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The Sonoran Desert, CA. Credit: Alan Cressler
Project Summary
Principal Investigator(s):
- Mark W. Schwartz (University of California, Davis)
Cooperator/Partner(s):
- Christine Albano (University of California, Davis)
- Gwen Arnold (University of California, Davis)
- Erica Fleishman (University of California, Davis)
- Mark Lubell (University of California, Davis)
- Richard Ambrose (University of California, Los Angeles)
- Daniel R Cayan (US Geological Survey and Scripps Institution of Oceanography)
- Britta Daudert (Desert Research Institute)
- Mike Dettinger (US Geological Survey and Scripps Institution of Oceanography)
- Alexander Gershunov (Scripps Institution of Oceanography)
- Glen McDonald (University of California, Los Angeles)
- Alison Meadow (University of Arizona)
- Jonathan Overpeck (University of Arizona)
- Kelly Redmond (Desert Research Institute)
- Brad Udall (University of Colorado)
Fiscal Year: 2013
Start Date: 08/31/2013
End Date: 08/31/2014
Project Overview
Summary:
In the Southwestern U.S., rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns are resulting in changes such as more frequent and severe wildfires and prolonged drought. Natural resource managers striving to make decisions in the face of these changing conditions can benefit from information on past, present, and future climate. While an array of climate assessments are available, it is unclear how useful or relevant this information is for resource management decision-making in the Southwest.
This project sought to identify the types of environmental information that resource managers in the Southwest need to make climate-related management decisions. To meet this goal, researchers first assessed the degree to which resource managers view climate information as relevant to the decisions they make. Next, they identified the types of decisions in which climate information has proven to be the most useful for managers. Finally, researchers identified best practices for coordinating science needs between resource managers and climate scientists, and for transferring relevant climate information to decision-makers. Together, these results can improve communication between stakeholders and scientists and ensure that managers receive the climate information they need to make effective resource management decisions in the face of climate change.
This project sought to identify the types of environmental information that resource managers in the Southwest need to make climate-related management decisions. To meet this goal, researchers first assessed the degree to which resource managers view climate information as relevant to the decisions they make. Next, they identified the types of decisions in which climate information has proven to be the most useful for managers. Finally, researchers identified best practices for coordinating science needs between resource managers and climate scientists, and for transferring relevant climate information to decision-makers. Together, these results can improve communication between stakeholders and scientists and ensure that managers receive the climate information they need to make effective resource management decisions in the face of climate change.
Project Data
- Survey Instrument: Southwest Climate Decisions
- R scripts and analysis: Reporting on the Southwest Climate Decisions Project