The USGS builds the technical capacity of managers and decision makers and helps integrate climate change information into their decision making and products, equipping them to meet climate challenges ahead. This helps organizations across the country, from local non-profits to Department of the Interior agencies, better access, use, and interpret climate science and data.
Climate change affects every species, place, and community a little differently, and impacts can be complex and uncertain. As such, it can be difficult to plan for local-scale climate change without a solid understanding of climate model outputs and ecosystem feedback systems for your specific area.
The USGS works with university partners to offer region-specific “Climate 101” training workshops to help build climate literacy. These workshops, focused on the South Central and Alaska regions, serve as introductions to climate science, regional impacts of changing climate, and climate adaptation strategies. Each workshop focuses on case studies and climate impacts of high interest to the region. These trainings are designed to leave audiences confident in their understanding of potential future conditions and with suites of potential management options to mitigate climate impacts.
Climate change scenario planning is a powerful tool to help decision makers plan for an uncertain future. In this process, people consider the different ways climate change could manifest and explore the effects of multiple potential future conditions on important resources.
USGS researchers use climate model outputs to help resource managers with the National Park Service understand the possible range of climate futures in their parks. They lead NPS staff through scenario planning exercises in multi-day workshops and engage subject-matter experts to provide the best science for answering questions. Through these discussions, they help managers prepare an assortment of options to prepare their parks for a rapidly changing climate.
The USGS Helps Management Agencies Create Climate-Informed State Wildlife Action Plans
State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs) serve as blueprints to conservation, helping states conserve wildlife before they become too rare or costly to restore. One of the required elements of a SWAP is to describe the threats facing species and habitats. Many states have identified climate variability and change as influencing species and habitats now and into the future.
The USGS helps state wildlife management agencies incorporate climate change information into SWAPs. USGS scientists work with managers to identify and analyze best-available data, create new datasets, and develop climate-specific species and habitat models. The USGS also develops tools to help managers identify climate adaptation strategies and contributed to the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ (AFWA) Voluntary Guidance for States to Incorporate Climate Change into State Wildlife Action Plans & Other Management Plans.
USGS Delivering Climate Science
To policymakers, resource managers, and the public to help guide better decisions for building sustainable resource stewardship across America’s public lands and beyond.
- Overview
Climate change affects every species, place, and community a little differently, and impacts can be complex and uncertain. As such, it can be difficult to plan for local-scale climate change without a solid understanding of climate model outputs and ecosystem feedback systems for your specific area.
The USGS works with university partners to offer region-specific “Climate 101” training workshops to help build climate literacy. These workshops, focused on the South Central and Alaska regions, serve as introductions to climate science, regional impacts of changing climate, and climate adaptation strategies. Each workshop focuses on case studies and climate impacts of high interest to the region. These trainings are designed to leave audiences confident in their understanding of potential future conditions and with suites of potential management options to mitigate climate impacts.
Climate change scenario planning is a powerful tool to help decision makers plan for an uncertain future. In this process, people consider the different ways climate change could manifest and explore the effects of multiple potential future conditions on important resources.
USGS researchers use climate model outputs to help resource managers with the National Park Service understand the possible range of climate futures in their parks. They lead NPS staff through scenario planning exercises in multi-day workshops and engage subject-matter experts to provide the best science for answering questions. Through these discussions, they help managers prepare an assortment of options to prepare their parks for a rapidly changing climate.
The USGS Helps Management Agencies Create Climate-Informed State Wildlife Action PlansState Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs) serve as blueprints to conservation, helping states conserve wildlife before they become too rare or costly to restore. One of the required elements of a SWAP is to describe the threats facing species and habitats. Many states have identified climate variability and change as influencing species and habitats now and into the future.
The USGS helps state wildlife management agencies incorporate climate change information into SWAPs. USGS scientists work with managers to identify and analyze best-available data, create new datasets, and develop climate-specific species and habitat models. The USGS also develops tools to help managers identify climate adaptation strategies and contributed to the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ (AFWA) Voluntary Guidance for States to Incorporate Climate Change into State Wildlife Action Plans & Other Management Plans.
USGS Delivering Climate ScienceTo policymakers, resource managers, and the public to help guide better decisions for building sustainable resource stewardship across America’s public lands and beyond.