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NE CSC Newsletter

Thursday, January 30, 2014

News and upcoming events related to the Northeast Climate Science Center

 

 

------ NE CSC NEWS: ------------------------

 

Spring 2014 NE CSC Webinar Series     The NE CSC will be continuing our webinar series for the spring semester under the theme, "Extreme Events and Climate Change: Adapting to an Uncertain Future".  We'll be hosting 6 speakers who will cover topics ranging from sea level rise, hurricane risk, sustainable forestry, and the impacts of extreme events on breeding birds.  See the list of speakers…

 

NE CSC Webinar: "Sea-level Rise, Coastal Change, and Decision Making in an Uncertain Future"   February 12, 3:30pm ET. Robert Thieler, USGS.  Assessing the potential vulnerability of the coastal zone to sea-level rise (SLR) requires integrating a variety of physical, biological, and social factors. These include landscape, habitat, and resource changes, as well as the ability of society and its institutions to adapt. The range of physical and biological responses associated with SLR is poorly understood at some of the critical time and space scales required for decision making. Limitations in the ability to quantitatively predict outcomes at local, regional, and national scales affect whether, when, and how some decisions will be made. The USGS and collaborators are developing scientific knowledge and tools to understand and anticipate the magnitude and likelihood of future SLR impacts. Recent work to develop probabilistic frameworks that capture potential outcomes and communicate scientific uncertainty shows great promise as a means to engage both scientists and decision makers in the development of decision tools, as well as to inform science activities that will result in more useful predictions and products for management. Read more…

 

NE CSC Project Highlight: Developing Fish Trophic Interaction Indicators of Climate Change for the Great Lakes     Dr. Richard Kraus (USGS - Great Lakes Science Center) and his team are examining seasonal food web changes and analytical metrics that can serve as synoptic measures of the effect of climate forces on food web structure and fishery resources in the Great Lakes. The primary goal of the project is to provide managers with a better understanding of food web changes that may occur as different fish guilds compete for habitat and prey resources under forecasted climate conditions, and to provide tools for monitoring fisheries in the form of indicator variables based on diet and natural energy tracers of food web structure. Read more…

 

NE CSC Fellow attends LCC meeting      Graduate Fellow, Jaymi LeBrun, recently attended the Eastern Tallgrass Prairie and Big Rivers (ETPBR) Landscape Conservation Cooperative Steering Committee Meeting and wrote about her experience. "…Going to this meeting opened my eyes to the conservation needs in my own backyard of the Midwestern United States. I think their conservation focal species list will guide me in my future work…"  Read more...

 

Massachusetts Governor proposes Co-Location of State Climatologist at NE CSC    Subject to the legislative approval of funding, Governor Patrick recently proposed a plan for the Energy and Environmental Affairs office to partner with UMass Amherst’s Northeast Climate Science Center in appointing a state climatologist to help state agencies and municipalities better understand climate impacts. Read more…

 

New publication     NE CSC Science Coordinator Michelle Staudinger and co-authors recently published, "The distribution, diversity, and importance of cephalopods in top predator diets from offshore habitats of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean."   Read more...

 

 

------ FEATURED RESOURCE: ------------------------------------------

Midwestern Regional Climate Center's cli-MATE mapping system     Daily snowfall and snow depth information is available on the MRCC’s Midwest Climate Watch page. But what if your interest is in the current season total, or a past snowfall event, or departure from normal? The MRCC cli-MATE system has the tool for you!   Our cli-MATE mapping system allows you to map snowfall, departure from normal, or percent of normal for any user defined period.  Once you are on the data selection screen for “Maps of Gridded Data-Specific Period”, you can select your preferred parameters.  Read more… 

 

 

------ WEBINARS: ------------------------------------------------------------

 

Thursday, January 30, 1:00 pm ET

NWS Climate Services Seminar Series presents, 

"IPCC Fifth Assessment Report: Summary of the Science of Climate Change"

Phil Mote

To join or register, visit:  https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/608762864

 

Wednesday, Februrary 5, 1:00 pm ET

EBM Tools Network Webinar and Office Hour Series presents, 

"Ecosystem Services Harmonization in Theory and Practice"

Evangelia Drakou

To join or register, visit:  https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/449314561

 

Friday, February 7, 2014, 3:00pm ET

The Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. presents, 

"The World of Arctic Snow"

Dr. Matthew Sturm, University of Alaska, Faribanks

To join, visit: http://www.cuahsi.org/2014cyberseminars.aspx

 

Tuesday, February 11, 1:00 pm ET

OneNOAA Science Seminars presents, 

"The Eventual Threat Index: A new tool for predicting overfishing threats and monitoring trends in threat potential"

