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The Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change ( RISCC ) Management Networks are working to reduce the compounding effects of invasive species and climate change by synthesizing relevant science, communicating decision-makers’ needs to researchers, building stronger scientist–stakeholder communities, and conducting priority research. The RISCC effort started in the Northeast region in 2016 with a collaboration among USGS researchers, university scientists, and state agency partners. It has since expanded to the Pacific Islands, Northwest, North Central, and Southeast regions, as well as new...
Adaptation Ecosystems & Biodiversity
Development of NCA5 continued throughout 2021, with many important milestones. NCA5 builds on the lessons learned from previous assessments, while aiming to enhance the diversity of its authors and contributors, address emerging priority topics, and enhance public engagement processes. In the spring and summer of 2021, the NCA5 Federal Steering Committee selected the report’s federal coordinating leads and chapter leads. Chapter leadership then selected a diverse group of expert contributors—nearly 500 authors and 200 technical contributors—representing all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S...
Adaptation National Climate Assessment
In September 2021, NASA conducted the TRACER–AQ field campaign in the Houston metropolitan area to measure air quality, ozone, and meteorological factors that influence air pollution in the region. This effort was conducted in partnership with the DOE-led TRACER campaign, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and several academic institutions, as part of a set of interagency field activities in the region in 2021 and 2022 studying interrelated questions of air quality, deep convective clouds (which often produce thunder and rain), and how aerosols influence the physics of deep...
Observations Physical Climate
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 inches by 2050, with regional variation. Agencies at the federal, state, and local levels use these...
Coasts Scenarios
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 increase stress on water supplies. Through the WaterSMART Basin Study Program , the Bureau of Reclamation works with states, tribes, non-governmental organizations, other Federal agencies, and local partners to identify strategies to adapt to...
Adaptation Water Resources
New research shows that the destructive power of individual tropical cyclones is likely to increase over this century. New research led by NOAA scientists found that as global temperatures and global average sea level continue to rise throughout this century, the destructive power of individual tropical cyclones (including hurricanes, tropical storms, and typhoons) is likely to increase. 1 The assessment, conducted by a World Meteorological Organization science team, evaluated modeling studies of how tropical cyclone activity is expected to change in response to 2°C (3.6°F) of human-caused...
Extreme Events Physical Climate
Satellite data products are helping land managers quickly evaluate the health of vulnerable coastal wetlands. Salt marshes protect communities and infrastructure from storms, filter pollution, and provide habitat for fish and shellfish. These coastal wetlands and the ecosystem services they provide are increasingly threatened by rising sea levels, erosion, and land use change, and land and resource managers need tools to track changes and trends in their health and extent. Satellite data products provide one method for quickly evaluating marsh vulnerability to environmental change and can help...
Adaptation Coasts Data & Tools Ecosystems & Biodiversity Observations
Nature-based restoration efforts on Swan Island aim to protect coastal communities from erosion and storm surge while restoring ecosystems. Coastal islands and marshes in the Chesapeake Bay provide habitat for many species and protect coastal communities from wave energy. Within the last half century, the effects of shoreline erosion, land subsidence, and sea level rise have accelerated the rate of island submergence and degradation of ecosystems in the region. In one example, the Smith Island complex, of which Swan Island is a part, has eroded at rates of up to 2 meters per year over the past...
Adaptation Coasts
The Climate Change Response Framework provides landowners with adaptation options to address climate change risks to forests. Climate change increases uncertainty about future conditions affecting land and natural resources, creating new challenges for land managers working to sustain healthy ecosystems and ecosystem services. In 2020, the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS) and the USDA Northern Forests Climate Hub worked side-by-side with land managers to advance regionally specific climate change adaptation strategies. The NIACS Climate Change Response Framework was used...
Adaptation Ecosystems & Biodiversity
New climate indicators and communications efforts tell the story of climate change through federally supported observations. Climate indicators show trends over time in important aspects of our environment, such as greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere and the start of spring each year. Indicators are based on long-term, consistently collected data and can be used to assess risks and vulnerabilities from a changing climate and to inform response actions. IndIWG developed an interagency web platform for USGCRP to highlight federally supported climate-relevant indicators and is continuing to...
Indicators