November 2021 Newsletter

November 16, 2021 arshore

November 2021 Newsletter

Welcome to the Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center’s November 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

TODAY, Nov. 17, 11AM ET, Corey Davis, North Carolina State Climate Office, and Dr. Lindsay Maudlin, Iowa State University, discuss Development and Evaluation of a Climate Visualization Platform Supporting Forest Management in our Fall/Winter Seminar Series. Learn more and register.
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.
Read summaries and view the recordings of these great Global Change Seminars planned and implemented by our Global Change Fellows:

Demystifying the Recent IPCC Assessment Report and “Code Red” on Climate Change, Oct. 21, featuring Susan Hassol, Climate Communication, & Rebecca Ward, NC State Climate Office.
Stories of Culture and Adaptation, Nov. 2, featuring U.S. EPA Administrator Michael Regan, Gullah/Geechee Chieftess Queen Quet, and other amazing panelists.

Join us on Dec. 1, 4PM ET for a Virtual Science Seminar co-sponsored by Northeast and Southeast CASCs on Managing Waterfowl Harvest Under Climate Change: Time-Dependent Optimal Policies to Address Non-Stationary Dynamics presented by Dr. Michael Runge. More information.
SE CASC is now accepting nominations from Faculty Affiliates for the 2022-2023 cohort of Global Change Fellows. Learn more.
We are celebrating 10 years of the Global Change Fellows program! Hear stories from former fellows and learn more about this training program here.
New SE CASC project, Accounting for Ecological Impacts of Climate Change in State Wildlife Action Plans: A comparison of Model-Based and Index-Based Vulnerability Assessments, will provide data on species vulnerability to inform 2025 SWAP revisions.
SE CASC is pleased to welcome Marie Schaefer, Tribal Climate Strategies Research Scholar, and Kristen Fontana, Student Intern, to our team. Check our staff page for more about them soon.
SE CASC Research Ecologist Mitch Eaton and 2013-14 Global Change Fellow Michael Just are co-authors on a recently published article, Structured Decision Making and Optimal Bird Monitoring in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Learn more.
NCSU student Brent Jackson and Faculty Affiliates Kathryn Stevenson, Lincoln Larson, Nils Peterson, and Erin Seekamp co-authored Connection to Nature Boosts Adolescents’ Mental Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic, a product of the SE CASC SECAS Working Group.
2016-2017 Global Change Fellow Paul Taillie and SE CASC Faculty Affiliates Marcelo Ardon and Christopher Moorman are co-authors of Salinity Thresholds for Understory Plants in Coastal Wetlands.
2018-19 Global Change Fellow Bonnie Myers and NCASC team’s story map about the Fish and Climate Change Database appears in the 2021 Esri Ocean, Weather & Climate GIS Forum Map Gallery. View the story map.
Conservation Corridor: What methods can you use to plan for climate-wise connectivity?

Project Spotlight

The Future of Culturally Important Species in North America
The main goal of this project was to engage in conversations with citizens of Southern and Eastern Tribal Nations to learn about the impact of climate change on their culturally important plant communities. The work has resulted in the development of important partnerships with Tribal communities and an ongoing research collaboration with the Seminole Tribe of Florida. This project was led by SE CASC Principal Investigator Rob Dunn. Learn more.

Resources

How We Respond Report. The American Association for the Advancement of Science has released six new stories to their How We Respond project. The initiative includes a report and multimedia stories that highlight the ways U.S. communities are responding to climate change at local, state, and regional levels, and the critical role of science and scientists in their response. Learn more.
International Guidelines on Natural and Nature-Based Features for Flood Risk Management. This set of guidelines provides practitioners with information on the best practices for conceptualization, planning, design, engineering, construction, and maintenance of natural and nature-based features to support resilience and flood risk reduction for coastlines. Learn more.
Framing for Climate Interpreters. This free course, offered by Frameworks Academy, provides nine learning modules to train users on reliable and evidence-based ways of talking about critical issues related to climate change. Learn more.
Toolkit on Equity & Environmental Justice in 30×30. The Hispanic Access Foundation recently released this toolkit that aims to increase access to nature for communities of color and ensure that funds to protect and restore public spaces are distributed equitably. Learn more.
DOI Climate Action Plan. The Department of Interior joined other federal agencies in releasing a Climate Action Plan on October 7, 2021, with the intention of advancing the seven outlined climate adaptation themes in the next year. Learn more.
In the Media
Can the iconic Georgia peach keep growing in a warming South? National Geographic
Climate change is having an adverse effect on South Carolina’s Low Country. NPR
In-depth Q&A: The IPCC’s sixth assessment report on climate science. CarbonBrief
Gains and disappointments from COP26, and now to tend to the gaps. Yale Climate Connections

