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Regional Climate Information & Modeling

Evidence of climate change appears in every region of the United States, and impacts are apparent in every state. All U.S. regions have experienced warming in the past several decades, but the impacts of climate change vary with regional differences in climate, geography, and land use. For instance, drought is projected to have increasingly detrimental effects in the Southwest, whereas coastal flooding and heavier rainfall events pose challenges in the Northeast. Regionally tailored resources provided by Federal agencies, ranging from climate change scenarios to climate science centers, are listed below. 

Resources by type:

Regionally Tailored Tools & Information

Climate Change Preparedness & Resilience Exercise Series

USGCRP supported four regional workshops in 2014 as part of the Climate Change Preparedness and Resilience Exercise Series, sponsored by the White House in collaboration with the Federal Emergency Management Agency National Exercise Division. For each workshop, location-specific brochures describing observed climate trends and projected future climate conditions were developed using information from the 2014 National Climate Assessment and other peer-reviewed science at the regional and local scale. Workshops were held for the Houston-Galveston area in Texas, the State of Colorado, the State of Alaska, and the Hampton Roads area in Virginia. 

Regional Climate Trends & Scenarios for the United States

In advance of the 2014 National Climate Assessment, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration led an interagency effort to develop supporting scenarios for climate change in the United States. The scenarios outline current and potential future changes in climate for each U.S. region, as well as for the Nation overall. To provide easy access to key information, USGCRP produced 2-page summaries for each of the regional and national climate scenarios. Go >

Scenario-Based Projected Changes Map

This interactive map provides easy access to scenarios of projected changes in annual total precipitation, precipitation intensity, annual average temperature, 100-year storm events, and sea level rise from the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool. The map draws from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase-3 (CMIP3) dataset, which has been used to support the National Climate Assessment. Go >

Gulf Coast Transportation Study (2008-2015)

Led by the Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administation, this study of climate impacts on transportation in the Gulf Coast region included two phases: Phase 1) an analysis of potential impacts throughout the region (completed in 2008 and delivered as one of USGCRP’s Synthesis and Assessment Products); and Phase 2) a case study of impacts and vulnerabilities in Mobile, AL (completed in 2015), accompanied by new tools for managing climate risks in the transportation sector more broadly. Go >

Cattle Heat Stress Forecasts

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Weather Service have partnered to develop a website for livestock producers that provides daily and 7-day regional heat stress forecasts for the United States, with data broken out into six regions. Go >

North Pacific Climate Regimes & Ecosystem Productivity Project

NOAA created and funded this initiative to investigate the impacts of climate fluctuation on ecosystems in the North Pacific and Bering Sea. The project focuses on the development of climate-forced models used to improve recruitment prediction and stock assessments; development and generation of indices and assessment tools used in fisheries management; and research that provides accessible environmental and ecosystem data for the eastern Bering Sea. Go >

Coral Triangle Initiative: Climate Change Adaptation

With support from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Coral Triangle Initiative provides resources to help local governments and coastal communities of the Coral Triangle (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, and Papua New Guinea) identify and implement early actions for region-wide and national adaptation. Go >

 

Regional Centers, Networks, & Partnerships

Regional Integrated Science & Assessments (RISA)

NOAA's RISA program supports research teams that help expand and build the Nation’s capacity to prepare for and adapt to climate variability and change. Central to the RISA approach are commitments to process, partnership, and trust building. Go >

Regional Climate Centers (RCC)

NOAA Regional Climate Centers (RCC)NOAA’s RCCs are a Federal-state cooperative effort managed by the National Climatic Data Center. The six RCCs are engaged in the production and delivery of climate data, information, and knowledge for decision makers and other users at the local, state, regional, and national levels. Go >

Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCC)

DOI Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCC)The Department of Interior (DOI) LCCs are a network of public-private partnerships that provide shared science to ensure the sustainability of America's land, water, wildlife, and cultural resources. The LCCs seek to identify best practices, connect efforts, identify gaps, and avoid redundancies through improved conservation planning and design. Go >

Climate Science Centers (CSC)

The DOI CSCs provide scientific information, tools, and techniques that land, water, wildlife, and cultural resource managers can apply to anticipate, monitor, and adapt to climate and ecological change at regional to local scales. CSCs deliver basic science on climate change impacts to the LCCs within their respective regions, including physical and biological research, ecological forecasting, and multi-scale modeling. Go >

Regional Climate Hubs

The USDA's seven Regional Climate Hubs deliver regionally tailored, science-based information to farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners. The hubs work with universities Federal partners, and stakeholders to support climate resilience among agricultural producers. Go >

Cooperative Extension System

USDA Cooperative Extension SystemEach U.S. state and territory has a USDA Cooperative Extension System office at its land-grant university and a network of local or regional offices. These offices are staffed by experts who provide practical and research-based information to agricultural producers, small business owners, youth, consumers, and others in rural areas and communities of all sizes. Go >

Forest Service Research Stations

USDA Forest Service Research StationThe mission of the Forest Service’s Research Stations is to work at the forefront of science to improve the health and use of the Nation’s forests and grasslands. Over 67 laboratories are organized around five regional research stations and two additional research institutes. Go >

Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability (SERPPAS)

Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and SustainabilityThis six-state partnership comprised of state and federal agencies promotes collaboration in making resource-use decisions supporting conservation of natural resources, working lands, and national defense. Go >

Western Regional Partnership

Western Regional Partnership

The Western Regional Partnership includes state and tribal executive leadership from Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The partnership focuses on disaster preparedness, energy issues, GIS support, and coordination among stakeholders. Go >

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