explicit, physically based simulations of seasonality, size, location, and intensity of historical and future extreme storms, including atmospheric rivers. Results show substantial increases in future flood risk in many PNW river basins in the early fall.  (Salathé)

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Landslides, Lightning, and Windstorms

Coastal Adaptation