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October 2019 Newsletter

October 2019 Newsletter


Welcome to the Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center’s October 2019 Newsletter.

For news and upcoming events related to the Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, subscribe to our monthly newsletter.


Photo Credits: Alan Cressler, USGS

Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center News


Panel discussion at the first Global Change Seminar of the Fall 2019 semester
Panelists take audience questions at the Hurricanes: Extreme Weather in a Changing Climate seminar.

The SE CASC Regional Science Symposium is just a month away! Will you be joining us in New Orleans from November 13-15? We have released more agenda details – you don’t want to miss out on these discussions. Register and book your room soon.

The second Global Change Seminar, Mapping Biodiversity in a Changing World, will be Thursday, October 31, 3:30 pm, in 101 David Clark Labs on NC State campus. Remote connection to the seminar is available. Learn more.
Next in our NCA4 Webinar Series, is Southeast Key Message 2: Increasing Flood Risks in Coastal and Low-Lying Regions, October 23, 12PM ET, presented by Southeast chapter co-author Doug Marcy from NOAA. Register here.
The first Global Change Seminar of the semester, Hurricanes: Extreme Weather in a Changing Climate, highlighted the interdisciplinary diversity of hurricane-related research. A summary and recording of the Sept. 23 presentations are online.
Save the date: Southeast CASC Open House, Dec. 10, 2 pm. Learn about our Global Change Fellows Program, consortium, research updates, future requests for proposals. More details.
SE CASC Researcher, Mitch Eaton, sheds light on the climate change challenges at Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge and SE CASC project Climate Change Adaptation for Coastal National Wildlife Refuges. Learn more.
SE CASC Project PI, Bruce Stein, and John Kanter, along with SEAFWA Wildlife Diversity Committee, have developed a new “Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need” list as part of the Vital Futures: Conservation Adaptation Planning for Landscape and Climate Change in the Southeast project.
The next Global Change and Resilience Reading Group will be held on October 23. Explore a recap from the last meeting, Matches and Mismatches Between Global Conservation Efforts and Global Conservation Priorities.
Global Change Fellow, Emily Reed was highlighted in NCSU CALS research feature, I Am CALS: Emily Reed Hunts the Mosquito Superhighway
2018-19 Global Change Fellow, Tina Mozelewski was recognized with a 2019 Climate Adaptation Leadership Award in the Student Leadership Category. Learn more.
2016-17 Global Change Fellow, Paul Taillie, and Faculty Affiliate, Chris Moorman, were featured in a New York Times article, “As Sea Levels Rise, So Do Ghost Forests.”
2018-19 Global Change Fellow, Danielle Lawson, and her team explain how youth can serve as catalysts for environmental change. Learn more.
2015-16 Global Change Fellow, Rachel Atkins, was awarded Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (FINESST) funding. Learn more.
Faculty Affiliate News

Chris Osburn, co-author, Recent increase in catastrophic tropical cyclone flooding in coastal North Carolina, USA: Long-term observations suggest a regime shift.

Ryan Emanuel, Bethany Cutts, and Katherine Martin, co-authors, Applying Climate Change Risk Management Tools to Integrate Streamflow Projections and Social Vulnerability.
Jen Costanza authored Describing and analyzing landscape patterns: where are we now, and where are we going? in a special issue of Landscape Ecology, for which she was guest editor.
Ryan Emanuel and his research was highlighted in a recent AGU Ecohydrology post.
From Conservation Corridor: Managing range shifts under climate change across new habitats and borders.


Resources


FEATURED RESOURCE

Survival by Degrees: 389 Species on the Brink
As global temperatures continue to rise, the areas where bird species currently reside, or their “range”, will shift. This will require 604 North American bird species to relocate to favorable conditions in which they can survive. Recent research is showing that due to this temperature-induced relocation, two-thirds of North American birds are at increased risk of extinction. Though, if we take action now, we can improve the chances for 76% of those species. This tool provides visualizations of this research, including a map-based application that shows vulnerability at various warming scenarios. Learn more.


Global Modeling of Nature’s Contribution to People. This interactive viewer was created to support an article recently published in Science, “Global modeling of nature’s contributions to people.” The application presents a new framework for evaluating nature’s contribution to humans by assessing water quality, coastal risk, and pollination of crops at 3 various emissions scenarios. Learn more.

IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate. This special report, released on September 24th, details new information about how the ocean and cryosphere have and are expected to change with continued temperature increases due to global warming. The report explains the risks and opportunities that changes in these systems will bring to ecosystems and people, offering mitigation, adaptation, and governance options to reduce future risks. The IPCC has also released a Summary for Policymakers. Learn more.

