June 2018 Newsletter

June 19, 2018 superuser

A coastline alongside sparkling blue ocean water.

June 2018 Newsletter

Welcome to the Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center’s June 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

SE CASC Research Ecologist Adam Terando contributed to the Prescribed Fire Science Consortium held at Tall Timbers Research Station. Learn more.

SE CASC Research Ecologist Adam Terando was an invited speaker at the Conservation, Restoration, and Resilience Planning Team Meeting session of the 2018 All Hands Meeting of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, presenting Past and Future Modeling Efforts to Simulate Urbanization Changes in the GOMA Region. SE CASC researcher James Cronin also presented at the meeting on his project, Identifying Conservation Objectives for the Gulf Coast Habitats of the Black Skimmer and Gull-billed Tern. Learn more.

SE CASC researchers Steve Frank and Rob Dunn organized the Healthy Trees Healthy People Consortium workshop as part of their SE CASC project, Consequences of Urbanization and Climate Change on Human and Ecosystem Health. Adam Terando also participated. Learn more.

USGS Research Ecologist Simeon Yurek presented a paper, Predicting coastal restoration performance with ecological modeling and decision analysis, at the North Carolina Coast: Our Future colloquium at Elizabeth City State University (ECSU), part of ECSU Research Week 2018.

NC State Faculty Affiliate Carli Arendt’s work on water storage in glaciers was profiled in Spring 2018 NC State Magazine. Research by 2016-17 Global Change Fellow Paul Taillie on impacts of saltwater intrusion in eastern NC was also highlighted in the issue. See the articles.

SE CASC NC State staff Aranzazu Lascurain and Cari Furiness, SE CASC USGS staff Ryan Boyles and Adam Terando, and NC State Research Scholar Jared Bowden participated in the U.S. Caribbean Ecological Drought Workshop and associated Oral History Project. Several written and video products will come from the meeting. Learn more.

SE CASC Research Ecologist Adam Terando is a contributing author to Puerto Rico And The U.S. Virgin Islands State Climate Summaries. Produced to meet a demand for state-level information after the Third U.S. National Climate Assessment, the summaries cover assessment topics such as historical climate variations and trends, future climate model projections of climate conditions during the 21st century, and past and future conditions of sea level and coastal flooding. Read the summary.

NC State Faculty Affiliates Katie Martin and Ryan Emanuel co-authored a paper, Terra incognita: The unknown risks to environmental quality posed by the spatial distribution and abundance of concentrated animal feeding operations, in Science of The Total Environment. Link to paper.

Recent publications by Global Change Fellows:
Valdez, RX, MN Peterson, KT Stevenson. How communication with teachers, family and friends contributes to predicting climate change behaviour among adolescents. Environmental Conservation. Link to article.

Zimova, M, K Hacklander, JM Good, J Melo-Ferreira, PC Alves, LS Mills. Function and underlying mechanisms of seasonal colour moulting in mammals and birds: what keeps them changing in a warming world? Biological Reviews. Link to article.

Thoemmes, MS, FA Stewart, RA Hernandez-Aguilar, MA Bertone, DA Baltzegar, RJ Borski, N Cohen, KP Coyle, AK Piel, RR Dunn. Ecology of sleeping: the microbial and arthropod associates of chimpanzee beds. Royal Society Open Science. Link to article.

Pardee, GL, DW Inouye, and RE Irwin. Direct and indirect effects of episodic frost on plant growth and reproduction in subalpine wildflowers. Global Change Biology. Link to article.

Balik, JA, BW Taylor, SE Washko, SA Wissinger. High interspecific variation in nutrient excretion within a guild of closely related caddisfly species. Ecosphere. Link to article.

From Conservation Corridor: The fate of bats under climate change and habitat fragmentation.

