DOI Climate Science Centers & National Climate Change and

Wildlife Science Center

U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological Survey

Support for Resource Management DecisionsDoug Beard, ChiefUSGS National Climate Change & Wildlife Science Center

State Wildlife Action Plan WorkshopNCTC,June 5, 2013

Secretarial Order 3289

… the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has been developing regional science centers … currently known as "regional hubs“ of the National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center…

The Climate Change & Energy Response Council will work with USGS and other Department bureaus to rename these regional science centers as Regional Climate Science Centers and broaden their mandate …

Addressing the Impacts of Climate Change on America's Water, Land, and Other Natural and Cultural Resources (9/14/09)

National Climate Change & Wildlife Science Center

• MissionProvide natural resource managers with the tools and

information they need to develop and execute management strategies that address the impacts of climate change on fish, wildlife, and their habitats

• Focus on climate change adaption & impacts“Adjustment in natural or human systems in response to

actual or expected climatic change effects, to moderate harm or exploit beneficial opportunities"

NCCWSC & CSC Science Priorities

Science Infrastructure and Capacity Building Goals

1. Collaboration, Communication and Translation of Science Results to Managers, Stakeholders and the Public interested in Climate Change Activity.

2. Creation of a shared information and data management platform.

3. Educate and train a core of climate scientists that will provide expertise in the future.

4. Evaluate the impacts of the CSC/NCCWSC enterprise.

NCCWSC & CSC Science Priorities

Science Goals

1. Assess and synthesize our state of knowledge about climate and land use change impacts to DOI natural and cultural resources.

2. Perform vulnerability assessments of species and ecosystems.

3. Understand the social-ecological impacts of climate and land use change.

4. Understand the interactions between climate and the physical, biological, and chemical forces that influence the structure and functioning of ecosystems and the goods and services they provide.

NCCWSC & DOI Regional CSC’s

2010 DOI CSCsAlaska CSC – Located at Univ. of Alaska - Fairbanks in Anchorage

• University of Alaska- Fairbanks PI –Scott Rupp• USGS Director – Stephen Gray

2010 DOI CSCsSouth East CSC – Established at North Carolina State University

• North Carolina State PI – Damian Shea• USGS Director – Gerald McMahon

2010 DOI CSCsNorthwest CSC - Consortium of Univ. of Washington, Oregon State Univ. and Univ. of Idaho

• Administrative Home – Oregon State University• Oregon State PI – Phil Mote (also PI for NOAA RISA) • University of Washington PI – Lisa Graumlich• University of Idaho PI – Steve Daley-Laursen• USGS Leader – Gustavo Bisbal

2011 DOI CSCs

North Central CSC – Located at Colorado State University in consortium with Univ. of Colorado, Colorado School of Mines, Iowa State, Univ. of Montana, Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln, Kansas State, Montana State, and Univ. of Wyoming.

• Colorado State PI – Dennis Ojima• USGS Director – Jeff Morisette

2011 DOI CSCs

South West CSC – Located at the Univ. of Arizona in consortium with the Univ. of California – Davis, UCLA, Univ. of Colorado, Desert Research Institute (Nevada) & Scripps Institution

• University of Arizona PI – Jonathan Overpeck • USGS Director – Steve Jackson

2012 DOI CSCsNortheast CSC – located at University of Massachusetts-Amherst, with College of Menominee Nation, Columbia University, Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Minnesota, University of Missouri at Columbia. University of Wisconsin at Madison

• University of MA PI : Rick Palmer• USGS Director–Mary Ratnaswamy

2012 DOI CSCs

Pacific Islands CSC : Located at University of Hawaii-Manoa with University of Hawaii-Hilo, and University of Guam

• University of HA- Manoa PI : Kevin Hamilton• USGS Interim Coordinator – Dave Helweg

2012 DOI CSCsSouth Central CSC Host: University of Oklahoma, with Texas Tech, Louisiana State University, The Chickasaw Nation, The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, and NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory

