Climate Commons^™

Drought Triggers And Declarations: Science And Policy Considerations For Drought Risk Management, Linda Courtenay Botterill, Michael J. Hayes

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

This paper explores the value of triggers and declarations in the management of drought, bringing together two disciplinary perspectives, those of the public policy scholar and the climate scientist. These two perspectives highlight the complexity of the development and use of triggers in drought risk management by drawing on the experience of the United States, which has the most sophisticated system of drought triggers in the world, and that of Australia that has the most developed and longest standing national drought policy based on principles of risk management. The paper explores the advantages and disadvantages of triggers in managing drought, …

Interannual And Spatial Impacts Of Phenological Transitions, Growing Season Length, And Spring And Autumn Temperatures On Carbon Sequestration: A North America Flux Data Synthesis, Chaoyang Wu, Alemu Gonsamo, Jing Ming Chen, Werner A. Kurz, David T. Price, Peter M. Lafleur, Rachhpal S. Jassal, Danilo Dragoni, Gil Bohrer, Christopher M. Gough, Shashi B. Verma, Andrew E. Suyker, J. William Munger

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Understanding feedbacks of ecosystem carbon sequestration to climate change is an urgent step in developing future ecosystem models. Using 187 site-years of flux data observed at 24 sites covering three plant functional types (i.e. evergreen forests (EF), deciduous forests (DF) and non-forest ecosystems (NF) (e.g., crop, grassland, wetland)) in North America, we present an analysis of both interannual and spatial relationships between annual net ecosystem production (NEP) and phenological indicators, including the flux-based carbon uptake period (CUP) and its transitions, degree-day-derived growing season length (GSL), and spring and autumn temperatures. Diverse responses were acquired between annul NEP and these indicators …

A Synoptic Perspective Of The Record 1-2 May 2010 Mid-South Heavy Precipitation Event, Joshua D. Durkee, Lee Campbell, Kyle Berry, Dustin Jordan, Gregory Goodrich, Rezaul Mahmood, Stuart Foster

High Plains Regional Climate Center: Staff Publications

During 1–2 May 2010, a series of strong thunderstorms led to 41, 57, and 43 tornado, severe wind, and severe hail reports, respectively, across portions of the southern United States. In addition to severe weather, these storms also distributed recordsetting rainfall amounts across the mid-South region, which contributed to historic flooding across portions of central and western Kentucky and Tennessee (Fig. 1). This heavy precipitation event was sampled by multiple surface observational networks, including (but not limited to) 48 research-grade automated stations from the Kentucky Mesonet (www.kymesonet .org), first-order automated stations from the National Weather Service (NWS; www.ncdc.noaa.gov /oa/ncdc.html), and …

Thermal-Based Evaporative Stress Index For Monitoring Surface Moisture Depletion, Martha C. Anderson, Christopher R. Hain, Brian D. Wardlow, Agustin Pimstein, John R. Mecikalski, William P. Kustas

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

The standard suite of indicators currently used in operational drought monitoring reflects anomalous conditions in several major components of the hydrologic budget—representing deficits in precipitation, soil moisture content, runoff, surface and groundwater storage, snowpack, and streamflow. In principle, it is useful to have a diversity of indices because drought can assume many forms (meteorological, agricultural, hydrological, and socioeconomic), over broad ranges in timescale (weeks to years), and with varied impacts of interest to different stakeholder groups. Farmers, for example, may be principally interested in soil moisture deficits, river forecasters will focus on streamflow fluctuations, and water managers will be concerned …

Climate Change Adaptation In Mauritius: Considering The Role Of Institutions, Matthew Gray, Bhanooduth Lalljee

