Research Activities

NCASC Science to Action Fellows Develop a Vulnerability Mapping Tool and Gauge the Perspectives of Water Resource and Fisheries Managers

The Science to Action Fellowship is provided through a partnership between NCASC and Michigan State University. The program supports graduate students in developing a product that puts science into action, directly applying scientific research related to climate change impacts on fish, wildlife, or ecosystems to decision making about natural resources. In 2019, the chosen fellows focused on “Mapping Climate Change Vulnerability of Rangelands in the West Using Social-Ecological Indicators” and “Boosting Environmental Flows and Fish Conservation at Low Societal Water Cost in the Southern Great Plains”. Learn more >>

Exploring the Use of a Ubiquitous Invasive Tree as an Effective Fertilizer

A Pacific Islands CASC-supported graduate student at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo who is a farmer and gardener, saw the connection between two local problems-- the increasing encroachment of invasive albizia trees and the limited natural fertilizer available for local agriculture -- and a possible solution by using albizia mulch as a fertilizer. Their findings indicate that the efficacy of this climate-smart agriculture technique is heavily dependent on the condition of the land and the type of crop that is planted. 

Coping with Extreme Weather Events in Puerto Rico: Amphibian Research and Hurricane Maria

A Southeast CASC-supported graduate student worked with researchers from the Southeast CASC and the USGS North Carolina Fish and Wildlife Research Cooperative Unit in developing baseline knowledge and informing adaptation strategies to help prevent the endangerment of at-risk species. The team is currently examining the effects of climate change and extreme weather on amphibians in Puerto Rico. Learn more >> 

Northeast CASC Hosts the First USGS-National Science Foundation Intern

The Northeast CASC hosted a graduate student from Purdue University as part of an expanded joint program focused on the biological sciences. He worked on two case studies related to marine phenology - river herring spawning migration patterns and seabird foraging ecology, both in the Gulf of Maine. Under this program, Graduate Research Fellows are placed at USGS science centers to acquire training, experience, and opportunities in federal science and management initiatives. Learn more >>

South Central CASC Students Lead Workshops at the Native Youth Community Adaptation and Leadership Congress Conference

Two South Central CASC students led workshops at the 2019 Native Youth Community Adaptation and Leadership Congress (NYCALC). They presented on the power of storytelling and taught the students to tell their own stories about how climate change is impacting their community. They also focused on rain harvesting and how it can be used in everyday life by demonstrated the use of first-flush filters and other techniques to ensure that rain water is safe to use. 

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CASC-Supported Student & Fellow Publications

Nitrogen’s Impacts on Forest Ecosystem Health

Former Northwest CASC student fellow at Boise State University co-authored a study whose findings suggest that using observation-based methods to estimate vegetation’s nitrogen content might be unreliable. These findings can help improve methods for studying and managing dryland ecosystems as the climate continues to change. Learn more >>

Can a Hands-on Model Help Forest Stakeholders Fight Tree Disease?

A former Southeast CASC fellow from North Carolina State University worked with scientists and stakeholders in Oregon to try to protect susceptible trees and the region’s valuable timber industry from a pathogen that causes sudden oak death. The team created Tangible Landscape, an interactive model that allows people of all skill levels to control complex simulation models and collaboratively explore scenarios of management decisions. Learn more >>

Understanding of the Resource Needs of Fish at Different Life Stages

A Northwest CASC-supported graduate student evaluated how cutthroat trout compensate for changing environmental conditions that lead to periods of reduced growth and body condition with periods of rapid, or compensatory growth. The results of this research provide greater understanding of the resource needs of fish throughout their life-cycle and across a range of habitats. Learn more >>

Makah Traditional Knowledge and Cultural Resource Assessment

Many indigenous communities are planning for the protection of their natural resources and cultures in the face of climate change. While outside assistance in adaptation planning can be helpful, not all communities have the financial resources or the desire to outsource the work. In response to this need, a Northwest CASC fellow and co-authors authored a report providing an example of and potential framework for approaching adaptation from an indigenous perspective. Their work illustrates how conducting a community-led process that incorporates Traditional Ecological Knowledge and community concerns and values can be sustained throughout a climate adaptation planning effort. This work was funded by the Makah Tribe, the Department of Energy Office of Indian Energy, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Northwest CASC. Learn more >>

Widespread Loss of Lake Ice in a Warming World

A former Northeast CASC postdoctoral fellow co-authored a publication which analyzed the impact of declining lake ice in the northern hemisphere. Lake ice is one of the world’s resources most threatened by climate change. Ice provides a range of ecosystem services—including fish harvest, cultural traditions, transportation, recreation and regulation of the hydrological cycle—to more than half of the world’s 117 million lakes.  This study, part of a Northeast CASC project “Coupled physical-chemical-biological models to predict losses of cold-water fish from inland lakes under climate warming”, identifies threatened lakes vulnerable to ice-free winters and their impacts. Learn more>>