Drought

Project Overview Terminal lake systems, water sources that are confined to streams, wetlands, and seasonal lakes that do not flow into the ocean, are greatly impacted by climate effects such as drought, reduced snowpack and increased wildfire activity. As a result, managers are faced with a lack of resources to study these aquatic habitats and the residing native fish. Researchers...

Project Overview First foods are integral components of the culture, spirituality, medicine, well-being, and health of the Klamath people. Throughout the Klamath Basin, climate change has substantially impacted the seasonality, abundance, and quality of first foods and other culturally important resources. These impacts compound with long-term challenges to food security and food...

Project Overview The montane forests of Southern California provide countless ecosystem services to the surrounding region, but as they face many climate-related impacts, particularly changes to wildfire regimes, the conservation of these forests is becoming increasingly important. Researchers supported by this Southwest CASC project will leverage and extend an established collaborative...

Project Overview In the Southwestern U.S., decades of wildfire suppression, drought, and climate-drive aridification have resulted in unnatural fuel-loading across forests and grasslands. With wildfire severity and frequency on the rise, communities and ecosystems are seeing more post-fire impacts such as flooding and debris flow as well. Researchers supported by this Southwest CASC...

Project Overview Increasing severe drought events occurring across the Colorado Plateau can harm vegetation and create drier and more flammable fuel for wildfire. Researchers supported by this Southwest CASC project will analyze drought indices and satellite data to show how quickly after drought begins that different types of vegetation across the region show signs of health declines...

Native American agroecosystems, crucial to cultural identity, face threats from an increasing frequency and duration of severe droughts, which affect ancestral crop production and seed sustainability. Researchers supported by this South Central CASC project will collaborate with Indigenous horticulturalists to design and test whether wastewater gardens can help sustain crop seed...

Project Overview Migratory big game species, like mule deer, are at risk due to human development and more frequent drought events that can limit access to food resources during migration. To address this, researchers supported by this North Central CASC project will collaborate with State, Tribal, and Federal agencies to examine the effectiveness of corridor conservation as a strategy...

Recent catastrophic droughts and wildfires have killed almost 20% of mature giant sequoia trees across California, and it is uncertain whether natural seedling regeneration will be enough to restore these forests, especially in severely burned areas. Researchers supported by this Southwest CASC project will assess whether soil conditions, such as moisture and soil microbial communities...

Project Overview: Native Yellowstone cutthroat trout and mountain whitefish in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYA) are ecologically and socio-economically important species, but are threatened by drought, rising water temperatures, habitat loss, and non-native species. Researchers supported by this North Central CASC project will use climate data and extensive population records to...

Climate change threatens many functions of wetlands and habitat connectivity for migratory shorebirds who use wetlands across the Southern Great Plains. Researchers supported by this South Central CASC project will survey stakeholders in the region, project climate impacts on wetland-dependent birds, and create tools for conservation planning (e.g., ranking wetland importance to...

Declining water levels in the Great Salt Lake are part of a larger trend of decreasing water availability in the Southwestern U.S. that presents significant challenges for people, animals, and ecosystems. One challenge is that as some lakes dry, newly exposed sediment containing heavy metals can become toxic dust that blows into populated areas. Increased air pollution and other effects...

Project Overview Forests in the Pacific Northwest support an extensive network of headwater streams and critical habitats for over 50 amphibian species, but face challenges from historical resource extraction, forest management, and climate change. Researchers supported by this Northwest CASC project will identify and map climate refugia to guide conservation strategies for at-risk...