Water, Coasts and Ice
Water, Coasts and Ice
Warming temperatures and shifting weather patterns are causing major changes in water and ice availability, sea levels, and aquatic nutrient cycles across the country. CASC-supported scientists are examining how water, ice, and coastal ecosystems and communities across the country are being affected by climate change. Explore our science on this topic below.
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Promoting Coastal Resilience and Adaptation in Alaska: Community Outreach and Engagement
In coastal Alaska, changes in snow, ice, and extreme weather events threaten human communities, critical infrastructure, valuable natural resources, and hunting and fishing livelihoods. Identifying how changing climate conditions impact Alaska’s coastal ecosystems, and how these changes may be tied to the ability of coastal communities to adapt to changing conditions, has been identified...
Spoilt for Choice: A Review and Evaluation of Downscaled Climate Data for the Pacific Northwest
In order to assess and understand the potential impacts of climate change on important natural resources, managers, planners, and decision-makers need climate information at a local or regional scale. In general, Global Climate Models (GCMs) provide data at coarser scales than most natural resource managers need but Regional Climate Models (RCMs) are starting to deliver finer scale...
The Effects of Wildfire on Snow Water Resources under Multiple Climate Conditions
The Colorado and Rio Grande Rivers provide drinking water to millions of people in the Southwest and South Central U.S. Snowmelt accounts for 70% of streamflow in these rivers, meaning that water use downstream is directly impacted by snow accumulation and snowmelt patterns in the mountains. Mountain forests are a critical part of the hydrologic cycle that feeds these rivers, providing...
“Hyperscale” Modeling to Understand and Predict Temperature Changes in Midwest Lakes
Many inland waters across the United States are experiencing warming water temperatures. The impacts of this warming on aquatic ecosystems are significant in many areas, causing problems for fisheries management, as many economically and ecologically important fish species are experiencing range shifts and population declines. Fisheries and natural resource managers need timely and...
Webinar: The Surprising Role of Trees in the Boreal Water Cycle
View this webinar to learn about the role of trees in the boreal forest water cycle.
Webinar: Karst, Critters, and Climate Change: A Multidisciplinary Evaluation of Karst Species Vulnerability to Climate Change
View this webinar to learn how scientists are exploring the vulnerability of karst species to climate change.
Webinar: Understanding Water Availability Across Landscapes in a Time of Increasing Drought
View this webinar to learn about a new initiative to address knowledge gaps in water availability at the landscape scale.
Webinar: How Will Forests Affect Mountain Snow Storage in a Warming Climate?
View this webinar to learn how scientists are examining the combined impacts of forest and climate change in the Pacific Northwest.
Webinar: Recreational Seascapes: Integrating Human and Mechanical Observations on Hawaiʻi Island
View this webinar to learn how scientists explored how people on the seascape experienced climate and environmental changes in Hawai'i.
Assessing the Impact of Future Climate on Hawai‘i’s Aquatic Ecosystems
The stream systems of Hawai‘i are unique and home to many rare species, including five native fish and five native shellfish. These native species have amphidromous life cycles, meaning that they spend part of their lives in the ocean and part in freshwater streams. Stream flow serves as a vital natural pathway, connecting saltwater and freshwater habitats so that these animals can...
Changes in Water Flow through Hawaiian Forests due to Invasive Species and Changing Rainfall Patterns
Precipitation in Hawaiʻi’s higher elevation upland areas provides needed water to both people and ecosystems. Once it reaches the ground, rain can either run off and contribute to water flow in streams, or it can infiltrate into the ground and provide water for plants and recharge aquifers and groundwater. The exact route that water takes is controlled by many factors, including the...
Collecting Elevation Data to Understand Climate Change Effects in the Marshall Islands
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports that low-lying atolls (ring-shaped islands or island chains made of coral) in the Pacific Ocean are extremely vulnerable to high tide events (“king tides”), storm surge, tsunamis, and sea-level rise. The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) spreads over 29 atolls and has a population of over 50,000 people with homes and communities...