October 2021 Newsletter

October 20, 2021 arshore

Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina Image Credit: Alan Cressler

October 2021 Newsletter

Welcome to the Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center’s October 2021 Newsletter.

For news and upcoming events related to the Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center,
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Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center News

Plan to join us March 29-31, 2022 in Gulf Shores, AL for the second SE CASC Regional Science Symposium! Updates will be posted to our symposium webpage.

Please join the SE CASC Global Change Fellows on Oct. 21, 7pm ET as they host a virtual panel discussion with Susan Hassol (Climate Communication) and Rebecca Ward (NC State Climate Office) on Demystifying the Recent IPCC Assessment Report and “Code Red” on Climate Change.
Learn more and Register.
SE CASC Staff, Faculty Affiliates, and Researchers presented at the SEAFWA Annual Conference, Oct. 17-20. Learn more.
Join the SE CASC Global Change Fellows on Nov. 2 at 11am ET for a virtual panel discussion featuring U.S. EPA Administrator Michael Regan, Gullah/Geechee Chieftess Queen Quet, and other amazing panelists, on Stories of Culture and Adaptation. Learn more and Register.
The SE CASC Winter 2021 Science Series kicks off Nov. 17 at 11am ET with a presentation on the Development and Evaluation of a Climate Visualization Platform Supporting Forest Management by Dr. Lindsay Maudlin, Iowa State University, and Corey Davis, North Carolina State Climate Office. Register here.
Congratulations to our SE CASC staff and Faculty Affiliates selected as chapter leads and authors for the Fifth National Climate Assessment. Learn more.
Did you miss some of our SE CASC Science Seminars? We’ve compiled recordings in this collection so you can stay up to date!
SE CASC Researcher Susan Walls is a co-author of Data release for Predicting the impacts of future sea level rise on specialist snake species in the imperiled pine rockland ecosystem of South Florida, a product of SE CASC project, Developing Future Habitat Condition Scenarios for Wildlife in the Imperiled Pine Rockland Ecosystem of South Florida.
SE CASC Research Ecologist Mitch Eaton and SE CASC Researchers Simeon Yurek and Julien Martin are co-authors of SiteOpt: an open-source R-package for site selection and portfolio optimization. Read more about this software that supports conservation planning.
SE CASC Research Ecologist Adam Terando is a co-author of Shifting correlations among multiple aspects of weather complicate predicting future demography of a threatened species, demonstrating how multiple weather drivers can control vital rates of red-cockaded woodpecker and implications of future changes in correlations of weather drivers.
2018-19 Global Change Fellow Deja Perkins was featured in the NCSU Alumni Magazine. Learn more.
Welcome to the Midwest CASC consortium, the ninth member of the National CASC network! Learn more.
2014-15 Global Change Fellow Liliana Velasquez Montoya is lead author of Land cover changes on a barrier island: Yearly changes, storm effects, and recovery periods, which drew on previous work by 2013-14 Fellow Ayse Karanci.
SE CASC Faculty Affiliates Kathie Dello is Principal Investigator and Louie Rivers is co-PI on a new NOAA Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessment grant. Learn more.
Conservation Corridor: Connectivity Conservation: Sustaining Networks for Ecology and Community

Project Spotlight

Communicating Future Sea-Level Rise Scenarios for Gulf Coast National Wildlife Refuge and National Park Lands
The goal of this project was to respond to the needs of federal land managers in the northern Gulf of Mexico for specific information to assist in planning for sea level rise-sensitive coastal refuges, parks, and reserves. Customized two-page fact sheets detailing future sea level rise scenarios and potential impacts on their mission were developed for 54 federally managed lands in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. The project was led by SE CASC Researcher Michael Osland.
Get more information about the project and access the two-pagers.

