April 2018 Newsletter
April 2018 Newsletter
Welcome to the Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center’s April 2018 Newsletter.
In this newsletter you will find:
SE CASC News
Resources
Notable Publications
Tribal News
Regional Partner News
Webinars
Upcoming Events
Opportunities
For news and upcoming events related to the Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
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Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center News
Our name has changed! We are now the Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center. You’ll continue to see Southeast Climate Science Center as we transition our website, products, and other information streams to the new name. Our mission remains the same.
University Assistant Director Aranzazu Lascurain facilitated a working group on tribal water resources at the Rising Voices: Collaborative Science with Indigenous Knowledge for Climate Solutions Workshop. Learn more.
We are pleased to announce the following exceptional graduate students from departments across NC State have been selected as Global Change Fellows for 2018-19:
Chandramauli Awasthi – Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering
Dol Raj Chalise – Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering
Laura Hamon – Applied Ecology
Caitlin Kempski – Science Education
Danielle Lawson – Parks. Recreation and Tourism Management
Mike Madden – Marine Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Tina Mozelewski – Forestry and Environmental Resources
Bonnie Myers – Applied Ecology
Deja Perkins – Forestry and Environmental Resources
Andre Taylor – History
Emilee Wooster – Applied Ecology
Lin Zekun – Forestry and Environmental Resources and Center for Geospatial Analytics
Learn more about our Global Change Fellows Program.
Check out Researcher Spotlights for some of our current Global Change Fellows.
Read a summary and view presentation slides and audio recording of recent Global Change Seminar, Integration of Ecosystem Services and Decision Making: The Why and The How.
USGS Research Ecologist Adam Terando is participating as a review editor for the Second State of the Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR-2), an interagency assessment being led and developed by the U.S. Global Change Research Program. SOCCR-2 will provide technical input to the Fourth National Climate Assessment and be an authoritative resource to the scientific and academic communities. Learn more.
SE CASC researcher Fred Johnson is co-author on a PLOSone article, Dynamic minimum set problem for reserve design: Heuristic solutions for large problems, deriving from two SE CSC projects, Climate Change Adaptation for Coastal National Wildlife Refuges and Dynamic Reserve Design in the Face of Climate Change and Urbanization. Read the paper.
Faculty Affiliate Astrid Schnetzer recently published a paper in Toxins, Algal Blooms and Cyanotoxins in Jordan Lake, North Carolina. Read a summary in this NCSU News Post.
Global Change Fellow Sudarshana Mukhopadhyay published an article, Role of Pacific SSTs in improving reconstructed streamflow over the coterminous US, in Nature Scientific Reports. Read the article.
Faculty Affiliates Greg Cope and Tom Kwak are co-authors on a paper, J. Archambault et al., Chasing a changing climate: Reproductive and dispersal traits predict how sessile species respond to global warming, in Diversity and Distributions. Read the paper.
Faculty Affiliate Erin Seekamp co-authored an article, Rural coastal community resilience: Assessing a framework in eastern North Carolina, in Ocean & Coastal Management. Read the article.
From Conservation Corridor: Across mammals and across the globe, the human footprint reduces movement.
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Resources
FEATURED RESOURCE
Gulf TREE (Tools for Resilience Exploration Engine)
Developed by the Northern Gulf of Mexico Sentinel Site Cooperative, the Gulf of Mexico Climate Resilience Community of Practice, and the Gulf of Mexico Alliance Resilience Team, Gulf TREE is an interactive decision-support tree to help users select the right climate tool. was created to fulfill the need for guidance in climate tool selection. It was designed in conjunction with stakeholders such as natural resource managers and community planners to allow them to better incorporate climate resiliency into their projects. Investigate the tool.
Other Resources
Climate Data Primer. This NOAA site is designed to walk users through some of the basics of climate data, to aid understanding and exploration. Topics include:
– instruments used to measure weather and climate
– how weather observations relate to climate products
– how climate scientists check the quality of observations
– tools you can use for exploring climate data
Learn more.
Vibrant Cities Lab. Created by US Forest Service, American Forests, and National Association of Regional Councils to help city managers, policymakers, and advocates build thriving urban forest programs. Elements included: Syntheses of Research; Case Studies; and Assessment Tool and Urban Forestry Toolkit. Learn more.