Matthew G. Burgess

To join or register, visit:  http://www.mymeetings.com/nc/join.php?sigKey=mymeetings&i=744925156&p=&t=c

 

Tuesday, February 11, 2:00 pm ET

The Restoration Webinar Series presents, 

"Technical, cultural, and legal challenges associated with implementing four barrier removal projects on a high priority tributary to the Taunton River in Taunton, Massachusetts"

To join or register, visit:  http://distancelearning.fws.gov/webinars/restoration.html

 

Wednesday, February 12, 3:30 pm ET

Northeast Climate Science Center presents, 

"Sea-level Rise, Coastal Change, and Decision Making in an Uncertain Future"

Robert Thieler, USGS

To join, visit: https://necsc.umass.edu/webinars/sea-level-rise-coastal-change-and-decision-making-uncertain-future

 

Friday, February 14, 2014, 3:00pm ET

The Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. presents, 

"Assessing Snow and Snowmelt Runoff in Remote Mountain Ranges"

Dr. Jeff Dozier - University of California, Santa Barbara and Dr. Anne Nolin - Oregon State University

To join, visit: http://www.cuahsi.org/2014cyberseminars.aspx

 

Tuesday, February 18, 12:00 pm ET

Ohio State University Changing Climate webinar series presents, 

"Predicting Carbon Storage of Great Lakes Forests in the Year 2050"

Dr. Peter Curtis

To join or register, visit:  http://changingclimate.osu.edu/webinars/

 

Thursday February 20, 2 pm ET

National Integrated Drought Information System presents,

"Midwest and Great Plains Drought Webinar"

Climate experts provide public briefings on the latest seasonal climate outlooks for the coming winter

To join, visit: http://drought.gov/drought/news/midwest-and-great-plains-drought-webinar-feb-20-2014

 

Friday, February 21, 2014, 3:00pm ET

The Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. presents, 

Dr. Timothy E. Link - University of Idaho

"Snowmelt processes in forests:  Apparent paradoxes and implications for advancing hydrologic understanding in complex terrain"

To join, visit: http://www.cuahsi.org/2014cyberseminars.aspx

 

Wednesday, February 26, 1:00 pm ET

Tribal Renewable Energy webinar series presents, 

"Strategic Energy Planning"

To join or register, visit:  https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/319770520

 

Wednesday, February 26, 3:30 pm ET

Northeast Climate Science Center presents, 

"Why Was Hurricane Sandy So Damaging? Sea-Level Rise and Geomorphic Dominance on Storm Impacts"

Jonathan Woodruff, UMass Amherst

To join, visit: https://necsc.umass.edu/webinars/why-was-hurricane-sandy-so-damaging-sea-level-rise-and-geomorphic-dominance-storm-impacts

 

Thursday, February 27, 2:00 pm ET

OneNOAA Science Seminars presents, 

"Spatial Dynamics in Marine Ecosystems: Regulations, Fisheries and Feedbacks"

Dr. Andrew Rassweiler

To join or register, visit:  https://nwfsc200.webex.com/nwfsc200/j.php?ED=245579647&UID=1707396137&RT=MiM0

 

 

------ LCC NEWS: --------------------------------------------------------------

 

Gulf Coastal Plains and Ozarks LCC

A Chat with Karen Diver  Ms. Diver is one of two first natives appointed to Presidential Climate Change Task Force, as well as first woman to head the tribal council for the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa…

Safeguarding Indigenous Knowledge  When a tribe works with outside entities on a project that might reveal traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), control of that knowledge is often an issue...

 

Appalachian LCC

Working with SAMAB on Revitalization Initiative            SAMAB is working across borders to advance Southern Appalachian conservation… 

Project: Evaluation and Downscaling of Climate Simulations for the Southeast and Appalachians     The range of the Appalachian LCC is not well modeled in global climate simulations...

 

Eastern Tallgrass Prairie and Big Rivers LCC

Celebrating Success! LCC Releases 2013 Year in Review   A compilation of stories about collective success and progress in promoting effective conservation through collaboration and sound science across our nation’s heartland...

 

North Atlantic LCC News

Protecting People and Communities, Helping Fish and Wildlife            The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has received $1.27 million in Hurricane Sandy mitigation funds… 

Americans' Global Warming Beliefs and Attitudes in November 2013            There has been an increase in the proportion of Americans who believe global warming is not happening (23%, up 7 percentage points since April 2013)…

Science Delivery RFP     Request for proposals addresses a key science need by advancing application of landscape conservation science products at multiple scales...

