Climate Commons^™

Information Technology Implementation Decisions To Support The Kentucky Mesonet, D. Michael Grogan

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The Kentucky Mesonet is a high-density, mesoscale network of automated meteorological and climatological sensing platforms being developed across the commonwealth. Data communications, collection, processing, and delivery mechanisms play a critical role in such networks, and the World Meteorological Organization recognizes that “an observing system is not complete unless it is connected to other systems that deliver the data to the users.” This document reviews the implementation steps, decisions, and rationale surrounding communications and computing infrastructure development to support the Mesonet. A general overview of the network and technology-related research is provided followed by a review of pertinent literature related to …

Droughtscape, Spring 2010, Kelly Smith

DroughtScape: Quarterly Newsletter of the National Drought Mitigation Center (2007–2023)

NDMC and NC Drought Council Team Up

Drought to Intensify in Northwest and Hawaii

International Work

Impacts Recorded in Hawaii and Western States

U.S. Drought Monitor Archives Enhanced

Low-Water Impact Surveys Completed

K-12 Drought Outreach

The Role Of The Alaskan Stream In Modulating The Bering Sea Climate, Tal Ezer, Lie-Yauw Oey

CCPO Publications

A numerical ocean circulation model with realistic topography, but with an idealized forcing that includes only lateral transports is used to study the role of the Alaskan Stream (AS) in modulating the Bering Sea (BS) variability. Sensitivity experiments, each one with a different strength of the AS transport reveal a nonlinear BS response. An increase of AS transport from 10 to 25 Sv causes warming (similar to 0.25 degrees C mean, similar to 0.5 degrees C maximum) and sea level rise in the BS shelf due to increased transports of warmer Pacific waters through the eastern passages of the Aleutian …

Differential Damages Sustained From Hurricane Ike On Varying Growth Forms Of Coral At Distinct Locations Off The Coast Of South Caicos, Turks And Caicos Islands, Caitlyn A. Kenny

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

In September 2008, Hurricane Ike hit South Caicos, Turks and Caicos Islands as a Category 4 hurricane. This study examines the differential damages caused to varying common growth forms, size, locations, and depths of coral by Hurricane Ike on South Caicos reefs. Belt transect techniques as well as line intercept techniques were conducted at nine sites, looking at 14 common species of coral, representing four different growth forms. A total of 9,011 coral colonies were surveyed. 2,832 colonies (31.4%) were found to have at least one type of damage. It was expected that branching and digitate growth forms as well …

Lsuhsc Facilities Biweekly Update: April 2010, Lsuhsc Property And Facilities Management

LSUHSC Facilities Biweekly Updates: 2010

LSUHSC Facilities Biweekly Updates from April 9 and 23, 2010.

These updates describe damage and a timeline of repairs at the LSU Health Sciences Center - New Orleans campus due to Hurricane Katrina which made landfall August 29, 2005.

Lsuhsc Facilities Daily Update: April 2010, Lsuhsc Property And Facilities Management

LSUHSC Facilities Daily Updates: 2010

LSUHSC Facilities Daily Updates from April 2010.

These updates describe damage and a timeline of repairs at the LSU Health Sciences Center - New Orleans campus due to Hurricane Katrina which made landfall August 29, 2005.

A Climate Action Plan For Bucknell University, Wendy Chou, Dina El-Mogazi, Dennis Hawley

Technical Reports

The accelerating pace of human-influenced climate change and our growing awareness of its negative public-health, environmental, and economic consequences compel decisive action. In recent years, many institutions of higher education have taken leadership roles to promote sustainability and climate neutrality at the campus level. In January 2008, Bucknell University became a signatory to the American Colleges and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). Under this agreement, Bucknell is required to prepare a comprehensive inventory of greenhouse gas emissions by May 2009, to update the inventory every other year thereafter, and to implement tangible emissions-reducing actions in the short-term (two years). The …

Lsuhsc Facilities Biweekly Update: March 2010, Lsuhsc Property And Facilities Management

LSUHSC Facilities Biweekly Updates: 2010

LSUHSC Facilities Biweekly Updates from March 12 and 26, 2010.

These updates describe damage and a timeline of repairs at the LSU Health Sciences Center - New Orleans campus due to Hurricane Katrina which made landfall August 29, 2005.

Lsuhsc Facilities Daily Update: March 2010, Lsuhsc Property And Facilities Management

LSUHSC Facilities Daily Updates: 2010

LSUHSC Facilities Daily Updates from March 2010.

These updates describe damage and a timeline of repairs at the LSU Health Sciences Center - New Orleans campus due to Hurricane Katrina which made landfall August 29, 2005.