SOCAN Priorities for Acidification Monitoring. Southeast Ocean and Coastal Acidification Network (SOCAN) developed an interactive map of priority acidification monitoring locations, including information about why each location was chosen, demonstrating a scarcity of acidification data collected in the U.S. Southeast. SOCAN held a February 2017 workshop that established monitoring location priorities that would provide critical data for acidification science and information for stakeholders. See the Story Map.
EcoService Models Library (ESML). A searchable database of ecological models for estimating the production of ecosystem goods and services. This online database developed by EPA allows users to find, examine, and compare ecological models to estimate the production of ecosystem goods and services. Learn more.
ClimateEx (Climate Explorer) is an interactive web application for global exploration of spatio-temporal changes in climate by means of the Climate Similarity Search. The app visualizes climate variability and its change by calculating degrees of similarity between local climates. User-selected location and time generates a world-wide similarity map with colors encoding a degree of similarity between a query climate and local climates at the selected target time. Learn more.
Assessing Potential Climate Change Pressures across the Conterminous United States: Mapping Plant Hardiness Zones, Heat Zones, Growing Degree Days, and Cumulative Drought Severity throughout this Century. Maps and tables developed by USFS represent potential variability of projected climate change across the conterminous United States during three 30-year periods in this century. Calculating four key metrics related to plant growth and survival – growing degree days, plant hardiness zones, heat zones, and cumulative drought severity – illustrates the potential for change and highlights regions with changes across multiple factors. Viewing these data collectively further emphasizes the potential for novel climatic space under future projections of climate change and signals the wide disparity in these conditions based on relatively near-term human decisions of curtailing (or not) greenhouse gas emissions. Learn more.
Cultivating your Science Communication Skills. Resource developed by the Leadership in Public Science faculty cluster at NC State University, describing readings, online trainings, and local to national workshops and events geared toward science communication. Learn more.
In the Media
Louisiana First To Purchase Land To Resettle Community Impacted By Climate Change. Bisnow News.
Building Capacity for Resilience: 3 Studies in Building Community in Underserved Areas. Mobile Bay National Estuary Program.
Flooding Hot Spots: Why Seas Are Rising Faster on the U.S. East Coast. YaleEnvironment360.
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Notable Publications
Springs as hydrologic refugia in a changing climate? A remote-sensing approach
Springs are considered to be potential candidates for hydrologic refugia from climate change, since they offer persistently wet or mesic microenvironments that are relatively decoupled from regional climate forcing and so may support climate resilience in natural communities. But lack of hydrologic records of sufficient temporal extent and resolution for many springs prevents evaluation of their resilience to water cycle changes. This paper describes proof‐of‐concept approach for assessment of certain spring types (i.e., helocrene, hypocrene, and hillslope springs) in terms of hydrologic and ecological resilience to climatic water stress in a montane sage‐steppe landscape in southeastern Oregon, USA. Using freely available remote‐sensing and climate data, the authors developed and synthesized seven NDVI‐based indicators to delineate surface‐moisture zones (SMZ) and resilience to interannual changes in water availability, and derived an overall metric of SMZ resilience. Positive correlates were SMZ elevation, slope, mean annual precipitation, and number of associated springs, and resilience was greater for SMZs on topographically shaded, north‐facing slopes. They conclude that the approach, if combined with field assessments of spring hydrogeology, discharge, and groundwater age, may help identify spring‐fed wetlands that are most likely to serve as hydrologic refugia from climate change. Link to article.
Climate change adaptation benefits of potential conservation partnerships
Journal Abstract
We evaluate the world terrestrial network of protected areas (PAs) for its partnership potential in responding to climate change. That is, if a PA engaged in collaborative, trans-boundary management of species, by investing in conservation partnerships with neighboring areas, what climate change adaptation benefits might accrue? We consider core tenets of conservation biology related to protecting large areas with high environmental heterogeneity and low climate change velocity and ask how a series of biodiversity adaptation indicators change across spatial scales encompassing potential PA and non-PA partners. Less than 1% of current world terrestrial PAs equal or exceed the size of established and successful conservation partnerships. Partnering at this scale would increase the biodiversity adaptation indicators by factors up to two orders of magnitude, compared to a null model in which each PA is isolated. Most partnership area surrounding PAs is comprised of non-PAs (70%), indicating the importance of looking beyond the current network of PAs when promoting climate change adaptation. Given monumental challenges with PA-based species conservation in the face of climate change, partnerships provide a logical and achievable strategy for helping areas adapt. Our findings identify where strategic partnering efforts in highly vulnerable areas of the world may prove critical in safeguarding biodiversity. Link to article.
