April 2022 Newsletter

April 28, 2022 csf

April 2022 Newsletter

Welcome to the Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center’s April 2022 Newsletter.

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Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center News

Save the Date! The 2022 SE CASC Regional Science Symposium is scheduled for Sept. 19-21, 2022. Registration and call for abstracts for the Poster/Tools Networking session will open in May.

We’re excited to announce the exceptional students from diverse disciplines and colleges at NCSU selected as 2022-23 SE CASC Global Change Fellows. Learn more about them.

Join us on May 10, 12 PM ET for a virtual Science Seminar by Erin Seekamp (NC State University) and James Flocks (USGS), Prioritizing and Implementing Research for Adaptation Planning at Gulf Islands National Seashore. Learn more and register.

Next in our Spring Seminar Series will be Forecasting the Influence of Conservation Strategies on Landscape Connectivity, presented by Tina Mozelewski (NE CASC) on May 24, 11AM ET. Learn more and register.

If you missed the Science Seminar on March 22, Incorporating the Benefits of Natural and Working Lands in Conservation Planning, presented by Katie Warnell, Duke University, the recording is available.

SE CASC Global Change Fellows held a Global Change Seminar and mini-workshop, Why Framing Matters: Tools for More Inclusive Climate Change Communication, given by Adam Ratner of NNOCCI on March 29. Read a summary and view the recording.

SE CASC Global Change Fellows held a two-part series exploring freshwater ecosystems of the Southeast, hosting a screening of the film Hidden Rivers and convening a panel of experts to discuss Climate & Freshwater Futures on April 8. Read a summary of the event and watch the recording.

Sea-level Rise Scenario Fact Sheets developed as part of SE CASC project, Communicating Future Sea-Level Rise Scenarios for Gulf Coast National Wildlife Refuge and National Park Lands received the USGS 2021 Eugene M. Shoemaker Communication Award for communication excellence. Read more.

Researcher Spotlights: Learn more about Global Change Fellows Andrew Shannon and Smitom Borah.

The CASC network announces the Climate Adaptation Postdoctoral (CAP) Fellows Program. The focus of the 2021-23 cohort is on Future of Fire, a nation-wide wildfire management synthesis project; SE CASC’s regional project is Development of an Early Warning System to Identify Changing Prescribed Burn Opportunities Across Southeast US Fire-Adapted Habitats. Learn more.

SE CASC Research Ecologist Adam Terando gave a presentation on Climate Extremes in Agriculture and Forests at the February USDA Climate Science Seminar. View the recording.

University Assistant Director Aranzazu Lascurain participated in NC State’s 2022 Worldwide Teach-In on Climate Solutions & Justice on March 30. View the recording.

Global Change Fellow Lauren Pharr published Wings of Change: The Impacts of a Warming Climate on Birds of North Carolina, which featured work of 2016-17 Global Change Fellow, Shilo Felton.

2020-21 Global Change Fellow Rebecca Asser was honored by the Lumbee Tribe for her research and design for restoration plans for Maxton Hayes Pond. Learn more.

Karen McNeal, Auburn University Consortium PI, was awarded a 2022 SEC Faculty Achievement Award for excellence in teaching and research. Learn more.

2015-16 Global Change Fellow Gabriella Pardee is lead author and University Director Becky Irwin is co-author to Life-history traits predict responses of wild bees to climate variation.

University Director Becky Irwin is co-author to Comparative impacts of long-term trends in snowmelt and species interactions on plant population dynamics.

Faculty Affiliate Pubs and Publicity
Gaines, M.D., Tulbure, M.G., & Perin, V.: Effects of climate and anthropogenic drivers on surface water area in the southeastern United States.

Inglis, N.C., J. Vukomanovic, J. Costanza, K.K. Singh: From viewsheds to viewscapes: Trends in landscape visibility and visual quality research.

Larson, L.R. and J.A. Hipp: Nature-based Pathways to Health Promotion: The Value of Parks and Greenspace.

Skylar Hopkins, featured in The Scientists Fighting for Parasite Conservation.