Resources

Climate.gov. NOAA’s Climate Program Office has launched a redesigned version of their website to include articles, graphs, and videos about climate science and changing climate conditions. Additionally, the global climate dashboard allows users to view climate change and natural variability indicator data over time. Learn more.
AIR Tool Offers Air Quality and Weather Data, in Detail. The North Carolina State Climate Office has released the Ambient Information Reporter, a new air quality monitoring tool that can be used to explore ozone concentrations, air temperatures, and particulate concentrations for current, past, and forecasted conditions across North Carolina. Learn more.
Infrastructure on the Brink. A new report from the First Street Foundation provides a national risk assessment of community vulnerability to flooding. This publication analyzes flood risk at both the individual property level and broader community level. Learn more.
Southeast and Caribbean Disaster Resilience Partnership. The SCDRP has launched their new website, available in both English and Spanish. The new site features an updated resources section and includes details about previous annual meetings. Learn more.
In the Media
Changing Tides: How climate change affects North Carolina’s fisheries and the people who rely on them for a living. Carolina Public Press
Every season except summer is getting shorter, a sign of trouble for people and the environment. Washington Post
Lawmakers Purchase Land In First Steps Toward Implementing Florida Wildlife Corridor Act. WUSF Public Media
Of Bombs and Butterflies. Radiolab
The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker And More Than 20 Other Species Have Gone Extinct. NPR
To Save Earth’s Climate, Map the Oceans. Bloomberg

Notable Publications

An IPCC that listens: introducing reciprocity to climate change communication. This position paper argues that the IPCC should consider the integration of more diverse communication strategies in advance of the 6th assessment report. Authors present a framework that will allow the panel to “speak” in a more human voice and for the audience to “listen” receptively to alternative knowledge forms, specifically through the acceptance of more diverse expert contributions. This international panel is responsible for providing reliable climate knowledge and this paper provides a strong argument for the importance of the representation of underrepresented audiences and a pathway to reach that goal. Link to article.
Engaging with stakeholders to produce actionable science: a framework and guidance. A critical component of producing actionable science involves the scientific community to engage and create relationships with natural and cultural resource managers. This is especially important when producing science related to how best to adapt to impacts of climate change. While there is no one “ best” way to engage with relevant stakeholders, these researchers have provided an adapted version of Davidson’s wheel of participation that provides scientists with guidance on how best to select an engagement approach and a standardized vocabulary for describing their approach. Link to article.
Extreme Precipitation and Flooding Contribute to Sudden Vegetation Dieback in a Coastal Salt Marsh. This paper describes the impacts of extreme precipitation and flooding to coastal marshes in Texas. Along the northern Gulf of Mexico, a coastal wetland in Texas suffered sudden vegetation dieback following an extreme precipitation and flooding event associated with Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Historical salt marsh dieback events have been linked to climate extremes, such as extreme drought. However, this is the first example of extreme precipitation and flooding leading to mass mortality of the salt marsh foundation species, Spartina alterniflora. Collectively, these results highlight a new mechanism of sudden vegetation dieback in S. alterniflora marshes that is triggered by extreme precipitation and flooding. Authors emphasize the importance of considering interactions between multiple abiotic and biotic stressors that can lead to shifts in tolerance thresholds and incorporating climate extremes into climate vulnerability assessments to accurately characterize future climate threats. Link to article.
Mapping risk factors to climate change impacts using traditional ecological knowledge to support adaptation planning with a Native American Tribe in Louisiana. This study provides insight of how Indigenous communities are shaping coastal hazard mitigation plans to reflect their Traditional Ecological Knowledges. Researchers worked closely with the Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe in Louisiana to develop interactive maps that indicate areas of the Tribe’s landscape that are vulnerable to coastal hazards such as sea-level rise, subsidence, and land loss. This case study offers an example to applied environmental scientists of how Indigenous communities around the world are approaching these circumstances. Link to article.
Unprecedented rise of heat and rainfall extremes in observational data. Journal Abstract: Over the last decade, the world warmed by 0.25 °C, in-line with the roughly linear trend since the 1970s. Here we present updated analyses showing that this seemingly small shift has led to the emergence of heat extremes that would be virtually impossible without anthropogenic global warming. Also, record rainfall extremes have continued to increase worldwide and, on average, 1 in 4 rainfall records in the last decade can be attributed to climate change. Tropical regions, comprised of vulnerable countries that typically contributed least to anthropogenic climate change, continue to see the strongest increase in extremes. Link to article.