Resources

FEATURED RESOURCE

Review of the Draft Fourth National Climate Assessment

Climate change poses many challenges that affect society and the natural world. With these challenges, however, come opportunities to respond. By taking steps to adapt to and mitigate climate change, the risks to society and the impacts of continued climate change can be lessened. The National Climate Assessment, coordinated by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, is a mandated report intended to inform response decisions. Required to be developed every four years, these reports provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date evaluation of climate change impacts available for the United States, making them a unique and important climate change document.

The draft Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) report, reviewed here by the National Academy of Sciences, addresses a wide range of topics of high importance to the United States and society more broadly, extending from human health and community well-being, to the built environment, to businesses and economies, to ecosystems and natural resources. This report evaluates the draft NCA4 to determine if it meets the requirements of the federal mandate, whether it provides accurate information grounded in the scientific literature, and whether it effectively communicates climate science, impacts, and responses for general audiences including the public, decision makers, and other stakeholders. Learn more.

Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge Projections for the National Park Service. Authors analyzed and downscaled datasets from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and storm surge scenarios from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) models relative to national park units. The results illustrate the potential for permanent coastal inundation and flooding due to sea level rise and storm surge under varying greenhouse gas emissions scenarios. Results of the analysis were used to create a suite of storm surge maps for each site included in the study. Read the report.

Hurricane Recovery Journal. This National Park Service website is a compilation of articles, videos, and images that follow the post-hurricane recovery progress in Virgin Islands National Park and Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument as they recover from two devastating hurricanes that ravaged St. John and the rest of the Leeward Islands in 2017. Hurricane Irma struck St. John on September 6, 2017, and changed the island forever. Hurricane Maria brought further rain, wind, and destruction. Learn more.

USFS Climate Change Resource Center. The CCRC provides information about climate change impacts on forests and other ecosystems, and approaches to adaptation and mitigation in forests and grasslands. The website compiles and creates educational resources, climate change and carbon tools, video presentations, literature, and briefings on management-relevant topics, ranging from basic climate change information to details on specific management responses. The resource is a joint effort of Forest Service Research and Development and the Office of Sustainability and Climate. Learn more.

U.S. Climate Extremes Index (CEI) Tool is designed to provide users with comprehensive and intuitive information to understand the scientific basis for confidence, or lack thereof, in the present climate system. First developed as a framework for quantifying observed changes in climate within the contiguous United States, indicators in the original CEI summarized trends in temperature, precipitation and drought data on an annual basis. The revised CEI now includes an experimental tropical system component and is calculated for multiple seasons. Learn more.

Cultivating your Science Communication Skills. This website compiles suggested resources at NC State and around the country, with opportunities to learn more and improve science communication skills. Developed by the Leadership in Public Science faculty cluster at NC State. Learn more.

May 2018 Southeast Region Monthly Climate Report developed by the Southeast Regional Climate Center: Read the report.

Hurricane Maria’s Water Footprint. The map animates Hurricane Maria’s path, the cumulative precipitation the storm dropped on the island, and the impact of rainfall on river gage height. New data are added every six hours. Hydrographs show normalized gage height at the 24 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) gaging stations that are used by the National Weather Service to forecast flood conditions. Learn more.

In the Media

Native Knowledge: What Ecologists Are Learning from Indigenous People. Yale Environment 360.

Hit by a hurricane, Everglades National Park adapts to changing climate. CNN Travel.

Missing boot: Satellite image shows eroding Louisiana coastline. The Times-Picayune.

Resilience vs. Retreat in the Face of Climate Change. Columbia University Earth Institute

Explorers for Bats. Video funded by USFWS describes white-nose syndrome disease affecting large populations of bats in eastern North America and citizen science efforts to protect and conserve bat populations in the West.

How Carbon Dioxide Kills Ocean Life. In this video from Earth Vision Trust, marine ecologist and geologist Joanie Kleypas, of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, explains how carbon dioxide changes the pH level of the ocean and how that leads to coral die-off.

