Behind the Flames: Understanding California’s Wildfire Crisis

January 29, 2025January 30, 2025 ~ paulinacwik ~ Leave a comment

by Paulina Ćwik California’s identity is increasingly tied to wildfires - catastrophic events that claim lives, destroy property, and upend ecosystems annually. While fire has always been a natural part of the state’s ecology, the unprecedented scale and intensity of recent events highlight the growing crisis. At the heart of California’s wildfire problem are the powerful … Continue reading Behind the Flames: Understanding California’s Wildfire Crisis

Climate Communication Insights from Cooperative Extension Professionals

September 17, 2024September 17, 2024 ~ Guest Author ~ Leave a comment

by Scott Hershberger In addition to research and education, U.S. land-grant universities have a third mission: bringing the institution’s research and resources into its state’s communities. The Cooperative Extension Service fulfills this mission, with a presence in nearly all of the country’s 3,000 counties. Extension professionals provide their local communities with timely, geographically specific scientific … Continue reading Climate Communication Insights from Cooperative Extension Professionals

A Road Map to Actionable Science

July 31, 2024August 5, 2025 ~ Lindsey Middleton ~ Leave a comment

The challenges and opportunities that arise in actionable science

What is the future of Tornado Outbreaks?

Featured ~ Guest Author ~ Leave a comment

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?

The 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season in Perspective

November 5, 2020 ~ Clay Tucker ~ Leave a comment

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

Getting the Most Bang For Your Conservation Buck

October 15, 2020January 23, 2021 ~ Guest Author ~ Leave a comment

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

Reef temperature wrangler

October 16, 2017March 10, 2023 ~ Guest Author ~ Leave a comment

OCT 16, 2017 BRANDON ARAUJO Photo: wildcoast.net Coral reefs often go unnoticed because they’re underwater; but even though we don’t regularly pay much attention to them, they’re an extremely important part of our everyday lives. Coral reefs have been estimated to provide support for over a quarter of all marine species and this extreme biodiversity makes … Continue reading Reef temperature wrangler

Climate change and infrastructure impacts

October 2, 2017January 23, 2021 ~ Guest Author ~ Leave a comment

OCT 2, 2017 ETHAN COFFEL Photo: Toni Klemm Our infrastructure is designed for the climate in which it was developed; engineering standards and logistical procedures are based on historical weather patterns, and as environmental conditions change, some of these systems may need to be re-configured. In aviation, aircraft takeoff performance depends on temperature. This is because … Continue reading Climate change and infrastructure impacts

Notes from the Field: An Educational Swamp Tour

July 27, 2017January 23, 2021 ~ Clay Tucker ~ Leave a comment

Students listen to Dean Stacie Haynie (standing) of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences discuss possibilities at LSU. JUL 31, 2017 CLAY TUCKER For three weeks every summer, undergraduate students from the South Central United States, representing a wide range of cultural backgrounds participate in the “Undergraduate Summer Internship for Underrepresented Minorities” program to visit … Continue reading Notes from the Field: An Educational Swamp Tour

The last call of the rail in California?

August 15, 2016January 23, 2021 ~ Guest Author ~ Leave a comment

AUG 15, 2016 JORDAN ROSENCRANZ Light-footed Ridgway’s Rail (Rallus obsoletus levipes) perched on artificial nesting platform in tidal wetlands at Seal Beach Wildlife Refuge during fall high tide event. Photo credit: Kirk Gilligan - USFWS When I tell people that I study the vulnerability of salt marshes to sea-level rise in California, the typical responses are … Continue reading The last call of the rail in California?