Climate Change And Real Estate: How Environmental Risks And Policies Impact Markets, Adele C. Morris

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

Climate change could worsen environmental conditions that affect real estate values, such as extreme weather events and coastal erosion. But policies to prevent climate change can also affect real estate values, for example through higher energy prices and land use regulation. This lecture will examine the linkages between the climate change risks, climate policy, and real estate markets. We will also discuss the likely regional economic effects of recent proposed climate legislation.

Crop Updates 2010 - Farming Systems, Christopher R. Newman, Jonathan England, Stephen Gherardi, Mohammad Amjad, David Ferris, Phil Ward, Roger Lawes, Tim Wiley, Perry Dolling, Philip Barrett-Lennard, John Kirkegaard, Susan Sprague, Hugh Dove, Walter Kelman, Peter Hamblin, Brad Nutt, Angelo Loi, Wayne Parker, Glen Riethmuller, Ken Flowers, Neil Cordingley, Shane Micin, Senthold Asseng, Peter Mcintosh, Mike Pook, James Risbey, Guomin Wang, Oscar Alves, Ian Foster, Imma Farre, Nirav Khimashia, W. Anderson, D. Beard, J. Blake, R. Grieve, M. Lang, J. Lemon, R. Mctaggart, D. Gray, M. Price, D. Stephens, P. Carmody, Doug Abrecht, Greg Kirk, Peter Rowe, Comeron Weeks, Peter Tozer, Derk Bakker, Frank D'Emden, Quenten Knight, Luke Marquis, Roger Mandel

Crop Updates

This session covers twenty papers from different authors:

Pests and Disease

1. Preserving phosphine for use in Grain Storage Industry, Christopher R Newman, Department of Agriculture and Food

Farming Systems Research

2. Demonstrating the benefits of grazing canola in Western Australia, Jonathan England, Stephen Gherardi and Mohammad Amjad, Department of Agriculture and Food

3. Buloke barley yield when pasture-cropped across subtropical perennial pastures, David Ferris, Department of Agriculture and Food, Phil Ward and Roger Lawes, CSIRO

4. Is pasture cropping viable in WA? Grower perceptions and EverCrop initiatives to evaluate, David Ferris, Tim Wiley, Perry Dolling …

Slides: Energy Development Water Needs Assessment And Water Supply Alternatives And Analysis, Benjamin Harding

The Promise and Peril of Oil Shale Development (February 5)

Presenter: Benjamin Harding, Principal Engineer, AMEC Earth and Environmental

15 slides

Slides: Promise Or Peril: Shale Oil, Energy, And The Region, Chase Huntley

The Promise and Peril of Oil Shale Development (February 5)

Presenter: Chase Huntley, Policy Adviser for Energy & Climate Change, The Wilderness Society

8 slides

Agenda: The Promise And Peril Of Oil Shale Development, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

The Promise and Peril of Oil Shale Development (February 5)

The largest known oil shale deposits in the world are in the Green River Formation, which covers portions of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Fully one-half of the world’s oil shale lies within 150 miles of Grand Junction, Colorado, and about 80% of these reserves are on federal land. Estimates of recoverable reserves in the Green River Formation range from 500 billion to 1.53 trillion barrels. At present consumption rates, this is enough oil to satisfy 100% of U.S. demand for well over 100 years.

Development of oil shale could cause significant impacts on the Colorado Plateau. It would provide for …

Slides: Costs And Benefits Of Oil Shale Development, James T. Bartis

The Promise and Peril of Oil Shale Development (February 5)

Presenter: James T. Bartis, Senior Policy Researcher, Rand Corporation

21 slides

Slides: The Promise And Peril Of Oil Shale: Federal Law And Policy, David Bernhardt

The Promise and Peril of Oil Shale Development (February 5)

Presenter: David Bernhardt, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Denver, CO

13 slides

Slides: Oil Shale Water Needs, State Water Planning And The Colorado River Compact, Daniel R. Birch

The Promise and Peril of Oil Shale Development (February 5)

Presenter: Daniel R. Birch, Deputy General Manager & Chief Engineer, Colorado River District

17 slides

Slides: The Logistics And Energy Needs Of Oil Shale Extraction, Alan K. Burnham

The Promise and Peril of Oil Shale Development (February 5)

Presenter: Dr. Alan K. Burnham, Chief Technology Officer, American Shale Oil, LLC

10 slides

Slides: Water For Oil (Shale)?, Bart Miller

The Promise and Peril of Oil Shale Development (February 5)

Presenter: Bart Miller, Water Program Director, Western Resource Advocates

10 slides

Slides: The Peril Of Energy Usage, Mike Tupper

The Promise and Peril of Oil Shale Development (February 5)

Presenter: Mike Tupper, Executive Vice President, Composite Technology Development, Inc.