Escaping social-ecological traps through tribal stewardship on national forest lands in the Pacific Northwest, United States of America
Tribal communities in the Pacific Northwest have long-standing relationships to ancestral lands, many of which are now managed by federal land management agencies. As tribal rights to resources on public lands and to participate in their management is increasingly recognized, the authors addressed the question, “What strategies for managing national forest lands can promote ecological resources and stewardship opportunities that are important for tribes in the Pacific Northwest region?” They reviewed scientific publications to examine relationships between tribal social-ecological systems and public lands, identifying key ecocultural resources, impacts to those resources and associated forest ecosystems, and strategies that have been used to redress those impacts. They identified many long-standing factors that have created social-ecological traps, inhibiting tribes from continuing traditional land stewardship activities that supported their well-being and maintained ecological integrity, which has resulted in decrease in both supply and demand for these forest resources as well as the resilience and diversity of these ecosystems. Avoiding these traps will require addressing ecological and social constraints through cooperative restoration efforts between land management agencies and tribes, several examples of which are highlighted. Because tribally-focused restoration strategies generally align with broader strategies suggested to restore national forests in the region, they can foster both tribal well-being and ecological sustainability. Link to article.
The potential role of land cover on secular changes of the hydroclimate of Peninsular Florida
This paper examines the impact of land cover type on trends in the hydroclimate of Peninsular Florida, which is characterized as a robust feature with monsoon-like seasonality. Authors defined the onset, demise, and length of the wet seasons over the time period of 1948-2006 in Peninsular Florida based on daily rainfall from the Climate Prediction Center of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction. Onset of the wet season is defined as the first day the daily accumulated precipitation anomaly reaches a minimum for the year at a given grid point; demise is defined as the first day the anomaly reaches a maximum. They found that a trend of later onset date, earlier demise, and thereby shorter seasonal length is most prevalent in the most urbanized regions relative to the rural regions of Peninsular Florida. However, the trends in the seasonal rainfall accumulation are not so consistent with the land-surface type, resulting in a significant increasing trend of average daily rain rate in the shortened wet season over the urbanized regions of the region. Link to article.
Integrating Larval Dispersal, Permitting, and Logistical Factors Within a Validated Habitat Suitability Index for Oyster Restoration
Habitat suitability index (HSI) models are increasingly used to inform ecological restoration. The paper describes a HSI model that incorporates factors such as physical and biological processes and permitting and logistical considerations, all of which have relevance to common restoration goals such as population persistence yet are rarely considered collectively. Using restoration of persistent high-relief subtidal oyster (Crassostrea virginica) reef sanctuaries in Pamlico Sound as a study system, they incorporated 17 factors of physical (e.g., salinity) and biological (e.g., larval dispersal) processes relevant to oyster restoration, as well as several relevant permitting (e.g., presence of seagrasses) and logistical (e.g., distance to restoration material stockpile sites) considerations, based on stakeholder input. The GIS-based model was used to identify a suite of optimal (top 1% HSI) and suitable (top 5% HSI) locations for oyster restoration, which were clustered in northeast and southwest Pamlico Sound. Only a small portion (10–20%) of historical reef locations overlapped with current, model-predicted optimal and suitable restoration habitat. Authors conclude that stronger linkages between larval connectivity, landscape ecology, stakeholder engagement, and spatial planning within HSI models can provide a more holistic, unified approach to restoration. Link to article.
Does scale matter? A systematic review of incorporating biological realism when predicting changes in species distributions
This paper assessed how spatial scale influences the effects of biological processes in species distribution models (SDMs), one of the primary tools used by conservation biologists to assess biodiversity impacts of climate change. Authors did a systematic review of SDM studies published from 2003–2015 to: (1) determine the current state and key knowledge gaps of SDMs that incorporate biotic interactions and dispersal; and (2) evaluate how choice of spatial scale may alter the influence of biological processes on SDM predictions. The paper identified several knowledge gaps and suggested that SDM studies that predict the effects of climate change should: a) address broader ranges of taxa and locations and b) report the grain size, extent, and results with and without biological complexity. Authors determined that spatial scale of analysis in SDMs did not affect estimates of projected range shifts with dispersal and biotic interactions. However, the lack of reporting on results with and without biological complexity precluded many studies from the analysis and there were important biases in studies, including an emphasis on terrestrial ecosystems in northern latitudes and little representation of aquatic ecosystems. Link to article.
