This week’s newsletter coincides with the release of the National Climate Assessment (yesterday). Key message:
“climate change isn't some distant threat -- it's affecting us now”. Highlights and links to this report and other
new publications are included below. In the meantime, here’s a short video summary on the NCA by Dr. John P.
Holdren, Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy, The White House: http://1.usa.gov/1o3LUes
The Region One Climate Change Science Digest consists of two versions, targeting emails accordingly for the
Pacific Northwest and the Pacific Islands. FWS employees can find both Digests and past issues on the Climate
Change Sharepoint site, or can request copies via email. [Learning opportunities are also now provided
separately.] A national level FWS climate change e-newsletter is also available—you must register with Kate
Freund to be added to the mailing list.
Pacific Northwest Climate Change Science Digest
May, 2014 Issue
A monthly e-newsletter aimed at helping you stay connected to climate change science that is relevant and
integral to our conservation work. Do you have a new published article you would like to share? Please send it
our way. And many thanks to those who have provided material for this edition!
David Patte
Climate Change Coordinator (Senior Advisor on Ecosystem Change)
US Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Region, Portland, Oregon
(503) 231-6210
Quick Links (Abstracts and Weblinks are Below)
Released May 6: National Climate Assessment—Video, Key Messages & documents for the Northwest Region
and the Ecosystems Chapter. Key message: climate change isn't some distant threat -- it's affecting us now
New IPCC Report
DOI Climate Science Funding Opportunity
Biodiversity/Species and Ecosystem Response
Evolutionary responses to global change: lessons from invasive species
Novelty Trumps Loss in Global Biodiversity
Unexpected phenological responses of butterflies to the interaction of urbanization and geographic
temperature
Assessing the Distribution and Protection Status of Two Types of Cool Environment to Facilitate Their
Conservation under Climate Change
Forests and Climate Change
Drunken trees: Dramatic signs of climate change
Large wildfire trends in the western United States, 1984–2011
Blue Mountains Adaptation Partnership
Northern Rockies Adaptation Partnership
Aquatic and Water Resources
High-resolution stream temperature maps now available
Coastal/Marine Ecosystems/Ocean Acidification/Sea Level Rise
Taking Action on Sea Level Rise - short compilation of sea level rise response efforts
First Federal Ocean Acidification Strategic Plan Released
NOAA Announces Webinar Series on Ocean Acidification
Effects of sea surface warming on marine plankton
Climate Change Journal Articles/Publications/News
Climate Outsider Finds Missing Global Warming
Slowdown of global warming fleeting
Robust increase of the equatorial Pacific rainfall and its variability in a warmed climate
Field study shows why food quality will suffer with rising CO2
Odds that global warming is due to natural factors: Slim to none
NOAA Collaborators Announce Availability of New Climate Analysis Tool
Extreme weather events may not be tied to loss of Arctic sea ice
Historical and future learning about climate sensitivity
Past Land Surface Air Temperature Trend
Preparing for Climate Change
Green Resilience: Climate Adaptation + Mitigation Synergies
Who's Winning the Clean Energy Race
US greenhouse gas emissions at lowest level in 20 years
Connect with the American Society of Adaptation Professionals
Climate and Weather Reports and Services
Warm U.S. West, cold East: A 4,000-year pattern
Multidecadal modulations of the low-frequency climate variability in the wintertime North Pacific since
1950
Links to online climate services and newsletters (multiple entries)
List Servers and FWS Tools (Multiple Entries)
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Released May 6: National Climate Assessment
Watch this short video to learn more about the new report and see how climate change is affecting people
across the United States today:
Explore the full report, and find out how you can help -- because every one of us has to do his or her part to
meet the challenge of climate change.
Northwest Key Messages & Chapter: http://nca2014.globalchange.gov/report/regions/northwest
Key messages from this chapter are:
1. Changes in the timing of streamflow related to changing snowmelt are already observed and will
continue, reducing the supply of water for many competing demands and causing far-reaching
ecological and socioeconomic consequences.
2. Threats to infrastructure and habitat, and increasing ocean acidity collectively pose a major threat to the
region.
3. The combined impacts of increasing wildfire, insect outbreaks, and tree diseases are already causing
widespread tree die-off and are virtually certain to cause additional forest mortality by the 2040s and
long-term transformation of forest landscapes. Under higher emissions scenarios, extensive conversion
of subalpine forests to other forest types is projected by the 2080s.