Tribal News

Visit USET Climate Change Headlines for updates on information regarding climate science events, funding opportunities, best practices, and highlights from across the USET region.
Bureau of Indian Affairs awarded $13.84 million in Fiscal Year 2021 Tribal Climate Resilience Program funding awards to support dozens of Tribal Nations and organizations in their climate adaptation planning and capacity building goals. More information.
Bureau of Indian Affairs has announced a Tribal Climate Listening Sessions series to begin October 13. More information and registration.
Tribal Exchange Network is offering Tribal Data and Technology Academy Workshops to begin October 26. More information and registration.
National Adaptation Forum is hosting a four-part virtual Tribal & Indigenous Climate Adaptation Series, beginning October 27. More details and registration.
17th Annual Southeast Indian Studies Conference will be held Mar. 17-18, 2022. Virtual or in-person format is to be determined. Papers, panel and poster presentations proposals are due by Jan. 10, 2022. More information.
Department of Interior announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Interior’s Office of Wildland Fire and the Intertribal Timber Council. More information.

Regional Partner News

NOAA Sea Grant: Understanding end-user adoption of an online climate resilience tool
US Forest Service: Science in Practice webinars
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Announces $3.9 Million in Grants to Support Conservation Practices on Agricultural Lands.
US Fish & Wildlife Service: Urban Wildlife Conservation Program
Department of Interior: Interior Department Releases Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan
South Atlantic LCC: An improved approach to corridors in the 2021 South Atlantic Blueprint: Part 3
NOAA RESTORE Science Program Awards $2.3 million for Planning Actionable Science

Webinars

Upcoming Events

Opportunities

Student Announcements
NC State University’s KIETS Climate Leaders Program is accepting applications for the inaugural cohort of the program. NCSU students who do not plan to graduate by Spring 2023 may apply here by Oct. 31.
UCAR Cooperative Programs for the Advancement of Earth System Science is accepting applications for the NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. Apply here by Jan. 7, 2022.
John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Program is accepting applications for 2023 fellows. Apply here by Feb. 18, 2022.
Hiring Announcements
Northwest CASC is hiring an Actionable Science Postdoctoral Scholar. Apply here by Nov. 10.
NC State University’s Dept. of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences is hiring an Assistant Professor of Impacts of Rapid Global Change on Earth Systems and Environmental Processes. Applications will be accepted here until the position is filled.
Dept. of Geography and Environmental Sustainability at the University of Oklahoma is accepting applications for a cluster of three tenure-track positions focused on Earth System Prediction and Community Resilience. Learn more.
North Carolina State Climate Office is hiring a Program Manager for the new Carolinas Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessment hosted at NC State University. Applications will be accepted here until the position is filled.
Research Grants
North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation has launched EJ4Climate, a $2 million grant program to support environmental justice and climate resilience for underserved, vulnerable communities, and Indigenous communities across North America. Proposals can be submitted here until Nov. 14.
U.S. EPA is requesting applications for the Cumulative Health Impacts at the Intersection of Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and Vulnerable Populations/Lifestages: Community-Based Research for Solutions grant program. Proposals will be accepted here until Nov. 16.
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has announced a request for proposals for the Atlantic Flyway Shorebird Initiative. Full proposals are due here by Nov. 4.
Miscellaneous
NOAA Southern Appalachian Weather and Climate Workshop is accepting abstracts for oral and poster presentations. Proposals can be submitted here until Nov. 15.