Tribal News
CC 201: Facilitated Cohort: Climate Change Adaptation Strategic Planning Course. Developed by Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals, this course will serve cohorts of tribes working through the entire process of developing strategic climate change adaptation plans focusing on a particular topic. The training would take place over a 1.5 year time period and would be provided mainly in the form of 2-hour interactive web meetings every other week, one in-person meeting, and the completion of various assignments throughout the course. The training and assignments will culminate in a strategic climate change adaptation plan for each tribe participating in the cohort as well as an implementation action plan for at least two adaptation strategies. Registration due April 25. More information and registration.
Emerging Voices of Tribal Perspectives in Water Resources Webinar (Two-Part) Series
Organized by the Universities Council on Water Resources, The Emerging Voices of Tribal Perspectives in Water Resources webinars highlight papers from the April special issue on tribal waters in the Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education (JCWRE). Dr. Karletta Chief of the University of Arizona is the issue editor and will facilitate each webinar and provide an introduction.
Webinar #1, April 26, 1 pm ET, features two papers on tribal waters and climate change. First, Suhina Deol and Bonnie Colby will discuss their paper, “Tribal Economies: Water Settlements, Agriculture, and Gaming in the Western U.S.” Ryan Emanuel will follow with a talk on, “Climate Change in the Lumbee River Watershed and Potential Impacts on the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.”
Webinar #2, May 23 – 1 pm ET, will feature two papers on tribes and water quality and quantity. First, Otakuye Conroy-Ben will discuss her paper “Disparities in Water Quality in Indian Country.” Crystal Tulley-Cordova will follow with a talk on “Navajo Nation, USA, Precipitation Variability from 2002 to 2015.”
USET Wetland Training, June 5 – 7, 2018, U.S. Forest Service’s Southern Research Station Santee Experimental Forest, Charleston, South Carolina
Training will be on: Basic Wetland Characteristics Basic Wetland Functions Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) Quality Management Plan Wetland Protection Plans Wetland Delineation (classroom & field training) Waters of the U.S. Section 404 Dredge & Fill Permits NRCS and U.S. Forest Service Wetland Programs.
Travel stipends available, up to 3 per Tribe. To register for the Training: Contact Jennifer Bennett BEFORE May 1, 2018, 615-467-1568, jbennett@usetinc.org.
Living Breath of wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ: Indigenous Foods and Ecological Knowledge Symposium. The symposium brings together individuals to share their knowledge on topics such as tribal food justice and security, traditional foods, health, community, place, responsibility, climate change, and treaty rights. Indigenous peoples in the Northwest have maintained a sustainable way of life through a cultural, spiritual, and reciprocal relationship with their environment. This symposium serves to foster dialogue and build collaborative networks as we, Native peoples, strive to sustain our cultural food practices and preserve our healthy relationships to the land, water, and all living things. May 4 – 5, 2018, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Learn more.
Summer Camp for American Indian High School Students
The Southeast American Indian Studies (SAIS) Program at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke announces that applications are open for the fourth annual Safeguarding Our Natural and Tribal Heritage Youth Program. The FREE two-week residential program is seeking 20 American Indian high school students who are rising sophomores, juniors and seniors that have an interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), as well as agriculture, veterinary, plant, food, environmental sciences, and natural resources, wildlife biology, and related fields. Sponsored by the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and hosted by SAIS, will be held at UNC Pembroke on July 9-20, 2018. For additional information, please visit http://www.uncp.edu/sonth or contact
– Dr. Alfred Bryant (Lumbee), Founding Director, Southeast American Indian Studies Program | Email: alfred.bryant@uncp.edu | Phone: 910.775.4009 | Fax: 910.522.5795
– Lawrence T. Locklear (Lumbee), Program Coordinator, Southeast American Indian Studies Program | Email: lawrence.locklear@uncp.edu | Phone: 910.775.4579 | Fax: 910.522.5795
The application deadline is May 15, 2018.