East Africa

Adaptation to climate change is critical in countries like Mauritius which, despite contributing a minute percentage to the world’s emissions, is disproportionately vulnerable to their impacts. Rising temperatures are exacerbating the problems of coral reef bleaching, soil and beach erosion, a greater risk of drought and flash floods, intensifying tropical storms, sea level rise and biodiversity impacts. Projections of accelerated warming only increase the urgency for a coordinated framework of adaptive governance in Mauritius. The nature of adaptation needed will require a complex, long-term, and interdisciplinary process of widespread engagement, necessitating effective institutions with shared responsibilities. This paper describes how …

Vice-Présidence En Charge Du Ministère De La Production, De L’Environnement, De L’Energie, De L’Industrie Et De L’Artisanat, Union Des Comores

East Africa

L’Union des Comores s’étend sur une superficie d’environ 2232 km² répartie inégalement sur quatre îles volcaniques qui sont d’Est à l’Ouest : Mayotte (370 km²), Ndzouani (424 km²), Mwali (290 km²) et Ngazidja (1148 km²). L’archipel est situé à l’entrée Nord du Canal de Mozambique, entre 11°20’ et 13°14’ de latitude Sud et 43°11’ et 45°19’ de longitude Est, entre Madagascar et la côte orientale de l’Afrique. Les îles sont situées à égale distance de l’Afrique Orientale et de Madagascar (300km) et sont distantes entre elles d’environ 30 à 40km. Elles occupent ainsi une position stratégique, au coeur de la …

Where Is The Rain-On-Snow Zone In The West-Central Washington Cascades?: Monte Carlo Simulation Of Large Storms In The Northwest, Matthew John Brunengo

Dissertations and Theses

Rain-on-snow (ROS) occurs when warm, wet air moves into latitudes and/or elevations having vulnerable snowpacks, where it can alter water inputs to infiltration, runoff and erosion. The Pacific Northwest is particularly susceptible: winter storms off the Pacific cause locally heavy rain plus snowmelt almost annually, and disastrous flooding and landsliding intermittently. In maritime mountainous terrain, the effects seem more likely and hydrologically important where warm rains and seasonal snowpacks are liable to coincide, in middle elevations. Several questions arise: (1) In the PNW, does ROS affect the long-term frequency and magnitude of water delivery to the ground, versus total precipitation …

Droughtscape, Winter 2012, National Drought Mitigation Center

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

Drought Planning for Kansas Ranchers Jan. 21

South Hoping La Niña Dryness Stays Away

2011 Brought Record-Breaking Extent of D4

Reported Impacts Ease as Growing Season Ends

Disaster Planning in Nanjing at Hohai U

Ag, Fire and Water Supply Topped 2011 Impacts

Implications Of Decade Time Scale Arctic Plant Community Change On Ecosystem Function, Mark Jason Lara

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Almost half the global soil organic carbon pool is found in northern high latitudes. The majority of this soil carbon is stored in a greenhouse inert state within permafrost. As pronounced warming of high northern latitudes ensues, there is a strong likelihood that this substantial soil organic carbon pool will be mobilized to the atmosphere where it is likely to positively enhance greenhouse warming. Modeling studies suggest this positive feedback could alter future climate states of the Arctic and the globe, and affect how humans may need to adapt to climate change. Accordingly, understanding the patterns and controls and the …

Community Earth System Model: Implementation, Validation, And Applications, William Christian Porter

Dissertations and Theses

The Community Earth System Model (CESM) is a coupling of five different models which are combined to simulate the dynamic interactions between and within the Earth's atmosphere, ocean, land, land-ice, and sea-ice. In this work, the installation and testing of CESM on Portland State University's Cluster for Climate Change and Aerosol Research (CsAR) is described and documented, and two research applications of the model are performed. First, the improved treatment of cloud microphysics within recent versions of CESM's atmospheric module is applied to an examination of changes in shortwave cloud forcing (SWCF) and results are compared to output from older …

The Association Of Summer Temperatures With Hospital Admissions For Renal Diseases In New York State : A Case-Crossover Study, Barbara A. Fletcher

