by Paulina Cwik “All models are wrong, but some are useful” (George E. P. Box). Scientific models predict the behavior of a certain process or a mechanism under investigation. Inevitably, models are too simplified to capture the real state of a system. For example, scientists use climate models, idealized mathematical representations of climate system components … Continue reading A primer on climate modeling
Dr. Clay Tucker Clay, hard at work coring a bald cypress My graduate school advisor once told me, “a master’s degree is learning how science is done, and a PhD is proving that you can do science.” After obtaining a PhD, many are expected to produce scientific products (e.g., publications, grant proposals, teaching) without much … Continue reading An Abbreviated Journal of a Postdoc
by Paulina Ćwik “I saw devastation. The town was just destroyed. This was the end of Brandenburg (Kentucky) as I knew it” recalls Jane Willis after a violent tornado ravaged her hometown during a Super Tornado Outbreak of 1974 (“When Weather Changed History – Super Outbreak”). In the United States, stories like Jane’s echo almost … Continue reading What is the future of Tornado Outbreaks?
A team of coffee farmers in South America know climate change will affect timing, water use, and yields, but they’re not sure how to make adjustments for their particular crops based on the latest science. Water basin managers in the Rockies are making long-term water supply plans but they need more localized climate projections and … Continue reading But do we understand each other? – Applying a communication model to science co-production
Apr 20, 2021 by TONI KLEMM Chocolate and hiking trips aside, there are few things I like more than intuitive and informative figures about scientific data. Visualizing our research in intriguing and comprehensible ways is essential in sharing it with peers, stakeholders, decision makers, and the public. Examining a figure can be more time-efficient than … Continue reading A Figure is Worth a Thousand Words – The Power of Data Visualization
DEC. 10, 2020 by ADRIENNE WOOTTEN Every Fall, many of us working in climate science would usually be attending the major end-of-year conferences, meeting colleagues, making connections, presenting our work, and receiving constructive comments and criticism. But the COVID-19 pandemic has changed how millions of people interact personally and professionally. One such meeting is the … Continue reading Virtually Presenting vs. Personally Present – The (Lost) Power of Conferences
NOV. 5, 2020 by CLAY TUCKER and JILL TREPANIER “It was over in less than two and a half hours,” our neighbor Bob explained about his experience with Hurricane Zeta on October 28, 2020. Bob is a rarity: a permanent resident in the small unincorporated coastal town of Cocodrie, Louisiana. Though the nearest post office … Continue reading The 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season in Perspective
OCT. 22, 2020 by TONI KLEMM All photos: Toni Klemm The U.S. Great Plains, the vast agricultural flatlands between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, are renowned for producing most of the country’s corn, wheat, and soybeans. But they are also home to 16 million beef cows, half of the U.S. beef herd. Ranching … Continue reading Ranching in a Warming World – How climate change will affect cattle production in the U.S. Great Plains (and some solutions)
OCT. 15, 2020 by TINA MOZELEWSKI Editor's Note: This is a guest post from Tina Mozelewski, a Ph.D. student in North Carolina State University's (NCSU) Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources and 2018-2019 Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center Global Change Research Fellow. This blog is reposted with permission from the Climate Impacts Blog hosted by … Continue reading Getting the Most Bang For Your Conservation Buck
FEB 5, 2018 EMMA KUSTER The unofficial U.S. presence at COP23 was certainly not small! They had their own space and named it the U.S. Climate Action Center. Photo: Emma Kuster If you had told me in January of 2017 that I’d be traveling to Bonn, Germany later in the year to witness world discussions on … Continue reading Reflecting on the 23rd Conference of Parties
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