Skip to main content

January 2016 Newsletter


News and upcoming events related to the Southeast Climate Science Center.
Subscribe to the monthly newsletter here.



—— SE CSC NEWS: ——————————————————

Join the SE CSC Team: Deputy Director position now open for application. The Interdisciplinary Deputy Director position opens 01/19/2016 and closes 02/01/2016. Open to all US citizens. Duties Include: coordinating the SECSC research portfolio, ensuring clear and effective communication among researchers and stakeholders, and strategic and tactical science planning. Learn More and Apply
University Director, Ryan Boyles will present: Visualizing the Impact of Future Climate on Pine Forests
February 2nd | 3:00 PM EST | The Pine Integrated Network: Education, Mitigation, and Adaptation Project (PINEMAP) focuses on understanding and communicating how climate will affect planted loblolly pine forests in the southern US. This effort was supported by the Southeast and Northwest Climate Science Centers, and will be presented by Ryan Boyles. Learn More and Register

2015 Global Change Fellow, Rachel Atkins, on This is What Science Looks like at NC State. Read the Article

United Nations Climate Meeting Interview:
SE CSC PI, Katherine Hayhoe​,​ ​was interviewed about attending her first UN Climate Meeting at COP21, and what prospects she sees for climate mitigation. Listen to the Interview
National Academies of Science reviews the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives: Read the Review

New PINEMAP Tool Helps Foresters Plan and Adapt to Climate Changes in the Southeast: Learn More and Use the Tool
American Geophysical Union Meeting Presentation by SECSC Colleague: Our science communication colleague, Susan Hassol, of climatecommunication.org, presented at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco, (December 14-18). She argued that emphasizing the solutions to climate change rather than talking about the science, is a better way to communicate to the public. Susan recommended four websites with resources that help people understand potential solutions to climate change issues. Learn More
Colleague, Katherine Hayhoe, narrates a 1-minute global warming science video: See the Video

—— FEATURED RESOURCE: ——————————————

Climate Adaptation Project from the Caribbean Climate Sub Hub for Tropical Forestry and Agriculture: The aim of this project is to identify and document local successes in sustainable land management practices that farmers, ranchers and landowners in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands could adopt to build climate change resilience. The aim of this outreach project is deliver climate services, to provide educational resources and a reference tool for practitioners in the form of written documents and short videos. The documents and videos will serve to demonstrate the potential of sustainable farming and forestry practices in reducing threats under climate change and will showcase the diversity of options available based on the experience of local farmers, ranchers and foresters that have implemented or are currently implementing sustainable land management practices. Learn More and Watch Materials

—— RESOURCES: ——————————————————–
iPlover Application:
A USGS scientist, Rob Thieler, has developed an app that together with science helps to track a threatened shorebird, the Atlantic Coast piping plover.
Learn More

Global Carbon Budget 2015 is now available:
You can access data, figures, infographics, and press releases from this link. Global and detail national CO2 emissions data from fossil fuels can also be accessed from the Global Carbon Atlas with a number of custom made options to plot data.
Growing Season Variability and Crop Loss Interactive Map: Check out some of the exciting visualizations that SERCH is creating to help farmers address impacts from climate change. See the Visualizations
New stories added to NC Climate Stories: See what an NC fisherman and an urban bee keeper have to say about climate impacts. See the Stories
Georgia Sea Grant Uses New Smartphone App to Map King Tide Flood: The Sea Level Rise app, created by Norfolk, Virginia-based Wetlands Watch and developer Concursive, is being pilot tested up and down the East Coast, including by Sea Grant programs in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Learn More

Two New Reports from the Water Utility Climate Alliance:
Embracing Uncertainty: A Case Study Examination of How Climate Change is Shifting Water Utility Planning
Read the Report
Actionable Science in Practice: Co-Producing Climate Change Information for Water Utility Vulnerability Assessments: Final Report of the Piloting Utility Modeling Applications (PUMA) Project