Notable Publications

Boundary crossing for urban community resilience: A social vulnerability and multi-hazard approach in Austin, Texas, USA. Exposure to natural hazards such as flooding, wildfire, and extreme heat in urban communities is increasing as climate and land-use changes progress. This paper presents a methodology for multi-hazard risk assessment that combines exposure to multiple natural hazards with social vulnerability to present areas of priority risk reduction within urban communities. Authors suggest that the co-production of multi-risk assessments between scientists and disaster risk reduction practitioners can have a positive influence on community resilience. Link to article.
Census of heat tolerance among Florida’s threatened staghorn corals finds resilient individuals throughout existing nursery populations. Increased ocean warming driven by climate change has increased the need for coral propagation, restoration, and selective breeding interventions. In an effort to naturally boost the climate resilience of these species, naturally heat-tolerant individuals are typically targeted for these interventions. However, swiftly quantifying the heat tolerance of a coral species is difficult and can be unreliable. In this study, researchers performed standard heat tolerance tests on 229 colonies of Acropora cervicornis in Florida’s Coral Reef. This analysis and subsequent identification of heat-tolerant individuals will allow rehabilitation programs to optimize the restoration of Florida’s threatened staghorn corals. Link to article.
Effects of land dispossession and forced migration on Indigenous peoples in North America. Journal Abstract: What are the full extent and long-term effects of land dispossession and forced migration for Indigenous peoples in North America? We leveraged a new dataset of Indigenous land dispossession and forced migration to statistically compare features of historical tribal lands to present-day tribal lands at the aggregate and individual tribe level. Results show a near-total aggregate reduction of Indigenous land density and spread. Indigenous peoples were forced to lands that are more exposed to climate change risks and hazards and are less likely to lie over valuable subsurface oil and gas resources. Agricultural suitability and federal land proximity results—which affect Indigenous movements, management, and traditional uses—are mixed. These findings have substantial policy implications related to heightened climate vulnerability, extensive land reduction, and diminished land value. Link to article.
Fire and Forests in the 21st Century: Managing Resilience Under Changing Climates and Fire Regimes in USA Forests. Authors describe fire regimes–spatial and temporal patterns of fire and resulting ecosystem effects–in different regions of the U.S., which are anticipated to change as a result of interactions among climate, fire, and other stressors and disturbances, causing altered structure and function of forested ecosystems. Changes in climate are projected to alter prescribed fire management in the Southeast, reducing feasible burn windows and potentially increasing fire return intervals. Reducing effects of stressors such as landscape fragmentation and invasive plants will increase ecosystem resilience to climate change, though novel ecosystems and forest conditions may result in response to no-analog climate futures. They emphasize the importance of multiple-stakeholder collaboration for long-term sustainable forest management. Link to article.
Wave damping by flexible marsh plants influenced by current. Salt marshes absorb hydrodynamic energy and reduce erosion, protecting coastlines from wave currents and flooding. These ecosystems are an imperative defense in the wake of sea-level rise and storm events that are made more severe by climate change. This study provides increased detail about how complex coastal salt marsh zones interact and respond to wave and current energy. The results can be used by restoration practitioners to more effectively plan for the mitigation of impacts caused by coastal flooding, erosion, and storms. 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.
United South and Eastern Tribes website features resources in celebration of Native American Heritage Month.
The Native American Fish and Wildlife Society is hiring a Senior Tribal Climate Resilience Liaison who will work with the Alaska CASC. Applications can be submitted here until Nov. 23.
USDA and USFS are accepting applications for a full time researcher to work on a project exploring relationships between the American Chestnut and Tribal Communities. Apply here by Nov. 29.
DOI has released recordings of their three-part virtual listening session series focused on climate change and Tribal Nations. Public comments can be submitted here until Dec. 3.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is hiring Tribal Climate Resilience Liaisons in the North Central, the Midwest, and the Northeast/Southeast (combined) Regions of the DOI Climate Adaptation Science Centers through the BIA’s Tribal Climate Resilience Program. Applications may be submitted here until Dec. 17.
The Gullah Geechee Nation is seeking experts in landscape architecture, design, economic assessment, and permaculture to volunteer in supporting the implementation of the St. Helena Island Gullah/Geechee Living Landscape project. Learn more.

Regional Partner News

U.S. Forest Service: Greenhouse gas emissions and removals from forest land, woodlands, and urban trees in the United States, 1990–2019
Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy: A brief summary of the SECAS symposium at SEAFWA
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Tribal Wildlife Grants Provide Opportunities for Partnerships in Conservation of Shared Natural Heritage, Cultural Priorities
National Park Service: Natural Resources Stewardship and Science Climate Action Plan
South Atlantic LCC: What does the new 2022 Southeast Blueprint approach mean for the South Atlantic Blueprint?

Webinars

Upcoming Events

Opportunities

Student Announcements
USGS is accepting applications for the Climate Adaptation Scientists of Tomorrow Program. Undergraduate students may submit applications here by Dec. 20.
The 2022 SCDRP Annual Meeting is offering five complimentary Student Registrations and five complimentary Individual Registrations. Submit your scholarship application here by Jan. 6.
USGS is accepting applications for 43 available Mendenhall Research Fellowships. Applications can be submitted here until Jan. 6.
Hiring Announcements
Mississippi State University is hiring an Extension Associate to study coastal community resilience to sea-level rise and climate change at the Coastal Research and Extension Center. Apply here.
NC State is hiring a Goodnight Professor of Coastal Resilience and Sustainability and Director of Coastal Resilience. Apply here.
Research Grants
US EPA announced funding for 2021 Environmental Education Local Grant Program, including projects that reflect the intersection of environmental issues with climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies. Applications are due here by Dec. 6.
Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley Restoration Fund has announced a request for proposals for 2022 funding. Full proposals can be submitted here until Dec. 16.
Natural Resources Conservation Service announced its 2022 Funding Opportunity for several Conservation Programs. Applications can be submitted for state-specific ranking dates.
Miscellaneous
NOAA is seeking public input on how to advance the goals and recommendations in the Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful report. Learn more.
Abstracts are being accepted to present at the 2022 Music Studies In/Of The Anthropocene Research Network Conference. Proposals are due here by Jan. 15.