The United States National Park Service (NPS) declared climate change as “the greatest threat to the integrity of our national parks that we have ever experienced.” Climate change is causing not only higher average temperatures in most places but also increasing the severity of storms, the number of heatwaves and wildfires, and causing heavier rainfall. These extreme weather conditions pose major threats to National Parks, which face the loss of wildlife, plants, and important historical and cultural sites.
To prevent further loss of our country’s natural and cultural heritage in the next 20 years, plans, strategies, and actions are needed now, rather than for 50-100 years into the future. This research team will engage in conversations and hold an in-person workshop with members of the NPS to (a) teach each other about what current research says about the extreme changes in our weather patterns and (b) learn what critical information and scientific data the NPS needs to build effective strategies to use in the near future. Researchers will then perform targeted case studies for one or two National Parks and plan a targeted future project. The end results of this co-produced project will be knowledge gain for both the climate researchers and NPS partners on climate-induced extreme weather and its effects on the National Parks. Factsheets for the chosen National Park(s) will be disseminated to educate park visitors about the threats that climate change and extreme weather pose to the park.