Conservation Corridor: Habitat fragmentation changes the way seeds disperse.

Project Spotlight

Enhancing Coastal Adaptation Planning at Gulf Islands National Seashore

Barrier islands are subject to natural and anthropogenic changes, such as hurricanes, sea level rise, and dredging – changes that can influence the persistence of natural and cultural resources. A better understanding of sediment budgets related to coastal vulnerability (storm events and dredging) can enhance the protection of both natural and cultural resources and guide future nourishment and placement of dredge materials. This project enhanced ongoing research at Gulf Islands National Seashore related to cultural resource adaptation planning and identified priorities for future research to better conserve the cultural and natural resources on the barrier islands. The project work should (a) enhance efficiency in adaptation planning of vulnerable coastal resources and (b) enable future funding decisions based on research priorities that will help predict changes of barrier islands and reduce negative impacts associated with improperly placed dredge material. The project was led by SE CASC Principal Investigators Erin Seekamp and Jim Flocks. Learn more.

Resources

US Climate Resilience Toolkit has developed the U.S. Caribbean region section, which consolidates information about impacts of climate change and variability and building climate resilience for natural ecosystems, the economy, and human and public health in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Learn more.

Sea Level Rise: Why is it Important to Me? The Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact developed this resource, available in English, Spanish, and Creole, to provide support to local partners, community-based organizations, advocates, homeowners associations, and the general public in understanding what sea level rise is, what impacts it has on health, safety, infrastructure and wellbeing, and what can be done to address it. Learn more.

Coastal Risk Screening Tool. This interactive map by Climate Central shows areas threatened by sea level rise and coastal flooding. It integrates CoastalDEM v2.1, which now predicts corrections on land with elevations between -10 m and 120 m (CoastalDEM v1.1 was 1 – 20 m), providing much broader coverage of coastal areas. Learn more.

In the Media
Wildfires Will Worsen, Warns U.N. Report. Eos
Balancing trade-offs between carbon storage and wildlife habitat. Vermont Business Magazine
Gulf Coast, Mississippi River cities eager for flood funding. AP News
Native American pollinator garden planted in Fort Bragg park. Up & Coming Weekly
A cougar passage rises over a deadly Southern California freeway. LA Times

Notable Publications

North American tree migration paced by climate in the West, lagging in the East. Journal Abstract. Tree fecundity and recruitment have not yet been quantified at scales needed to anticipate biogeographic shifts in response to climate change. By separating their responses, this study shows coherence across species and communities, offering the strongest support to date that migration is in progress with regional limitations on rates. The southeastern continent emerges as a fecundity hotspot, but it is situated south of population centers where high seed production could contribute to poleward population spread. By contrast, seedling success is highest in the West and North, serving to partially offset limited seed production near poleward frontiers. The evidence of fecundity and recruitment control on tree migration can inform conservation planning for the expected long-term disequilibrium between climate and forest distribution. Link to article.

Ecological and social strategies for managing fisheries using the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework. Journal Abstract. Fisheries management is a complex task made even more challenging by rapid and unprecedented socioecological transformations associated with climate change. The Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework can be a useful tool to support fisheries management in facing the high uncertainty and variability associated with aquatic ecosystem transformations. Here, RAD strategies are presented to address ecological goals for aquatic ecosystems and social goals for fisheries. These strategies are mapped on a controllability matrix which explores the ability to guide a system’s behaviour towards a desired state based on ecological responsiveness and societal receptivity to change. Understanding and improving the controllability of aquatic systems and fisheries can help managers to maintain the broadest suite of available RAD management strategies. Link to article.

To weight or not to weight: assessing sensitivities of climate model weighting to multiple methods, variables, and domains. Journal Short Summary. Climate projections and multi-model ensemble weighting are increasingly used for climate assessments. This study examines the sensitivities of model weighting and multi-model ensemble means across multiple dimensions using projections in the south central United States. Model weighting and ensemble means are sensitive to the domain and variable used. This study recommends that multiple weighting strategies be used with consideration for the needs of the research project or planning exercise. Link to article.