Notable Publications

Wetlands In a Changing Climate: Science, Policy and Management
This comprehensive two-part review synthesizes recent research on the status and climate vulnerability of freshwater and saltwater wetlands, and the contribution of wetlands to climate change (carbon cycle, adaptation, resilience). Peatlands and vegetated coastal wetlands sequester approximately as much carbon as do global forest ecosystems. Authors summarize estimates of rising temperature on current wetland carbon storage and future carbon sequestration potential. Drying of wetlands and thawing of permafrost by disturbances and rising temperatures should be curbed in order to protect wetland carbon stores and climate adaptation/resiliency ecosystem services. Authors stress that strategies to limit future emissions in order to meet climate goals should include preventing further wetland loss. The second part of the paper seeks to identify strategies and policies reflecting an integrated understanding of both wetland and climate change science from the policy and management realm at international, national, subnational, and local levels. Specific recommendations are made to capture synergies between wetlands and carbon cycle management, adaptation, and resiliency to further enable researchers, policy makers, and practitioners to protect wetland carbon and climate adaptation/resiliency ecosystem services. Link to article.

Collaboration Across Worldviews: Managers and Scientists on Hawaiʻi Island Utilize Knowledge Coproduction to Facilitate Climate Change Adaptation
Authors describe a research program on Hawaiʻi Island designed to integrate the diverse worldviews of natural and cultural resource managers, policy professionals, and researchers in a knowledge co-production process resulting in actionable science products. Their process integrated perspectives of local field managers in highly interconnected rural communities that utilize discrete land and waterscapes. A diverse set of local managers were interviewed in order to incorporate their needs and perspectives into a collaborative climate change research agenda that builds upon existing professional networks utilized by managers and scientists while developing new research products. Assessment of managers’ needs showed that their primary source of information was other professional colleagues; in-person forums demonstrated a desire of local managers to engage with a wider range of networks to build management capacities. Results of the program to date suggest that co-created research products and in-person forums strengthen the capacities of local managers to adapt to change. Link to article.

Songbird nest success is positively related to restoration of pine–oak savanna and woodland in the Ozark Highlands, Missouri, USA
Savanna and woodland are transitional vegetation communities that have largely disappeared; at the same time, many early successional bird species have declined in abundance. Prescribed fire and tree thinning are being used to restore savanna and woodland in the Midwest, resulting in their characteristic open canopy, dense ground layer, and variable shrub cover. Researchers assessed whether these restoration strategies for vegetation also facilitate bird conservation objectives. They related temporal, vegetation, and management factors to daily nest survival (DSR) for 6 songbird species representing both shrub-nesting and canopy-nesting species over two years. Shrub-nesting guild of 3 species (Eastern Towhee [Pipilo erythrophthalmus], Yellow-breasted Chat [Icteria virens], and Prairie Warbler [Setophaga discolor]) showed a positive relationship of nest survival with tree thinning and a weak relationship with fire. Canopy-nesting species Eastern Wood Pewee (Contopus virens) and Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra) showed negative relationship of DSR to mean canopy cover, and Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus) DSR was weakly related to tree density by size class. The canopy-nesting guild had higher DSR in thinned areas with lower basal area and less canopy cover. Authors conclude that pine savanna-woodland restoration in Missouri is providing high-quality breeding habitat for both shrub-nesting and canopy-nesting species, some of which are species of conservation concern. Link to article.