The NOAA State Climate Summaries. These summaries were originally released in 2017 in response to information presented in the Third National Climate Assessment and 2019 updates are currently underway. The updated reports are becoming available on a rolling basis and a number of reports for southeastern states have already been released. More information.

Diverse Sources. This searchable database of  underrepresented experts in the areas of science, health and the environment strives to make journalism more inclusive. If you consider yourself underrepresented within your field and are willing to respond to journalists on a tight deadline, you can easily join this database! Learn more.

Surging Waters: Science Empowering Communities in the Face of Flooding. This AGU publication highlights the three types of flooding in the United States: flooding due to hurricanes, floods in the central U.S., and coastal flooding. The report explains how scientific research and data collection are crucial to identifying solutions to mitigate flooding and recommends actions to enhance community resilience. Learn more.

In the Media

Local Climate Projections: A Little Money Goes a Long Way. Earth and Space Science News

The World’s Oceans are in Danger, Major Climate Change Report Warns. New York Times

Climate change is threatening historic African American sites in the South. Southerly Magazine

The Florida Aquarium Becomes First Organization in History to Induce Spawning of Atlantic Coral; A New Hope to Save Florida’s Reef. The Florida Aquarium Press Room

Connecting fractured habitats has long-lasting ecological benefits, study finds. Washington Post



Notable Publications


Quantifying carbon and species dynamics under different fire regimes in a southeastern U.S. pineland. Forests are fundamental to the global carbon balance, as they sequester about 30% of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions and store about 45% of terrestrial carbon. Fire is an essential disturbance regime to maintaining forest health, however climate change has altered some of these natural occurrences. In this study, researchers used field data from a longleaf pine forest in southwest Georgia and the LANDIS-II landscape model to simulate how carbon and species dynamics differ under 3 scenarios: fire exclusion, prescribed fire, and multiple wildfires. They conclude that prescribed fire scenarios minimize carbon emissions and maintain stability and native biodiversity in southeastern pine forest ecosystems. Link to article.

Ongoing accumulation of plant diversity through habitat connectivity in an 18-year experiment. Researchers completed a habitat fragmentation experiment at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina to determine the long-term effects of habitat connectivity on plant colonization and extinction dynamics and their resulting impacts on species richness over a total of 18 years. The vast temporal scale of this study provides a lengthier time period to examine the impact of long-term connectivity restoration on community diversity. Results of the study indicate a 5% higher annual colonization rate and 2% lower extinction rate for 239 plant species in connected habitats. Over the 18 year period, a 14% increase in the number of species in connected habitats was observed. Link to article.

The global tree restoration potential. Researchers completed a global mapping project which shows the potential tree coverage worldwide. Under current climate conditions, 4.4 billion hectares of canopy cover can subsist and the results revealed the possibility for an additional 0.9 billion hectares of canopy cover which could store 205 gigatonnes of carbon. While this serves as an effective carbon sequestration strategy, climate change will decrease potential canopy cover by about 223 million hectares by 2050 at the current trajectory. These results highlight ecosystem restoration as a promising mitigation strategy, but also an urgent need to act in response. Link to article.

The Effects of Weather on Recreational Fishing Demand and Adaptation: Implications for a Changing Climate. This study sought to estimate the impact of weather on the demand of marine recreational fishing and assess the implications of climate change on the non-market value of these recreational activities, which has large economic value. As hypothesized, extreme heat significantly reduces recreational participation (up to 15%) and welfare (up to $312 million annually) over a range of future climate scenarios. Evidence of climate-averting behavior, such as fishing at nighttime, was also identified as a temporally and spatially variable response to temperature. Link to article.