4. While the agriculture sector’s technical ability to adapt to changing conditions can offset some adverse
impacts of a changing climate, there remain critical concerns for agriculture with respect to costs of
adaptation, development of more climate resilient technologies and management, and availability and
timing of water.
More Info/references: Northwest Technical Input/Report-http://occri.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/ClimateChangeInTheNorthwest.pdf
There are many ‘sector’ chapters including one on Ecosystems, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services:
http://nca2014.globalchange.gov/report/sectors/ecosystems
More Info/references: Technical Input/Report-http://www.cakex.org/virtual-library/climate-change-and-pacific-islands-indicators-and-impacts
[All technical input documents: http://www.globalchange.gov/engage/activities-products/NCA3/technicalinputs]
National level Key Points

Climate change is not just a problem for the future - it has moved firmly into the present. Observed
climate changes across the United States and within its major regions over the past century are
extensively documented in the Third NCA. The Assessment links these climate changes to impacts on the
American people and on the environment in every region of our country.

Many Americans are already feeling the effects of increases in certain types of extreme weather and
sea level rise that are fueled by climate change. Prolonged periods of heat and heavy downpours, and
in some regions, drought, are affecting our health, agriculture, water resources, energy and
transportation infrastructure, and much more. Rising sea level and higher storm surges are putting
people and property at risk.

This Assessment is the most comprehensive analysis to date of how climate change is affecting our
nation now and could affect it in the future. The Assessment helps inform Americans’ choices and
decisions about investments, where to build and where to live, how to create safer communities and
secure our own and our children's future.

America has important opportunities to reduce emissions and prepare for the effects of climate
change. Large reductions in global emissions could avoid some of the damaging impacts of climate
change. Just as importantly, communities that prepare for the range of climate change impacts can
prevent needless harm.
The National Climate Assessment (NCA) is conducted under the auspices of the Global Change Research Act of
1990, which requires a report to the President and Congress every four years that evaluates, integrates, and
interprets USGCRP findings. The NCA aims to incorporate advances in the understanding of climate science into
larger social, ecological, and policy systems, thereby providing integrated analyses of impacts and vulnerability,
helping the Federal Government to prioritize climate science investments, and delivering science that can be used
by communities throughout our Nation to plan for a more sustainable and environmentally sound future.
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Third AR5 IPCC Report
The third (of three) major reports associated with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth
Assessment Report series is now available for download (http://ipcc-wg2.gov/AR5/). This report is based on the
Working Group I science assessment released in September 2013 (https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg1/).
Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change is focused on assessing the impact of different mitigation
approaches. The report also includes updated information on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions trends worth
noting. This includes (but is not limited to) the following points, which have been provided by Univ. WA’s
Climate Impacts Group:



Annual greenhouse gas emissions grew on average by 1.0 gigatonne carbon dioxide equivalent
(GtCO2eq) (+2.2%) per year from 2000 to 2010 compared to 0.4 GtCO2eq (+1.3%) per year from 1970 to
2000. The global economic crisis 2007/2008 only temporarily reduced emissions. (p5)
CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion and industrial processes contributed about 78% of the total
greenhouse gas emissions increase from 1970 to 2010, with a similar percentage contribution for the
period 2000–2010. (p5)
About half of cumulative anthropogenic CO2 emissions between 1750 and 2010 have occurred in the
last 40 years. (p6)







Since 2000, GHG emissions have been growing in all sectors, except agriculture, forestry and other land
use. (p7)
Annual anthropogenic GHG emissions have increased by 10 GtCO2eq between 2000 and 2010, with this
increase directly coming from energy supply (47%), industry (30%), transport (11%) and buildings (3%)
sectors. Accounting for indirect emissions (e.g., emissions from electricity and heat production) raises
the contributions of the buildings and industry sectors. (p7)
Globally, economic and population growth continue to be the most important drivers of increases in
CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion. The contribution of population growth between 2000 and
2010 remained roughly identical to the previous three decades, while the contribution of economic
growth has risen sharply.