 

Plains and Prairie Potholes LCC News

Funding Opportunity  Land use and land owner decision making identified as key research needs… 

 

 

----- UPCOMING EVENTS: --------------------------------------------------

 

The 2014 New England Association of Environmental Biologists (NEAEB) Annual Conference    March 26-28, Burlington, VT.  Hosted by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation with assistance from the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission and the Lake Champlain Basin Program.   Read more…

 

NCAR & UCAR Research and Partnerships Summit: Data for Decision Makers      April 21-22, Boulder, CO.  This event will feature world-leading researchers describing emerging technologies for renewable energy, highway safety, water management, wildfire prediction, air pollution, regional climate, health impacts, big data management, supercomputing.  Read more…

 

Adaptation in the Great Lakes Region Conference    June 24-26, Ann Arbor, MI.  Join researchers and practitioners from the Great Lakes region and beyond to learn about climate adaptation efforts in various sectors and across various scales, foster collaboration, and discuss next steps to building resilient communities and a resilient region. Proposed sessions due March 14, 2014. Read more... 

 

 

------ OTHER NEWS: --------------------------------------------------------------

 

BIA Grants Will Boost Tribal Preparedness and Resilience to Climate Change    The DOI's Bureau of Indian Affairs announced that it has awarded more than $600,000 in grants to 18 tribes or tribal consortiums to support them in addressing the challenges of climate change.  Read more...

 

Ice cover on the Great Lakes      The Midwestern Regional Climate Center's January Newsletter has several articles on ice cover in the Great Lakes region, from both current and historical perspectives.  Read more...

 

UConn Launches New Climate Change Institute    The University of Connecticut has launched a new institute that will focus on how the state and the nation can adapt to climate change.  Read more…

 

Climate Change Prep Plan for MA    Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick took the wraps off a $50 million plan Tuesday that he says will help prepare Massachusetts for the challenges posed by climate change on public health, energy, transportation and basic infrastructure.  Read more…

 

Changing landscapes not global warming to blame for increased flood risk    A timely article considers the findings of an international report on flood risk, and the possible linkage with climate change/global warming and an increase in global and regional flooding. Read more…

 

Great Lakes Evaporation: Implications for Water Levels     Periods of high and low evaporation can significantly affect the timing and duration of ice cover on the Great Lakes, according to recent research funded in part by GLISA. Read more…

 

Development of Winter Adaptation Measures for Chicago     Chicago is going to experience significant municipal impacts with an increase in heavier snowstorms comprised of denser snow. Read more…

 

SE CSC Grand Opening    The Southeast Climate Science Center (SE CSC) held a grand opening on January 22 at its host institute North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC.  North Carolina Representative David Price, CLU Director Matthew Larsen, and senior NCSU officials spoke at the event.  Read more...

 

 

------ RESOURCES: --------------------------------------------------------------

 

Large Old Trees Grow Fastest, Storing More Carbon    Trees do not slow in their growth rate as they get older and larger — instead, their growth keeps accelerating, according to a study published today in the journal Nature.  Read more…

 

Great Lakes Climate: Climate Change Resources for the Great Lakes   Website offers a curated and annotated collection of Great Lakes climate change resources to educators, government officials, community planners, and the general public, to help them adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change in the Great Lakes region. Read more…

 

New Jersey Is One of States Most Threatened by Sea Level Rise    In a research article, scientists at Rutgers and Tufts released findings that the sea level in New Jersey is currently rising faster than at any point in the last 4,300 years, and will likely continue to rise more than the global average. Read more...

 

 

------ OPPORTUNITIES: --------------------------------------------------------------

 

Climate Funding Opportunities (January 2014)     This document provides a snapshot of currently available, climate-related funding opportunities (as of January 15, 2014). Click the black "download PDF" box on the right side of the page.  Read more…

 

North Atlantic LCC Announces Science Delivery RFP    Request for proposals addresses a key science need by advancing application of landscape conservation science products at multiple scales across the North Atlantic region. (Due March 7) Read more…

 

The Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation(CCEMC) is now inviting proposals for the topic of Biological Greenhouse Gas Management. This topic is defined as the use of biological organisms (plants, animals, microbes) to avoid or reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs), or to enhance carbon sequestration. Read more…

 

Climate CoLab Seeking 2014 climate change proposals     Climate CoLab is calling for proposals for the 2014 Proposal Workspace. Try out new ideas, connect with other members, recruit collaborators, share your work, engage support, and invite a global community to review and help develop your proposal.  Read more…

 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Seeks Proposals from States: For FY 2014 Endangered Species Grants    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking proposals from states and U.S. territories for federal financial assistance for conservation activities that benefit endangered species. (Due March 14)  Read more… 

 

The Plains and Prairie Potholes Landscape Conservation Cooperative RFP    Funding opportunity for research proposals that address high priority knowledge gaps associated with natural resource conservation and management in the northern Great Plains and prairie pothole region of the U.S. and Canada.  (Due Feb 28)  Read more...