• University of OK PI – Berrian Moore• USGS Director: Kim Winton

Consumers of CSC Science

LCC’s

U.S. Global Change Research Program:

• Provide “usable information on which to base policy decisions…”

• Knowledge that could be “readily usable by policymakers attempting to formulate effective strategies for preventing, mitigating, and adapting to the effects of global change”

(U.S. Congress, 1990)

Usable Science

Science results leading to knowledge that meets constituent needs

• Policy relevant – NOT prescriptive

• Directly reflects expressed constituent needs

• Understandable to users

• Available at needed times/places

• Accessible through media available to the user community

• Users and producers working together from the start

• Evaluation of success: science usefulness to society?

Usable Science

A function of…

Desired Research Themes

Description of Research Products

Intended Management Application

Usable Science

• Analyses

• Simulations

• Evaluations

• Assessments

• Probability distributions

• Models

• Interpretive fact-sheets

• Web applications

Scientists thought that the RESEARCH PRODUCTS YOU needed were:

• Workshops

• Technical reports

• Peer-reviewed publications

• Inventories

• Maps

• Time series animations

• Presentations

• Re-analyses

• Aerial photos

• Satellite remote sensing

• Videos

• University courses

• Conceptual frameworks

• Web portals

• GIS layers

• Datasets

• Habitat conservation• Population

preservation• Assisted fish

migrations• Harvest restrictions• Hydropower

generation• Restoration priorities• Landscape design• Conservation needs• Treatment strategies• Water use

management• Socioeconomic

considerations

• Human health• Land use patterns• Post-fire rehabilitation• Education opportunities• Land acquisition• Forest management• Prescribed fires• Species protection• Reintroduction programs• Timber harvest• Monitoring design• Tribal services• Cultural practices

• ESA listings• Critical habitat

designation• Adaptation strategies• Reservoir

management• Flood control• Recreation• Irrigation allocation• Public safety• Connectivity

maintenance• Insurance liability

value

Scientists thought that YOUR intended MANAGEMENT APPLICATIONS were:

1. Assess the effects of hydrologic regime changes on salmon

2. Assess the effects of projected SLR on coastal marshes

3. Understand the interactions between future fire and pests

Science Needs “Silent” Management Applications

1a. Provide adequate salmon habitat1b. Use hatcheries to restore salmon runs

2a. Protect bird colonies2b. Establishment of building zoning codes

3a. Protect whitebark pine forests from mountain pine beetles

3b. Apply treatments to reduce fuel loads

Describe desired RESEARCH PRODUCTS

Identify intended MANAGEMENT APPLICATIONS

Provide an EVALUATION• How was the science used?• What decisions were made?• Is more science still needed?

What we need to hear from Partners

Slide from University of Alaska-Fairbanks, SNAP Program

canopy cover

probability of fire

species composition

vegetation cover

probability of fire

surface hydrology

probability of thermokarst HabitatChangeModels

FireManagement

Models

Animal Performance

Models

vegetation cover

biomass productivity

surface hydrology

Integrated Ecosystem Model (IEM) for Alaska Conceptual Framework

Vegetation

ClimateChange

Integrated Ecosystem Model

Fire Permafrost

Hydrology

HypotheticalModel

model output x

model output y

Impact Models

Conservation & Resource

ManagementDecisions

Other stakeholder

groups

Communication of Needs

Slide from University of Alaska-Fairbanks, SNAP Program

Slide from University of Alaska-Fairbanks, SNAP Program

DOI Climate Science CentersA New Paradigm

• Linking Physical, Biological, and Social Science• Scenario/Forecasts of Future Possibilities• Link Research, Modeling, Synthesis, and Monitoring

in a Landscape/System Perspective• Science Collaboration/Resource Management

Collaboration• Stakeholders Set Priorities/Provide Review &

Feedback – Actionable Science• Share Data and Information

Slide from University of Alaska-Fairbanks, SNAP Program