Baseline scenarios (scenarios without explicit additional efforts to constrain emissions) exceed 450 parts
per million (ppm) CO2eq by 2030 and reach CO2eq concentration levels between 750 and more than
1300 ppm CO2eq by 2100. This is similar to the range in atmospheric concentration levels between the
RCP 6.0 and RCP 8.5 pathways in 2100. (p8) [also described in the Working Group 1 report]
The amount of warming in global mean surface temperature associated with these baseline scenarios
ranges from 3.7 to 4.8°C [6.6 to 8.6°F] by 2100, compared to pre‐industrial levels (median values; the
range is 2.5°C to 7.8°C [4.5 to 14°F]) (p8) [also described in the Working Group 1 report]
The mitigation assessment in the third working group report is based on about 900 mitigation scenarios
collected in a database based on published integrated models. This range spans atmospheric
concentration levels in 2100 from 430 ppm CO2eq to above 720 ppm CO2eq, which is comparable to the
2100 forcing levels between RCP 2.6 and RCP 6.0. The mitigation scenarios involve a wide range of
technological, socioeconomic, and institutional trajectories. (p10)
Mitigation scenarios in which it is likely that the temperature change caused by anthropogenic GHG
emissions can be kept to less than 2°C [3.6°] relative to pre‐industrial levels are characterized by
atmospheric concentrations in 2100 of about 450 ppm CO2eq. (p11)
You can download the Summary for Policy Makers: http://mitigation2014.org/
Science Journal: More Sophisticated Forecasts Yield Glimmer of Hope in Climate Gloom: The latest
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, on mitigating emissions, finds a few glimmers of hope amid
gloomy projections.
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DOI Climate Science Funding Opportunity
The USGS National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center (NCCWSC) and seven of the eight (Alaska, North
Central, Northeast, Pacific Islands, South Central, Southeast and Southwest) Department of the Interior Climate
Science Centers (CSCs) are seeking Statements of Interest (SOIs) and proposals for funding in Fiscal Year (FY)
2015. [The Northwest CSC has committed all available funds for FY 2015 and is not accepting proposals at this
time.]
Research projects that support NCCWSC/CSC priority science needs are important for providing natural and
cultural resource managers with the science, tools, and information they need to develop and execute
management strategies that address the impacts of climate change on a broad range of natural and cultural
resources. FY 15 science needs for NCCWSC and the CSCs are described in the NCCWSC/CSC Funding
Opportunity Guidance Document, which can be found at https://nccwsc.usgs.gov/ResearchFunds The deadline
for submission of Statements of Interest is June 17, 2014.
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Biodiversity/Species and Ecosystem Response-- Journal Articles & Other
Publications
Evolutionary responses to global change: lessons from invasive species Biologists have recently devoted
increasing attention to the role of rapid evolution in species' responses to environmental change. However,
it is still unclear what evolutionary responses should be expected, at what rates, and whether evolution will
save populations at risk of extinction. The potential of biological invasions to provide useful insights has
barely been realised, despite the close analogies to species responding to global change, particularly climate
change; in both cases, populations encounter novel climatic and biotic selection pressures, with expected
evolutionary responses occurring over similar timescales. However, the analogy is not perfect, and invasive
species are perhaps best used as an upper bound on expected change. This article reviews what invasive
species can and cannot teach us about likely evolutionary responses to global change and the constraints on
those responses. (Moran and Alexander, Ecology Letters (2014) 17: 637–6)
Novelty Trumps Loss in Global Biodiversity: Although global biodiversity is declining, local ecosystems are
not systematically losing diversity, but rather experiencing rapid turnover in species. [Perspective by John M.
Pandolfi and Catherine E. Lovelock, Research by Dornelas et al., Assemblage Time Series Reveal Biodiversity
Change but Not Systematic Loss-- Ecological communities are experiencing changes in species composition
rather than unidirectional loss.]]
