Department of Geosciences Environmental Studies Laboratory : Research
 

Regional Climate Science and Assessment


Overview

The University of Arizona is home to the Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS) project, one of several NOAA-funded Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessment (RISA) programs. The goal of the RISA program is to improve the quality of regional interdisciplinary environmental knowledge, and the way such knowledge is used by society. CLIMAS places a premium on building lasting partnerships with stakeholders, and on promoting user-driven environmental science and decision support. Jonathan Overpeck serves as the principal investigator for the CLIMAS project, and former graduate student Allison Drake worked on climate-fire-society projects as part of CLIMAS. Recent research by Jeremy Weiss and Jonathan Overpeck, along with University of Arizona colleague Chris Castro, shows that seasonality and warmer temperatures during the 2000s drought in the Southwest are what really sets it apart from the previous pronounced regional drought during the 1950s.

Climate change projections for the United States


Related Research Focus Links

Climate-induced Vegetation Change: Past and Future
Climate-Vegetation-Wildfire (Disturbance) Interactions
Geospatial Environmental Modeling of Climatic Hazards and Their Impacts (climateGEM)


Related Outside Links

Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS)
Exploring Wildfire Alternatives (WALTER)
Southwest Climate Change Network


Present and Recent Collaborators

R. Bales, B. Colby, A. Comrie, A. Drake, T. Finan, G. Garfin, M. Hughes, M. Lemos, D. Liverman, B. Morehouse, B. Orr, D. Osgood, T. Swetnam, J. Weiss, S. Yool.


Funding Agencies

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency


References

Miller, M.L., and J.T. Overpeck. 2010. Climate change and the practice of law. Arizona Attorney October 2010: 30-37.

no abstract available | request reprint (800 KB)

Overpeck, J. and B. Udall. 2010. Dry times ahead. Science 328: 1642-1643.

no abstract available | request reprint (348 KB)

Weiss, J.L., C.L. Castro, and J.T. Overpeck. 2009. Distinguishing Pronounced Droughts in the Southwestern United States: Seasonality and Effects of Warmer Temperatures. Journal of Climate 22: 5918-5932.

Morehouse, B., G. Christopherson, M. Crimmins, B. Orr, J. Overpeck, T. Swetnam, and S. Yool. 2006. Modeling interactions among wildland fire, climate and society in the context of climatic variability and change in the southwest US. In: Regional Climate Change and Variability, M. Ruth, K. Donaghy, and P. Kirshen, eds., Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 58-78.

no abstract available | request reprint (599 KB)

Orr, B.J., W. Grunberg, A.B. Cockerham, A.Y. Thwaits, S.H. Severson, N.M.D. Lerman, R.M. Miller, M. Haseltine, B.J. Morehouse, J.T. Overpeck, S.R. Yool, T.W. Swetnam, and G.L. Christopherson. 2005. An on-line interface for integrated modeling of wildfire, climate and society for strategic planning for the sky islands. In: Proceedings of the 5th Conference on Research and Resource Management in Southwestern Deserts – Biodiversity and Management of the Madrean Archipelago II: Connecting Mountain Islands and Desert Seas, May 11-15, 2004, Tucson, AZ, G.J. Gottfried, B.S. Gebow, L.G. Eskew, and C. Edminster, eds., USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins, CO, pp. 469-473.

Lenart, M., G. Garfin, and J. Overpeck. 2004. The heat is on. sonorensis 24: 20-29.

no abstract available | request reprint (5,678 KB)
 

Mailing Address
1040 E. Fourth St.
Department of Geosciences
University of Arizona
Gould-Simpson Room 208
Tucson, AZ 85721-0077

Telephone Number
1.520.621.8025

Facsimile Number
1.520.621.2672

 

 


Support for stakeholders


Glen Canyon Dam
Drought and the Colorado River Glen Canyon Dam Cowboy with Laptop


CLIMAS Diagram
Goals of CLIMAS
 

Home | About | Events | Research | Data | Publications | Education | Former Graduate Students | Site Map

Environmental Studies Laboratory, Department of Geosciences, The University of Arizona
All contents © 2003 Arizona Board of Regents
Send comments or questions to Jeremy Weiss, jlweiss@email.arizona.edu

Earth image retreived from http://www.osei.noaa.gov/Events/Unique/ on 14 January 2003

Last updated March 1, 2011
Document located at http://www.geo.arizona.edu/dgesl/research/regional/regional_climate_science_and_assessment/regional_climate_science_and_assessment.htm
Department of Geosciences Environmental Studies Laboratory : Home Department of Geosciences Environmental Studies Laboratory : About Department of Geosciences Environmental Studies Laboratory : Events Department of Geosciences Environmental Studies Laboratory : Research Department of Geosciences Environmental Studies Laboratory : Data Department of Geosciences Environmental Studies Laboratory : Publications Department of Geosciences Environmental Studies Laboratory : Education Department of Geosciences Environmental Studies Laboratory : Former Graduate Students Department of Geosciences Environmental Studies Laboratory : Site Map Glen Canyon Dam Cowboy with Laptop CLIMAS Diagram