Projects by Region

Project Overview Managers in the Southeast and US Caribbean face challenges accessing, interpreting, and using climate adaptation information, especially under tight decision-making timelines. Through this Southeast CASC project, researchers will co-produce a synthesis of regional climate adaptation science, identify information gaps, and improve access to actionable climate information...

Project Overview Climate change is altering headwater streams and downstream water resources in the Rio Grande basin, where water is already limited. Researchers supported by this South Central CASC project will assess the effectiveness of installing structures called beaver dam analogs (BDAs) and plug ponds in headwater streams in northern New Mexico to manage water supply, water...

Virtually all species are experiencing the effects of modern climate change. Climate-induced extinction rates are accelerating, and up to one-sixth of species are predicted to go extinct by the end of this century. Given the unprecedented rate of modern climate change, species will be increasingly unable to shift in lockstep with emerging climate spaces, and as a result, phenotypic...

Project Overview Sea-level rise, stronger storms, and coral reef bleaching events occurring with climate change threaten infrastructure, livelihoods, and cultural practices in Hawai'i. Researchers supported by this Pacific Islands CASC project will integrate Indigenous Knowledge and scientific research to co-produce climate adaptation strategies and conservation guidance for the...

Project Overview Climate change is altering the timing of natural seasonal events (phenology). This is manifesting in many ways including altering patterns of bird migration between Molokaʻi and southcentral Alaska. Researchers supported by this Pacific Islands CASC project will combine Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and conventional science to track these phenological shifts...

Project Overview Atolls in the tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans are experiencing significant changes to their landscapes and biodiversity due to climate change. Researchers supported by this Pacific Islands CASC will use historical data to study a 50+ year window of change in both islet size and the occurrence of lizard species. This work will better inform lizard distribution in light...

Project Overview Guam’s forests are vital to the ecosystem and local communities, but they face threats from wildfires, water quality, and invasive species, among others. To restore these ecosystems, researchers supported by this Pacific Islands CASC project will research the roles of native plants by identifying their “functional traits,” and using that knowledge to select species for

Project Overview Prairie dog colonies in North America’s Central Grasslands undergo cycles of collapse and recovery caused by the non-native sylvatic plague, and each phase of the cycle negatively affects wildlife or livestock. Researchers supported by this North Central-CASC project will develop a decision-support web tool for users to predict prairie dog colony dynamics under changing...

Water levels in the Great Lakes are fluctuating in ways that we have not seen in the past, with both historically low- and high-water levels occurring in the last decade. Expectations are that larger and more frequent water-level fluctuations will occur in response to climate change. The increased variability in lake levels has implications for the management of invasive plants found in...

The Bonnet Carré spillway (BCS) is a flood-control structure along the Lower Mississippi River designed to prevent flooding in the city of New Orleans by diverting excess water into the nearby Lake Pontchartrain estuary. Alarmingly, the BCS was opened as many times over the past decade (2011–2020) as it had been over the six prior decades combined (1951–2010), with devastating effects on...

Amphibians in the US Caribbean, like the well-known coquí frog, are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Coquí frogs are represented by 17 species across Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands and include several mountainous and coastal species that are threatened by extreme heat and drying, loss of coastal freshwater marshes through saltwater intrusion, or both. Over the past decade...

Invasive species have had devastating effects on Pacific Island biodiversity, ecosystem services, food, infrastructure, culture, and public health. Meanwhile, climate change is expected to worsen droughts and wildfires, increase storm severity, and raise the temperature, acidity, and sea level, all of which exacerbate invasive species issues and complicate management. Invasive species...