Making Climate Change Data Relevant at a Local Level

Making Climate Change Data Relevant at a Local Level

Global climate models project that Earth’s temperature will warm by about 2°-4°C (about 3°-7°F) in the coming century. But what does that mean for communities, natural resource managers, and other local interests? And how can climate scientists ensure that climate data is useful to a wide range of individuals with different data needs?

In this webinar we will present a newly developed set of “downscaled” climate data that was developed in cooperation with the Upper Midwest / Great Lakes Landscape Conservation Cooperative. A novel aspect of this downscaled data is that the technique was developed after conversations with a wide variety of people who would be using the data. As a result, the dataset is flexible enough to address a number of research and assessment needs. The webinar will address the following questions:

  • How can we develop climate data that is useful to a wide variety of communities who will be using that data?
  • How might climate change be evident in phenomena that are relevant for impacts, such as extreme warmth, duration of heat waves, and precipitation intensity?
  • How can we ensure that uncertainty in future projections of local and regional climate change is accounted for in climate assessment?

About the Speaker(s)

Dan Vimont

Dan Vimont

Dan Vimont is an Associate Professor of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Wisconsin − Madison, and is the Bryson Distinguished Professor of Climate, People, and the Environment. He conducts both fundamental and applied climate research. One focus area of Dan’s research includes assessing regional impacts of climate change; he serves as the co−chair of the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI) Science Council and the WICCI Climate Working Group. The WICCI Climate Working Group, funded by the Upper Midwest / Great Lakes Landscape Conservation Cooperative, has recently developed a set of downscaled daily climate projections for the Eastern United States.

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What Attendees Are Saying

  • “ Here in Minnesota we're using the webinars to provide current research updates. The information is pertinent and timely and by using the OSU webinars for content, we can spend time working on other aspects of climate adaptation. – B. Liukkonen, U of MN Extension

  • “ This is one of the most useful and accessible resources in the Great Lakes basin. Consider it a cornerstone of a growing network of climate professionals in this region. ”

  • “ Thank you, OSU, for providing such a useful tool! Keep’em coming! ”

  • “ Thanks for these webinars. A great resource. ”

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