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study assessed the association between high temperatures and increased odds of hospitalization for renal diseases which, to date, has been examined in only a small number of studies. A case-crossover design was used to study 147,885 hospital admissions with renal diagnoses during July and August, 1991-2004 in New York State. Regional temperature, humidity and barometric pressure data from automated monitors were used as exposure indicators. Using time-stratified referent selection and conditional logistic regression analysis, an overall 9% increase in odds of hospitalization for acute renal failure per 5°F (2.78°C) was found for mean temperature at a one day lag …

Assessing The Reproducibility Of Coral Oxygen And Carbon Isotope Time Series From Fiji And Tonga And Their Application To The Reconstruction Of South Pacific Convergence Zone Movements Since The Mid-1800s, Emilie Pauline Dassie

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

A major feature affecting the hydrology of the southern hemisphere is the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ); a band of high rainfall extending southeastward from the Western Pacific Warm Pool (WPWP). It is a key source of atmospheric water vapor and latent heating. While it is clear that the SPCZ plays a fundamental role in Earth's climate, little is known about the patterns and mechanisms responsible for interannual to century-scale changes in its position and how it may respond to global climate change.

The Global Drought Monitor Portal: The Foundation For A Global Drought Information System, Richard R. Heim Jr., Michael J. Brewer

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The international scientific community has long recognized the need for coordinated drought monitoring and response, but many factors have prevented progress in the development of a Global Drought Early Warning System (GDEWS): some of which involve administrative issues (coordinated international action and policy) while others involve scientific, technological, and logistical issues. The creation of the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) Portal within the United States provided an opportunity to take the first steps toward building the informational foundation for a GDEWS: that is, a Global Drought Information System (GDIS). At a series of workshops sponsored by the World Meteorological …

Climate Change Adaptation In East Africa, Usaid

East Africa

The East Africa region is comprised of the countries of Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. The countries of the region are already subject to climate variability and extremes including droughts and floods, which in some cases have had severe economic and social implications. Climate models predict that the region is likely to experience both near-term alterations in climate such as warmer temperatures, changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme events, and decreased precipitation, as well as long-term shifts such as sea level rise. Projected climate change impacts are likely to add to …

Improving Sea Level Reconstructions Using Non-Sea Level Measurements, B. D. Hamlington, R. R. Leben, K.-Y. Kim

CCPO Publications

We present a new method for reconstructing sea level involving cyclostationary empirical orthogonal functions (CSEOFs). While we show results from a CSEOF reconstruction using basis functions computed from satellite altimetry and subsequently fit to tide gauge data, our focus is on how other ocean observations such as sea surface temperature can be leveraged to create an improved reconstructed sea level data set spanning the time period from 1900 to present. Basis functions are computed using satellite measurements of sea surface temperature, and using a simple regression technique, these basis functions are transformed to represent a similar temporal evolution to corresponding …

Standardized Precipitation Index: User Guide, Mark Svoboda, Michael Hayes, Deborah Wood

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

Over the years, there has been much discussion on what drought indices should be used in a particular climate and for what application. Many drought definitions and indices have been developed and attempts have been made to provide some guidance on this issue. With this in mind, the Interregional Workshop on Indices and Early Warning Systems for Drought was organized and held at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, United States of America, from 8 to 11 December 2009. It was jointly sponsored by the School of Natural Resources (SNR) of the University of Nebraska, the United States National Drought Mitigation Center …

The Effects Of Climate On The Growth Of Winter Wheat And Spring Barley In An Irish Context, Adrian Kennedy

Theses

The climate of earth is always changing due to natural events, however it is thought that the rapid warming period currently taking place is primarily due human activity to (environmental protection agency 2012). Climate change is altering the environment and this will have consequences for agriculture (Teagasc publications 2012). In this study we examine the relationship between weather and the yield of winter wheat and spring barley in an Irish context using data gathered from 2004-2010 at the Teagasc Oak Park research centre in Carlow. The data was analysed using a mixed effect model to test which if any weather …