Comparing the cost effectiveness of nature-based and coastal adaptation: A case study from the Gulf Coast of the United States
Nature-based or green infrastructure measures, such as reefs and wetlands, can play a protective role in adapting to coastal risks from development and climate change, but lack of quantitative information on their relative costs and benefits has limited their broad use. Researchers used the Economics of Climate Adaptation (ECA) framework to assess coastal flood risk from climate change and economic exposure growth on the Gulf of Mexico coast to compare the cost effectiveness of different adaptation measures, including nature-based (e.g. oyster reef restoration), structural or grey (e.g., seawalls), and policy measures (e.g. home elevation). Their assessment indicated that coastal development will be a critical driver of risk, particularly for major disasters, but climate change will cause more recurrent losses through changes in storms and relative sea level rise. By 2030, flooding will cost $134–176.6 billion (for different economic growth scenarios), but as the effects of climate change, land subsidence and concentration of assets in the coastal zone increase, annualized risk will more than double by 2050 with respect to 2030. The portfolio of cost-effective adaptation measures they studied (with benefit to cost ratios above 1) could prevent up to $57–101 billion in losses, which represents 42.8–57.2% of the total risk. Nature-based adaptation options could avert more than $50 billion of these costs, with average benefit to cost ratios above 3.5. Wetland and oyster reef restoration were found to be particularly cost-effective. Link to article.

Global shifts in the phenological synchrony of species interactions over recent decades
Species phenological responses to climate change such as earlier leaf-out or egg hatch date are well documented and clearly linked to rising temperatures in recent decades. Shifts in the phenologies of interacting species may lead to shifts in their synchrony, with cascading community and ecosystem consequences. Single-system studies have reached mixed conclusions, either finding synchrony shifts may be extremely prevalent or relatively uncommon, suggesting that shifts toward asynchrony may be infrequent. Researchers used a meta-analytic approach to study global trends and links to climate change. Published long-term time-series data of phenological events from aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems since 1951 were used to compare phenological shifts among pairwise species interactions (e.g., predator–prey). They showed that the relative timing of key life cycle events of interacting species has changed significantly over the past 35 years and that estimated changes in phenology and synchrony are greater in recent decades compared to the period before major climate change (pre-1980s). However, there has been no consistent trend in the direction of these changes, pointing to the need to improve our ability to predict the direction of change and understand the full consequences for communities and ecosystems. Link to article.

Tribal News

Bureau of Indian Affairs Tribal Climate Resilience Grants
The BIA’s Tribal Resilience Program announced the availability of funding for Tribal projects that support Tribal resilience and ocean and coastal management planning as Tribes incorporate the science (including Traditional Knowledge) and technical information to prepare for extreme events and harmful environmental trends that impact Tribal treaty and trust resources, economies, infrastructure, and human health and welfare.
RFP announcement BIA 1800-0002 is for federally recognized tribes. Link to the RFP. Proposals are due on July 2, 2018, 5pm, EDT.
RFP announcement BIA BIA-18-0001 is for not-for-profit tribal organizations and tribal colleges and universities. Link to RFP. Proposals are due on July 12, 2018, 5pm, EDT.
BIA held a webinar to answer questions about the two notices of funding, hosted by partners at the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) and recorded for those not able to join. The recording and slide deck are available here.

Introduction to Climate Change Adaptation Planning
Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals is collaborating with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians on an course scheduled for July 31-August 02, 2018. This course provides an overview on how to plan for climate change impacts, highlighting the work of several tribes. It is intended for tribal environmental and natural resource professionals who expect to be involved in climate change adaptation planning. Since the course will focus on climate change impacts and planning in this specific region, we especially encourage people from respective/appropriate regions to attend. Applications received by Friday, July 06, will have priority consideration. Topics will include:

Climate change in the Southeast region
Process of developing climate change adaptation plans
Climate change impacts, vulnerabilities, and adaptation strategies
Tools and resources for the planning process

To Register: If you are interested in applying for this course, please fill out the online application form at http://www7.nau.edu/itep/main/tcc/Training/Trainings
*If you are unable to complete the online form, please contact us for a form to be sent to you which you must sign and return as an attachment (PDF format preferred) by email to Colleen.Davis@nau.edu or by fax to ITEP at 928-523-1266 to the attention of Colleen Davis.