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Regional Partner News
Greater Appalachian Conservation Partnership
AppLCC Partnership Report. Learn more.
South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative
New data on at-risk and range-restricted species now available. Learn more.
SECAS: A model for collaborative conservation. Learn more.
Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
The McGraw Center for Conservation Leadership and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Announce a Workshop for Coastal Wetland Wildlife Managers. Learn more.
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Webinars
Find more webinar information in our calendar.
APR 26 | 12:00 PM-1:00 PM | Tribal Waters and Climate Change
APR 26 | 1:00 PM-2:00 PM | User-centered design and lessons learned from regional conservation planning in California’s Bay Area
APR 26 | 2:00 PM-3:00 PM | Positive or neutral effects of non-native plant species in hybrid ecosystems: The use of songbirds and other observable wildlife as measures of restoration success
APR 26 | 3:00 PM-4:00 PM | Implications of Changing Winter Severity for Waterfowl in the Great Lakes Basin
MAY 1 | 2:00 PM-3:00 PM | An introduction to collaborative research methods
MAY 3 | 1:00 PM-2:00 PM | Interactive applications for Marine Conservation
MAY 4 | 1:15 PM-2:45 PM | Energy Democracy
MAY 8 | 1:00 PM-2:00 PM | Rapid Vulnerability Assessment Tool for MPA Managers
MAY 9 | 11:30 AM-1:30 PM | Anthropocene Sea Level Change and Sea Level Report Cards: Tracking Trends, Projections, and Processes to Aid Coastal Planning
MAY 9 | 3:00 PM-4:00 PM | Ecosystem Modeling (EM) for Living Marine Resource (LMR) management
MAY 10 | 1:00 PM-2:00 PM | Using drones to assist in plant conservation
MAY 10 | 3:00 PM-4:00 | Ecosystem Services Tools
MAY 16 | 1:15 PM-2:45 PM | Innovations in Climate Solutions
MAY 17 | 10:00 AM-11:00 AM | Building better Blueprints: Improvements on the way for the Southeast and South Atlantic
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Upcoming Events
Find more upcoming events in our calendar.
May 17, 2018 | Keeping History Above Water: West | Palo Alto, CA
How can communities identify, prioritize, and adapt historic places to threats posed by climate change and natural disasters? This day-long workshop covers climate change adaptation concepts and projects specific to cultural resources.
Other Upcoming Events may be highlighted in previous Newsletters. See our Newsletter Archive.
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Opportunities
Hiring Announcements
North Carolina Sentinel Site Cooperative Coordinator/Sea Grant Education Extension Specialist. This is a one-year grant funded position, with the possibility of renewal for one or more years, pending receipt of additional federal or other support. The NCSSC was established in 2012 as part of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-wide effort to provide coastal communities and resource managers with information on the potential impacts of sea level rise on coastal habitats. The NCSSC is fiscally administered through NC Sea Grant (ncseagrant.org), and operated according to the NCSSC implementation plan with strategic guidance provided by a Core Management Team (CMT). Coordinator position is responsible for providing visionary leadership, facilitation, and coordination for all aspects of the NCSSC. More information.
Research Grants
U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) | FISCAL YEAR 2018 (FY2018) DISASTER SUPPLEMENTAL NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
Subject to the availability of funds, this investment assistance will help communities and regions devise and implement long-term economic recovery strategies through a variety of non-construction and construction projects, as appropriate, to address economic challenges in areas where a Presidential declaration of a major disaster was issued as a result of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and of wildfires and other natural disasters occurring in calendar year 2017. Eligible organizations: 1) District Organization; (2) Indian Tribe or a consortium of Indian Tribes; (3) State, city or other political subdivision of a State, including a special purpose unit of a State or local government engaged in economic or infrastructure development activities, or a consortium of political subdivisions; (4) institution of higher education or a consortium of institutions of higher education; or (5) public or private non-profit organization or association acting in cooperation with officials of a political subdivision of a State. Applications are accepted on a continuing basis and processed as received.
Miscellaneous
Southeast Ocean and Coastal Acidification Network | Contribute data
A new SOCAN data portal is currently in development to visualize acidification data in the Southeast. Do we have your assets on the map? If you’d like to contribute, please submit here.
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