9 slides

Slides: The History Of Oil Shale Development And What It Means For The Future, Patty Limerick

The Promise and Peril of Oil Shale Development (February 5)

Presenter: Patty Limerick, Center of the American West, University of Colorado at Boulder

35 slides

Slides: The Elusive Bonanza, Randy Udall

The Promise and Peril of Oil Shale Development (February 5)

Presenter: Randy Udall, Co-founder, Association for the Study of Peak Oil-USA

62 slides

Slides: Impacts Of Oil Shale On Carbon Emissions, Jeremy Boak

The Promise and Peril of Oil Shale Development (February 5)

Presenter: Dr. Jeremy Boak, Center for Oil Shale Technology & Research, Colorado School of Mines

43 slides

Slides: Costs And Benefits Of Development: An Industry Perspective, Glenn Vawter

The Promise and Peril of Oil Shale Development (February 5)

Presenter: Glenn Vawter, Executive Director, National Oil Shale Association

12 slides

Understanding The Impact Of Climate Change Media Messages, Susanna Priest

2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference

7 PowerPoint slides Convener: Nick Lancaster, DRI Session 6: Bridging the Gap- Interdisciplinary Science to Connect Biophysical and Social Dimensions of Climate Change Abstract: -Energy and (in the state of Nevada) water conservation are linked to mitigation of, and adaption to, climate change. -However, these links are not immediate, and individuals may feel powerless to control the future climate. -Further, Nevada residents are less likely than other Americans to believe climate change is “a very serious problem” (50% versus 62%; Maibach, 2008)

Losing The Lake: Designing An Educational Computer Game On Water Resources In Southern Nevada, Michael Nussbaum, Gale Sinatra, Frederick C. Harris, Sergiu Dascalu, Sajjad Ahmad, Kent J. Crippen, Marissa Owens

2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference

30 PowerPoint slides Convener: Nick Lancaster, DRI Session 6: Bridging the Gap- Interdisciplinary Science to Connect Biophysical and Social Dimensions of Climate Change Abstract: To design and test an educationally useful computer game to educate middle- and high-school students, and the general public, about water and sustainability + effect of climate change on those

The Scaling Impact Of Hydrologic Processes On The Integrated Response In Large River Basins, Zhongbo Yu

2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference

21 PowerPoint slides Convener: Darko Koracin, DRI Session 5: Climate Modeling Abstract: -Hydrologic change in response to the climatic variability (i.e., global warming) -Impacts at global, national or regional scales -Coupled, efficient model systems -Large-scale impacts vs. small-scale hydrology -Needs to bridge the gaps among various scales

Regional Climate Modeling Methodological And Experimental Designs, John F. Mejia

2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference

21 PowerPoint slides Convener: Darko Koracin, DRI Session 5: Climate Modeling Abstract: This task aims to implement and develop transportable methodologies to improve the applicability of GCMs in climate impact, developing and using a state-of-the-art RCM based in WRF, and to provide these results to the research, education and decision making community.

Dynamical And Statistical Regional Climate Modeling Downscaling, Darko Koracin

2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference

17 PowerPoint slides Convener: Darko Koracin, DRI Session 5: Climate Modeling Abstract: -Provide improved regional climate models to get accurate climate trends in Nevada (inputs to hydrological models; parameterization of land atmosphere land-interactions; aerosol contribution to climate; feedback interactions among atmosphere, hydrology, and ecological processes; linking physical and economic models) -Assess future resources, variability, uncertainties, and socio-economic impact. Focus on water demand and supply in rural and urban Nevada. Select critical areas model for prediction applications. -Assess impact of climate change on air quality and urbanization -Provide an integrated GIS system (Geoinformatics) for water, energy and energy, economic parameters -Collaborate …

Water Source Partitioning For Shrubland Transpiration Using Innovative Field Methods, Dale A. Devitt, Michael Young, Matthew S. Lachniet, Jeremy Koonce, Amanda Wagner, Brian M. Bird, J. Healey

2010 Annual Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Conference

37 PowerPoint slides Convener: Franco Biondi, UNR & Michael Young, DRI Session 4: Ecological Change and Water Resources Abstract: -Climate change models predict a decline in precipitation over the next few decades throughout much of the southwest. -Such change has the potential to shift water uptake dynamics of phreatophytes -If groundwater pumping also occurs, the impact of climate change could be exacerbated. -A better understanding of the forces that drive the coupling and decoupling of phreatophytes to groundwater is needed.