Read the Report
Graphic Representation of Human- vs. Natural-Caused Climate Change:
Check out this graphic presentation from Bloomberg.com that compares the contribution of natural and anthropocentric causes of climate change, based on data from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. See the Graphic
Change Visualized: What Climate Change Looks Like:
A series of articles that feature images that show the varied ways that global warming has affected the world. Read the Articles
CAKE Highlight:  National Park Service Coastal Adaptation Strategies:
NPS has released a summary report and 24 case studies of coastal adaptation activities. The case studies follow the format created for CAKE, including the adaptation strategies’ keywords, and present examples on topics such as natural resources, cultural resources, facilities management, and visitor use and access. All of the case studies are now available on CAKE and linked to other relevant items of interest. See the Report
NOAA adds Louisiana to Complete SeaLevelRise Viewer for Lower 48 States:
Scientists, regional managers, coastal planners, businesses and residents of Louisiana can now use NOAA’s popular Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer to assess their risks for coastal flooding under a variety of different scenarios. The Louisiana update expands coverage to all coastal U.S. states and territories, except for Alaska where gaps in the underlying geospatial and mapping data remain. Access the Tool
2015’s Key Climate Science Research Advances: A list compiled by Yale Climate Connections. See the List

—— WEBINARS: ———————————————————-

Upland Development & Shoreline Hardening Negatively Impact Estuarine Benthos, Fish and Waterbirds: February 11th | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EST | Presented by Rochelle Seitz, PhD., Benthic Community Ecologist and Research Professor at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Learn More and Register 
 
—— SEMINARS AT NCSU: ———————————————–
Ecology and Evolution Speaker Series
Thursdays, 3:30 PM EST | David Clark Labs Room 101 | Co-sponsored by SECSC
Upcoming Speakers:

– January 21st: 
Karin Pfennig, UNC- Evolution’s Wedge: Mate Choice and the Origins of Diversity
– February 4th: Chris Martin, UNC- The Early Stages of Microendemic Adaptive Radiation
– February 18th: Alex Dornberg, NC Museum of Natural Sciences- Descending to the Dark Side: The Tole of Nocturnality in the Evolution of Marine Fishes
View Full Series Schedule

NCSU Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources Seminar Series: 
Wednesdays, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM EST | 1216 Jordan Hall Addition  
     
Upcoming Speakers:
         – January 27th: 
Terri Galinski– Forest Productivity Manager, Plum Creek- Athens, Georgia
         – February 10th: 
Olman Murillo– Professor, School of Forest Engineering, Technological Institute of Costa Rica- Cartage, Costa Rica
         – February 24th: 
Decheng Zhou– Lecturer, College of Applied Meterology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology- Nanjing, China
View Full Seminar Schedule

Geospatial Forum Series: 
Thursdays, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM EST | 5013 Jordan Hall | The Center for Geospatial Analytics is excited to continue the Geospatial Forum series for the Spring 2016 semester, a great lineup of nine high-profile guest speakers from around the country, across the pond, and right here in the Triangle.
     
Upcoming Speakers: 
 – January 21st: 
Dr. Michael Emch– Professor and Chair, Department of Geography; Professor, Department of Epidemiology; Fellow, Carolina Population Center, UNC Chapel Hill
– February 4th: 
Dr. Larry Band– Voit Gilmore Distinguished Professor of Geography, Director- Institute for the Environment, UNC Chapel Hill
– February 18th: 
Dr. David Berrigan– Biologist, Office of the Associate Director of Applied Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health
– February 25th: 
Dr. Conghe Song– Professor and Associate CHair, Department of Geography, UNC Chapel Hill
View Full Forum Schedule
Downscaling Climate Change Predictions to Ecologically-Relevant Spatial Scales:
A Case Study With Brook Trout: January 21st 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EST SSMC4 – Large Conference Room – 8150 | Presented by Craig D. Snyder, PhD. Research Ecologist  and Nathaniel (Than) Hitt, PhD. Research Fish Biologist, both with the Aquatic Ecology Branch of the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Leetown Biological Science Center, Kearneysville, West Virginia. Learn More and Register

 
—— UPCOMING EVENTS: ———————————————–
Sea-Level Rise Summit: Connected Futures from Alaska to Florida: February 2nd-5thBoca Raton, Florida | Melting ice and warming oceans are transforming coastlines, societies, and natural resources around the world. To meet this unprecedented challenge and to help produce an adaptation strategy, the Center for Environmental Studies at Florida Atlantic University will convene its third Sea-Level Rise Summit. The theme, Connected Futures from Alaska to Florida, recognizes that this task demands unconventional thinking. The sub-tropics and the Arctic are rarely discussed together. But comparing their shared experiences is sure to unlock new insights valuable to stakeholders in both regions. Learn More