Grants for Native Youth Programs Completing Brief Survey
First Nations Development Institute has launched a national survey to collect information about the overall landscape of organizations and entities serving Native American youth. When completed, the survey findings will contribute to available knowledge about the types of programming and services available for Native American youth, and the funding realities and capacity needs for entities serving this group. The 5- to 7-minute survey can be found at this link. Any organizations that serve or used to serve Native American youth are encouraged to take the survey.
Ten survey respondents will be selected to receive a $5,500 general support grant, participate in follow-up phone interviews and be awarded travel scholarships to attend a convening held in conjunction with the 2018 First Nations L.E.A.D. Institute Conference in September at the Morongo Casino and Resort in Cabazon (Palm Springs), California.
The deadline for completing the online survey to be considered for the $5,500 grant is Friday, July 6, 2018.

Charles A. Weyerhaeuser Book Award, recognizing superior scholarship in forest and conservation history by The Forest History Society, was awarded to American Indians and National Forests by Theodore R. Catton. It tells the story of how the U.S. Forest Service and tribal nations dealt with sweeping changes in forest use, ownership, and management over the last century and a half. Indians and U.S. foresters came together over a shared conservation ethic on many cooperative endeavors; yet, they often clashed over how the nation’s forests ought to be valued and cared for on matters ranging from huckleberry picking and vision quests to road building and recreation development. Marginalized in American society and long denied a seat at the table of public land stewardship, American Indian tribes have at last taken their rightful place and are making themselves heard. Weighing indigenous perspectives on the environment is an emerging trend in public land management in the United States and around the world. The Forest Service has been a strong partner in that movement over the past quarter century. Learn more.

Returning To Our Ancestral Homelands. Blog post by a female youth member of Ekvn-Yefolecv Maskoke Ecovillage describes a reclamation of Indigenous Maskoke land and reestablishment of the traditional village system taking place in rural Weogufka, Alabama. The organization Ekvn-Yefolecv is a Maskoke collective committed to embracing the role of protecting and reviving traditional relationships to the earth while revitalizing language and culture. Read the story.

Regional Partner News

Greater Appalachian Conservation Partnership
AppLCC Legacy Report. Learn more.
Collection of our Science Investments. Learn more.

South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative
Part 2: Another preview of the online guide to using the Blueprint. Learn more.
Greenways and trails indicator up for review. Learn more.

Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
MINRC Application Now Open for the 2018 SEAFWA Annual Conference. Learn more.
C. W. Watson Award Nominations Now Open. Learn more.

Webinars

Find more webinar information in our calendar.

JUN 20 | 12:00 PM-1:00 PM | A Basis for K. brevis Harmful Algal Bloom Prediction and a West Florida Shelf Outlook for 2018

JUN 21 | 10:00 AM-11:00 AM | Update on at-risk species in longleaf project

JUN 21 | 3:00 PM-4:00 PM | Climate Change Communication in Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites: A Decision Support Tool for Managers

JUN 26 | 3:00 PM-4:00 PM | Well Traveled Bird Seeks Fun Loving Plant: Waterfowl Seeking Submerged Aquatic Vegetation

JUL 10 | 2:00 PM-3:00 PM | Best practices for collaborative climate adaptation research between tribal and non-tribal partners

JUL 11 | 3:00 PM-4:00 PM | Freshwater Health Index

Upcoming Events

Find more upcoming events in our calendar.

June 20 | Displaced by Climate: The Intersection of Science, Law & Policy | Asheville, NC
Topics of the evening are to learn about how extreme and slow-onset climate change-related events influence the global movement of people within and across boundaries.
Professor Julie Maldonado, Ph.D., from the Livelihoods Knowledge Exchange Network (LiKEN), Rising Voices, and UC Santa Barbara will give a keynote address. Professor Maldonado will discuss her experiences with communities, such as the Isle de Jean Charles Tribe in Louisiana and other examples, facing climate-induced and other related drivers of displacement, while addressing the broader complex cultural, social, legal, and economic issues for climate-displaced communities. Edward Gardiner, Ph.D., from the Climate Resilience Toolkit team at NOAA will also discuss how CRT tools may be useful to such communities. More information.

