Climate Commons^™

Coherence Between The Great Salt Lake Level And The Pacific Quasi-Decadal Oscillation, Shih-Yu (Simon) Wang, Robert R. Gillies, Jiming Jin, Lawrence E. Hipps

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

The lake level elevation of the Great Salt Lake (GSL), a large closed basin lake in the arid western United States, is characterized by a pronounced quasi-decadal oscillation (QDO).The variation of the GSL elevation is very coherent with the QDO of sea surface temperature anomalies in the tropical central Pacific (also known as the Pacific QDO). However, such coherence denies any direct association between the precipitation in the GSL watershed and the Pacific QDO because, in a given frequency, the precipitation variation always leads the GSL elevation variation. Therefore, the precipitation variation is phase shifted from the Pacific QDO. This …

Sustainable Portland: Implementation Series 3, New England Environmental Finance Center

Climate Change

This report is the third in a series of efforts by students at the Muskie School of Public Service, Community Planning and Development Master’s program, in a core class called “Sustainable Communities.” In this course students seek to understand principles of sustainability and how efforts to implement Sustainability programs can become more successful. The report assembles term papers students completed on particular efforts by municipalities, universities, and other groups to achieve sustainability goals. Students worked on each project in a service learning format with real world clients. They were asked to fashion their papers around lessons learned by other organizations …

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