2016 Social Coast Forum: Social Science for Coastal Decision-Making:
February 9th-11th | Charleston, South Carolina | Understanding people—where they live, what they do, what they value—is an important part of successful coastal management. Join us for the third biennial Social Coast Forum to see and share how social science tools and methods are being used to address the nation’s coastal issues. Learn More and Join the Waitlist

2016 Meeting of the International Society of Forest Resource Economics: 
April 3rd-5th | Raleigh, NC |  The ISFRE 2016 Meeting Steering Committee invites forest economics and policy researchers, practitioners, and other stakeholders to submit abstracts and proposals for oral and poster presentations, panel sessions, and other workshops and side sessions. These may include any topic are
topic area related to forest resource economics. Learn More and Download the Call for Abstracts

SAVE THE DATE: Carolinas Climate Resilience Conference: September 12th-14th, 2016Charlotte, NC | The Carolinas Integrated Sciences & Assessments (CISA) is excited to once again bring together practitioners and researchers to learn and share with one another as we work to build a more resilient future for the Carolinas. The 2016 conference will build on the success of the inaugural 2014 event with a format designed to facilitate interaction, training, collaboration, and networking. The conference schedule will include mini-workshops, hands-on sessions, plenary speakers, and a networking reception. Learn More and Sign Up For Conference Updates


—— TRIBAL NEWS: ——————————————————-

The BIA’s Tribal Climate Resilience program is pleased to announce a new solicitation:
“Program to Identify and Address Climate Science Needs for Improved Climate Change Adaptation- Tribal Climate Science Liaisons” available on grants.gov under the grant announcement # BIA-climate 16-0001. Please see
this announcement for further information.

RFP for Tribal Climate Liaison positions
to be placed at 5 to 7 of the eight climate science centers to address tribal climate science needs through extension work with tribes, research, and coordination Due Feb. 12, 2016, 5:00 PMEST. Learn More
New Publication:
Vinyeta K, Whyte KP, Lynn K. 2015. Climate change through an intersectional lens: gendered vulnerability and resilience in indigenous communities in the United States. Read the Publication
Position Available:
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow with Michigan State University (MSU) and the College of Menominee Nation (CMN). Position Open Until Filled-Review of Applications begins on February 1st, 2016. Learn More
Rising Voices: Collaborative Science for Climate Solutions:
Recommendations to the UNFCCC 21st Conference of Parties. This document presents a series of recommendations for managing the impacts of our planet’s changing climate on Indigenous communities. On behalf of the Rising Voices community, we are providing a list of recommendations to those gathered at the UNFCCC 21st Conference of Parties and for dissemination around the world for communities, organizations, agencies, and governments to consider as focused examples of governmental actions as they pursue and implement urgent climate adaptation. Learn More
GAO Report: A National System Could Help Federal, State, Local, and Private Sector Decision Makers Use Climate Information:
This report examines (1) the extent to which federal efforts meet the climate information needs of decision makers; (2) examples of how other countries organized climate information systems; (3) whether and how federal efforts could be improved; and (4) the strengths and limitations of different options to provide climate information. GAO analyzed reports; reviewed systems in three other countries; and interviewed stakeholders with knowledge of climate information. Learn More
Tribal Green Summit 2016 Call for Presenters:
March 8th-10th, 2016 | Snoqualmie Casino- Seattle, Washington | All are invited who are involved with resource management, community planning, housing, landscapes and on-the-ground projects who want to gain and share a greater understanding for sustainable built environments. We are seeking presenters, posters and/or displays in the field of tribal green building, waste reduction and recycling, habitat restoration and sustainability. We are especially seeking examples of projects in tribal communities. Hosted by the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe with support from Tribal Solid Waste Advisory Network (TSWAN) and funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). For more information, contact Cindy Spiry or Kami Snowden
14th Annual Climate Prediction Applications Science Workshop:
March 22nd-24th | Burlington, VT | The 14th Annual Climate Prediction Applications Science Workshop (CPASW) will bring together a diverse group of climate researchers, information producers, and users to share developments in the research and applications of climate predictions for societal decision-making. The 2016 CPASW is hosted by the NOAA National Weather Service Climate Services Branch, University of Vermont, and other climate services partners. Learn More
Global Climate Agreement Passes Over Issues Critical to Indigenous Peoples’ Caucus: 
The global Paris agreement struck by nearly 200 countries on December 12 is heralded as the first climate agreement to commit all countries to cut carbon emissions. But when it comes to key points that the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC) came to Paris to negotiate, it falls far short of their goals. Learn More
Interior Secretary Jewell Talks Indian Country Climate Resilience at COP21:
United States Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell lead a panel discussion kicking off the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) on initiatives the U.S. is working on to help prepare communities and the ecosystems they depend on for the impacts of climate change. Learn More
Indigenous Women are on the Front Lines of Climate Change. Where’s the Media Coverage?
Coverage of the Paris climate talks largely concentrates on what diplomats will (or won’t) agree to in this conference. There’s also some focus on the protests. But few stories center on the people whose lives are most affected by climate change. Learn More
Tribal-Focused Environmental Risk and Sustainability Tool (Tribal-FERST): This web based information and mapping tool from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides tribes with easy access to the best available human health and ecological science. The non-profit, intertribal organization United South and Eastern Tribes (USET) has partnered with EPA to develop a guidance document, provide training, and connect the water quality exchange database and data transfer network with Tribal-FERST. Learn More