Adaptation Of Sea Level Rise In Nile Delta Due To Climate Change, Ayman F. Batisha

Egypt & Libya

Nile Delta is vulnerable due to the impact of climate change and related sea level rise. Due to low elevation in the Nile delta region, Egypt is considered one of the top five countries expected to be mostly impacted with a 1 m sea level rise resulting from global warming. Egypt is ranked as the fifth in the world concerning the impact on the total urban areas, Egypt’s GDP would be significantly impacted, and Egypt’s natural resources such as coastal zone, water resources, water quality, agricultural land, livestock and fisheries maybe subjected to vulnerability. Also, Egypt may face environmental crises …

Climate Change And Water In The Arab Region Mapping Of Knowledge And Institutions, Guy Jobbins

Egypt & Libya

MENA is the most water scarce region in the world, with 16 countries experiencing water scarcity (< 1000 m3 per capita per year) and 12 experiencing absolute water scarcity (< 500 m3 per capita per year). With rapidly growing and urbanising populations, water scarcity is increasing across the region on an annual basis.  This situation is already and will be further exacerbated by the impacts of climate change, with consensus opinion indicating mean temperature increases of 4C and mean precipitation reductions reaching -30% across the region by 2100. In addition to changes in means, daily, seasonal, and interannual variability in precipitation is also projected to increase.  The physical impacts of climate change are likely to include decreased river flows, increased water scarcity in rainfed areas, decreased recharge of groundwater, increased evapotranspiration, coastal change due to inundation and saltwater intrusion, increased frequency of heat-waves, and the possibility of increased flooding.  In Egypt key vulnerabilities are related to future Nile flows, the impacts of sea level rise in the Delta coast, and tensions between plans for expanding agriculture and needs to reduce agricultural water consumption. In Jordan key vulnerabilities relate to reduced Jordan river flows, disproportionate water consumption in irrigated agriculture, impacts on rainfed agriculture, and limited opportunity for water savings efficiencies. The least water scarce country surveyed, Lebanon has vulnerabilities related to the human geography, infrastructural, and institutional legacies of the civil war, with poor water networks, dysfunctional governance systems, and an absence of data. Developing climate projections and assessing physical impacts in MENA is hampered by deficits in long-term data series, the complex interactions between climate, geography and hydrogeology, and the sensitivity of precipitation changes in arid areas. There is a lack of capacity for and rigorous studies of climate vulnerability assessments across the region, particularly in terms of social vulnerability, gender and the impacts of climate change on human health. There is a lack of evidence and experience on adaptation to climate change in the region. There are also capacity gaps on community based adaptation, and adaptation planning, policy, and economics. There are growing national activities in planned adaptation by international donors and state organisations, climate research by academic and government institutions, and climate activism by NGOs. At the regional level activity is less well developed, although dominated by UNDP and the World Bank. Several networks exist on related issues that could be exploited for mainstreaming adaptation in the water sector. There are needs for individual, institutional and regional capacity building and knowledge provision which ACCWAM is well positioned to fulfil, although careful positioning is needed to avoid duplication of efforts. The development of National Communications, National Adaptation Strategies, and updating National Water Strategies appear to the key national policy processes for ACCWAM to engage in.

An Introduction To Ecology Of Infectious Diseases - Oysters And Estuaries, Eileen E. Hofmann, Susan E. Ford

OES Faculty Publications

Infectious diseases are recognized as an important factor regulating marine ecosystems (Harvell et al., 1999, 2002, 2004; Porter et al., 2001; McCallum et al., 2004; Ward and Lafferty, 2004; Stewart et al., 2008; Bienfang et al., 2011). Many of the organisms affected by marine diseases have important ecological roles in estuarine and coastal environments and some are also commercially important. Outbreaks of infectious diseases in these environments, referred to as epizootics, can produce significant population declines and extinctions, both of which threaten biodiversity, food web interactions, and ecosystem productivity (Harvell et al., 2002, 2004).