Sept 17-19 | 2018 Carolinas Climate Resilience Conference | Columbia, SC
Community representatives, local, state, and federal government staff and officials, private sector representatives, practitioners, and researchers are invited to share experiences in working to increase climate resilience in the Carolinas. Sessions will cover a variety of topics from climate communications and working with diverse communities to increase resilience, to innovations in technology and financing climate adaptation. Early Bird Registration ends on August 12 while hotel room blocks end on August 10. More information.

Dec 10-14 | AGU 2018 Fall Meeting | Washington, DC
This is a unique opportunity to highlight the latest discoveries, insights, and advances for our global community of Earth and space scientists, and at the same time to raise appreciation of the value and impact of our science among world leaders in Washington, D.C. The 2018 meeting also marks the beginning of AGU’s Centennial in 2019, a time to reflect on the meaning of a century of discovery and to look ahead to the essential contributions that our science will make to understanding our world, informing policy decisions, sparking innovation, and protecting the health and welfare of people everywhere.
Abstract submissions are open until August 1. All proposals must be submitted via the online submission website. More information.

Other Upcoming Events may be highlighted in previous Newsletters. See our Newsletter Archive.

Opportunities

Student Announcements

North Carolina Sea Grant and Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership Fellowship. The fellowship will support one graduate student based in North Carolina or Virginia to conduct applied research within the North Carolina portion of the APNEP management boundary. Applications materials are due by 4 p.m. on Friday, July 27, 2018. More information.

Hiring Announcements
NIMBioS Postdoctoral Fellowship in Distribution Modeling and Conservation. Applications are currently being accepted for a postdoctoral position in species distribution modeling and conservation at National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) and in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. This is a full-time, one year position. Review of applications will begin 15 June 2018 and continue until the position is filled. Ideal start date: September 1, 2018. More information.

Conservation Applications Specialist. The Strategic Conservation Assessment (SCA) of Gulf Coast Landscapes is a 3-year collaborative project funded by the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (RESTORE Council) via the U.S. Department of the Interior. This project will develop a suite of tools that can be used to identify and evaluate land conservation opportunities in the Gulf Coast Region that offer the greatest potential for shared economic and ecosystem benefits. Conservation Applications Specialist will lead user support and communications efforts for the SCA project, with primary responsibility to work directly with RESTORE Council representatives and their partners to use the Conservation Prioritization Tool (CPT) and Strategic Conservation Assessment (SCA) Tool in their planning efforts. Review will begin June 30, 2018 and continue until a candidate is identified. Start date by October 1, 2018. More information.

Senior Program Officer (Social Sciences). The Gulf Research Program was established by the National Academy of Sciences to enhance oil system safety and the protection of human health and the environment in the Gulf of Mexico and other U.S. outer continental shelf areas. The Senior Program Officer is responsible for developing and managing one or more of the Gulf Research Program’s programs or projects related to community resilience, health, and well-being with minimal oversight by Director. Responsibilities: Develops program or project strategy and budget, and ensures program or project meets its stated objectives; Serves as liaison between board/committee/panel members, the National Academies, and other applicable parties; Independently supervises staff. More information.

Research Grants

NOAA | RESTORE Science Federal Funding Opportunity 2019
This competition is looking to fund ~6 projects for 5 years with a possible 5 year renewal. Projects should be focused on trends in living coastal and marine resources with an emphasis on interactions among multiple species, impacts of weather events or climate, and/or economic activity. A pre-proposal is required for applying to this Announcement. The deadline for receipt of a pre-proposal is July 30, 2018. The deadline for receipt of full applications is October 29, 2018.

US FWS | North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) Call for Proposals
NAWCA grants increase bird populations and wetland habitat, while supporting local economies and American traditions such as hunting, fishing, birdwatching, family farming, and cattle ranching. The application deadline is July 13, 2018. Applicants are encouraged to contact the coordinator of the joint venture region in which your project is located early in the process for guidance on developing your project and proposal.