—— LCC NEWS: ————————————————————
Appalachian:

*Biodiversity Critical to Maintaining Healthy Ecosystems  Learn More
*FWS Northeast Regional Director Comments on National Academy of Sciences Review of LCCs  Learn More
More News from Appalachian LCC
Caribbean:
*CLCC Newsletter for December 2015: 3 Conservation Action Teams Approves, NAS Review, and more  Learn More
*National Academy of Sciences Releases Review of Landscape Conservation Cooperatives  Learn More
More News from Caribbean LCC


Gulf Coastal Plains and Ozark:

*Landscape scale science plays a critical role in rangewide monitoring plan, a requirement for delisting the Interior Least Tern  Learn More
*Evaluating tidal saline wetland migration along the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coast under alternative sea level rise and urbanization scenarios  Learn More
More News from Gulf Coastal Plains and Ozark LCC

Peninsular
Florida:

*New Rural and Family Lands Protection Program brochure Available from the Florida Forest Service  Learn More
*Now Available: Audubon’s State of the Everglades Report – Fall 2015  Learn More
More News from Peninsular Florida LCC
South Atlantic:

*Steering Committee approves revised mission statement, establishes Investment Committee  Learn More
*Learn how to explore the Conservation Blueprint using the Simple Viewer in 5 minutes  Learn More
More News from South Atlantic LCC


—— OTHER NEWS: ——————————————————–
A Global Agreement to Act on Climate Change: Here are the highlights from the U.S. participation in COP21- Paris, December 2015. See the Highlights

Where Did Proposals From COP21 Lead? View the Climate Commitments Scoreboard by Climate Interactive

The North Carolina Coastal Federation was awarded $560,000 under NOAA’s Coastal Ecosystem Resiliency Grants.
Project Title:
Living Shorelines in North Carolina
Summary:
This project will create a living shoreline on both public and private lands across the North Carolina estuarine coast, providing both ecological and community resilience benefits. Establishing living shorelines will yield key ecosystem services provided by restored coastal marsh habitat. Sediment deposits onto the marsh will help build resiliency to sea-level rise by elevating the marsh floor. See All Coastal Ecosystem Resiliency Grants

—— OPPORTUNITIES: —————————————————–

Nature Conservancy/University of Washington Position Available:
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the University of Washington (UW) seek an accomplished conservation leader to serve in a joint position as the Lead Scientist for The Nature Conservancy in Washington (TNC) and Professor of Practice (#0120) in the University of Washington, College of The Environment’s School of Environmental and Forest Sciences and Center for Creative Conservation (CCC). Learn More and Apply

Interested In Applying for a 2016 Gulf Research Program Fellowship? Take advantage of two new ways to learn more about 2016 Gulf Research Program fellowship opportunities, then submit your application by 11:59 PM EST on February 17th. Open to early career, tenure track faculty. Learn More

SE CSC // Follow us on Twitter // Subscribe to our news feed //