The Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change (ASCC) project is a collaborative effort to help guide forest managers in preparing forest ecosystems for climate change. Scientists, land managers, and a variety of partners have developed seven initial trial sites as part of this multi-region study to research long-term ecosystem responses to a range of climate change adaptation actions. USDA-FS scientists partnered with universities and local, state, and federal agencies (including DOI and USACE) to develop...
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Since 1989, the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) has submitted annual reports to Congress called Our Changing Planet. The reports describe the status of USGCRP research activities, provide progress updates, and document recent accomplishments
In particular, Our Changing Planet highlights progress and accomplishments in interagency activities. These highlights represent the broad spectrum of USGCRP activities that extend from Earth system observations, modeling, and fundamental research through synthesis and assessment, decision support, education, and public engagement. Highlights describe the state of science at the time of publication of each yearly report, and may not reflect more recent advances in understanding. The date of publication of the source report is noted on each highlight page.
Barrier islands—narrow deposits of sand that form along the coast—help protect mainland coastal communities from storms and serve as important habitats for many species. Restoring or enhancing barrier islands can build coastal resilience to the effects of storms and protect important habitats that sustain coastal economies. Sediment management (e.g., dredging) can be done as a nature-based solution, if it is designed appropriately, and dredge materials are used to restore or enhance habitat near at-risk communities. A new study...
In December 2021, the U.S. Committee on the Marine Transportation System issued the third report in a series about the response and resilience of the Nation’s marine transportation system after major hurricanes. The report assessed the impacts to ports from the 2020 hurricane season, which saw a record-breaking number of storms form in the Atlantic basin during a global pandemic. Three storms were examined in-depth: Hurricanes Laura, Sally, and Delta. The report was authored by the Marine...
Throughout 2021, the interagency Sea Level Rise Task Force, under the auspices of USGCRP’s CoastsIG and the Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology, engaged in extensive collaboration to produce the 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report, which provides the most up-to-date sea level rise projections for all U.S. states and territories by decade for the next 100 years and beyond (Sweet et al., 2022). The report projects that sea levels along the U.S. coastline will rise an additional 10–12...
The CICE model simulates changes to Arctic sea ice and its interactions with the polar environment over seasonal to decadal timescales. The model’s development and maintenance have been led and coordinated by DOE since the early 1990s, with contributions from NOAA, NASA, NSF, ONR, and many other participants. CICE and its support infrastructure are the global standard for sea ice modeling for multiple applications, including scientific research, climate...
Interagency science informed the synthesis of actionable research to support Federal responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In March 2020, DoD began working with interagency partners to synthesize actionable research on potential environmental drivers impacting the life and spread of the COVID-19 virus. From this collective research, representatives from the Air Force Directorate of Weather worked with DoD’s operational climate services unit, the 14th Weather Squadron in Asheville, NC, to produce actionable products for senior DoD leaders on potential environmental drivers of...
A new scientific assessment provides information on the spread and control of invasive species for land managers.
The spread of invasive species is recognized as a major driver of biodiversity loss and a source of substantial economic and environmental damage. Global environmental changes, including climate change and land use change, continue to influence how invasive species spread and interact with ecosystems, presenting new and ongoing challenges for land managers. A recent USDA Forest Service (USDA-FS) ...
Collaborative studies among scientists and decision-makers are identifying strategies to meet current and future water demands.
The western United States faces growing water challenges. Drought, population change, aging infrastructure, and ecosystem needs all strain existing water and power infrastructure, and future climate change is expected to further...
A modeling framework provides insight on future coastal flooding risks to guide resilience efforts.
Sea level rise and other climate-related changes are increasing risks from the impacts of storms on coastal communities, infrastructure, and ecosystems. To support efforts to build resilience to climate variability and change, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Research and Development Center-Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (ERDC-CHL) developed the Coastal Hazards System (CHS) as a...