Urbanization affects the behavior of a predator-free ungulate in protected lands. Journal Abstract. Natural habitats have been converted to urban areas across the globe such that many landscapes now represent matrices of developed and protected lands. As urbanization continues to expand, associated pressures on wildlife will increase, including effects on animals in adjacent protected habitats. For prey species (e.g., ungulates), an understanding of the ecological impacts of urbanization is typically confounded by coincident effects from co-occurring predators. Yet, understanding how urbanization affects prey behaviors in the absence of predators is becoming increasingly relevant as many top predators face extirpation. We placed camera traps at varying distances from urban areas within protected areas in the Florida Keys, USA, to evaluate the influence of urbanization on the behavior of the key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium), an endangered species that has been without non-human mammalian predators for ∼ 4000 years. We predicted that as distance to urban areas decreased, key deer would use sites at the same rate, exhibit bigger group sizes, and shift activity patterns to be more nocturnal. Our results indicate that intensity of site use decreased with proximity to urban areas, potentially reflecting human avoidance. Group size increased closer to urban areas, consistent with other studies relating this behavior to anthropogenic subsidies and vigilance for humans. Activity patterns changed but did not become more nocturnal near urban areas as predicted by global analyses relating human disturbance to wildlife nocturnality. Our results have important implications for ungulate behavioral ecology and, taken together, suggest that influences on protected species from adjacent land uses are an important consideration when planning land use and designing protected areas. Link to article.

Beyond maladaptation: structural barriers to successful adaptation. Journal Abstract. Around the world adaptation projects are being implemented, with the hope of essentially climate proofing communities. While there is an abundance of failed adaptation schemes in developing and developed countries alike, there has been little scholarship on this problem. Through interviews with twenty-two climate change adaptation practitioners, we identify four structural challenges that contribute to maladaptation: the focus on technological fixes versus holistic approaches; the difficulty of distinguishing between adaptation and development; the problem of quantifying non-quantifiable variables; and the existence of competing problems given that failure to mainstream climate change adaptation. Addressing these maladaptation dynamics is necessary to enhance successful adaptation processes. 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.

EPA announced Environmental Justice Small Grants Request for Applications specifically for federally recognized Tribes, to fund tribal government efforts to establish or modify public participation programs where fair treatment and meaningful participation priorities have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Get more information including pre-application webinar recordings here.

Bureau of Indian Affairs has announced the availability of funding through the Tribal Climate Resilience Program to support Tribal adaptation planning & preparedness, capacity building, youth, & implementation activities. The Annual Awards Program seeks to help Tribes address climate change impacts, ocean and coastal resource management, & relocation, managed retreat, and protect-in-place issues & decision-making processes. Get more information including a link to an informational webinar recording here.

National Tribal & Indigenous Climate Conference announced a deadline extension for the call for proposals, which will now be accepted until May 6. More information here.

Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals publishes a monthly Tribes and Climate Change Newsletter. You can access them here.

Regional Partner News

Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy: Register for a virtual workshop to review draft Southeast Conservation Blueprint 2022.

Native American Fish and Wildlife Society Enters Into A Memorandum Of Understanding With USFWS.

Department of Interior Releases Five-Year Monitoring, Maintenance and Treatment Plan to Address Wildfire Risk.

Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium: Research projects selected for 2022-24 funding.

Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies: Minorities in Natural Resources Conservation Committee offers stipends to minority students.

Webinars

Find more upcoming events in our calendar.

Upcoming Events

Opportunities

Student Announcements
PhD student is being recruited for an NSF-funded project at Virginia Tech, Dynamics of Integrated Socio-Environmental Systems: Species Conservation and Collaborative Governance in an Era of Global Change. More information.

Hiring Announcements
Southeast and Caribbean Disaster Resilience Partnership is hiring for a Program Coordinator. More information.

Data Scientist with eBird Status and Trends project is advertised at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. More information.

Miami-Dade County’s Office of Resilience is hiring an adaptation specialist focused on sea level rise. Get information (search on “resiliency”) and apply here.

Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota seeks a Research Scholar in Natural Capital and Ecosystem Services. More information.