Tribal News 


NE CASC Climate Adaptation Writing Retreat. The USET Office of Environmental and Resource Management will be hosting a writing retreat intended for technical and professional staff working to complete or revise a climate adaptation plan or vulnerability assessment for their Tribal Nation. The event will take place from Dec. 10-12, 2019 in Rockport, MA. Learn more.
Students Tackle 21st Century Sustainability Challenges on the Navajo Nation. Graduate students from the University of Arizona, the Southwest CASC’s host institution, teamed up with the Navajo Nation to design and implement a solar-powered water filtration system intended to provide clean, safe water to Navajo families, as part of the Indigenous Food, Energy and Water Security and Sovereignty project. Learn more.
South & Eastern Turtle Island Climate Change Newsletter. This newsletter, developed in collaboration among United South and Eastern Tribes, College of the Menominee Nation Sustainable Development Institute and the Northeast and Southeast CASCs provides quarterly updates on climate news, funding opportunities, student opportunities, upcoming events and current climate conditions and outlooks for eastern Turtle Island (North America). Sign up here.
Species Recovery Grants to Tribes. Federally recognized Tribes and organization of federally recognized Tribes are eligible to apply for this NOAA funding opportunity to support the conservation of endangered or threatened species through the development and implementation of management plans, scientific research, and public education and outreach. Apply here by Oct. 31.
NCAI Disaster Relief Microgrant. The National Congress of American Indians is accepting applications for their Disaster Relief Microgrant program, intended to assist Tribal nations and/or Tribal citizens to repair or recover from damage inflicted by a natural disaster that occurred within the last 180 days. View the grant mission statement or apply here by Oct. 31.


Regional Partner News


South Atlantic LCC: Come see your South Atlantic Blueprint staff at the 2019 Land Trust Rally.
SECAS: Priorities for conservation in Southeastern states: Newly created list of “Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need.”
State Climate Office of NC: Podcast: State Climatologist Kathie Dello.
USDA/USFS: A Comprehensive Inventory of Protected Areas and other Land Conservation Mechanisms in Puerto Rico.
Southeast Regional Climate Center: Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Southeast Region for June – August 2019.


Webinars


View our events calendar.

Oct 23 | 12pm – 1pm | NCA4 Webinar Series KM2: Increasing Flood Risks in Coastal and Low-Lying Regions
Oct 24 | 1pm – 2pm | Adventure Scientists: A partnership collecting field data to drive conservation
Nov 5 | 2pm – 3pm | Better Stories, Bigger Impact: How Scientists Can Engage Effectively with the Media to Share Their Science
Nov 5 | 2pm – 3pm | New Tools for Identifying and Prioritizing Range-Shifting Invasive Plants
Nov 13 | 1pm – 2pm | CyAN Mobile App Provides Early Detection of Algal Blooms in U.S. Freshwater Systems
Nov 13 | 2pm – 3pm | Dibaginjigaadeg Anishinaabe Ezhitwaad: A Tribal Climate Adaptation Menu for Indigenous-led Climate Adaptation
Nov 14 | 1pm – 2pm | SCGIS Webinar: A Spatial Planning Tool for Biodiversity Conservation under Climate Change
Nov 20 | 12pm – 1pm | NCA4 Webinar Series KM3: Natural Ecosystems will be Transformed


Upcoming Events


Find more upcoming events in our calendar.

Nov 13-15 | SE CASC Regional Science Symposium | New Orleans, LA

Nov 19-20 | North Carolina Coastal Conference | Wilmington, NC
Dec 9-13 | AGU Fall Meeting 2019 | San Francisco, CA

At NC State

Oct 23 | Master’s Defense Seminar: Emilee Briggs | 102 David Clark Labs

Oct 31 | Global Change Seminar: Mapping Biodiversity in a Changing World | 101 David Clark Labs
View the NC State Forestry and Environmental Resources Department Seminar Series schedule


Opportunities


Student Announcements
The NC State Sustainability Fund is now accepting applications for their FastTrack Grants. The FastTrack grant awards $1,000 to registered student organizations that submit a proposal for an innovative use of the funds. Applications are due by Nov. 1. Apply here.
The University of Florida Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation is seeking a PhD student to conduct ecological modeling and decision analysis to inform decision making for coastal marine ecosystem restoration projects. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. More information.
Research Grants
The North Carolina Sea Grant and N.C. Coastal Reserve’s Coastal Research Fellowship application period is now open. Applications are due by 5pm on Nov. 13. More information.
The NOAA Office of Education is accepting applications for their Environmental Literacy Grant. This competitive funding opportunity is for projects designed to build environmental literacy of K-12 students and the public so they are knowledgeable of the ways in which their community can become more resilient to extreme weather and/or other environmental hazards, and become involved in achieving that resilience. Applications are due by Nov. 25. Apply here.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) is accepting proposals for projects where NRCS and partners co-invest in impactful and innovative solutions to on-farm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns. Proposed projects must generate conservation benefits by addressing specific natural resource objectives in a State/multistate area or address one or more primary resource concerns within an NRCS-designated critical conservation area (CCA). Applications are due by Dec. 3. More information.