Unexpected phenological responses of butterflies to the interaction of urbanization and geographic
temperature: An international team of researchers has found that a subset of common butterfly species are
emerging later than usual in urban areas located in warmer regions, raising questions about how the insects
respond to significant increases in temperature. Even though butterflies often change their emergence
predictably to small increases in temperature, several species responded in unexpected ways to larger
increases in temperature… (Diamond et al., published online March 2014, Ecology, DOI: 10.1890/13-1848.1)
Assessing the Distribution and Protection Status of Two Types of Cool Environment to Facilitate Their
Conservation under Climate Change: Conserving ephemeral refuges, the coldest locations in the landscape,
and stable refugia (cold, stable, and isolated locations) can be a key priority for mobile species in a changing
climate. (Gollan et al., Conservation Biology, Volume 28, No. 2, 456–466, DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12212)
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Forests and Rangelands
Drunken trees: Dramatic signs of climate change Sarah James, an Alaska Native elder, says global warming
is radically changing her homeland. Even the forests no longer grow straight. Melting ground has caused
trees to tilt or fall. National Geographic News
Large wildfire trends in the western United States, 1984–2011 (Philip E. Dennison, Simon C. Brewer, James
D. Arnold and Max A. Moritz, Geophysical Research Letters, Published Online : 25 APR 2014 03:41PM EST,
DOI : 10.1002/2014GL059576)
Blue Mountains Adaptation Partnership is a new US Forest Service led science-management collaboration
with the goals of: Increasing climate change awareness; Assessing vulnerability of cultural and natural
resources; and Developing science-based adaptation strategies and incorporating them into management of
federal lands in the Blue Mountains. Learn more and join the list server: BMAP
Northern Rockies Adaptation Partnership is a new US Forest Service led science-management collaboration
with the goals of: 1)Assessing vulnerability of natural resources and ecosystem services to climate change;
and 2)Developing science-based adaptation strategies that can be used by national forests to understand
and mitigate the negative effects of climate change. Learn more and join the list server:
http://adaptationpartners.org/nrap/
Aquatic and Water Resources
High-resolution stream temperature maps now available: Websurfing the NorWeST stream temperature
maps and data is now possible from your computer desktop using a new interactive tool at the NorWeST
website. It’s much like GoogleMaps, but instead you see dynamic maps of high-resolution stream
temperature climate scenarios developed from crowd-sourced monitoring data provided by 100s of
individuals working for >70 agencies across the Northwest. The tool is very intuitive to use—just zoom in,
pan around, query temperature information at specific sites, make apples-to-apples comparisons across
streams, and see what future climate change projections look like when mapped to the stream network (the
attached help document contains additional details). To go directly to the tool you can also click here
http://www.sciencebase.gov/flexviewer/NorWeST/. The scenarios shown on the webtool consist of the
historical baseline period (1993-2011) and two future periods (2040s and 2080s) associated with the A1B
warming trajectory. For additional details, extensive metadata documentation is available at the NorWeST
website.
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Coastal/Marine Ecosystems/Ocean Acidification
Taking Action on Sea Level Rise - short compilation of sea level rise response efforts
First Federal Ocean Acidification Strategic Plan Released: The Interagency Working Group on Ocean
Acidification has recently released the "Strategic Plan for Federal Research and Monitoring of Ocean
Acidification." The Plan will guide research and monitoring investments that will improve our understanding
of ocean acidification, its potential impacts on marine species and ecosystems, and adaptation and
mitigation strategies. Highlights of the Plan's research goals include: improve existing observing systems
that monitor chemical and biological effects of ocean acidification and document trends; undertake
laboratory and field research to examine the physiological, behavioral, and evolutionary adaptive capacities
of selected species and complexes of species; develop comprehensive models to predict changes in the
ocean carbon cycle and effects on marine ecosystems and organisms; develop vulnerability assessments for
various carbon dioxide emissions scenarios; and, assess the cultural, subsistence, and economic effects of
ocean acidification. To learn more, visit: http://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/IWGOA.aspx.
NOAA Announces Webinar Series on Ocean Acidification: NOAA's Ocean Acidification Program offers
monthly webinars on communicating about ocean acidification for educators and other stakeholders. The
series is called "Sharing Ocean Acidification Resources for Communicators and Educators" (SOARCE). One of
its primary goals is to promote an integrated and effective ocean acidification education community. To
learn more, visit: http://oceanacidification.noaa.gov/AreasofFocus/EducationOutreach/SOARCEWebinarSeries.aspx.
Effects of sea surface warming on marine plankton: Ocean warming has been implicated in the observed
decline of oceanic phytoplankton biomass. Some studies suggest a physical pathway of warming via
stratification and nutrient flux, and others a biological effect on plankton metabolic rates; yet the relative
strength and possible interaction of these mechanisms remains unknown. Here, researchers implement
projections from a global circulation model in a mesocosm experiment to examine both mechanisms in a
multi-trophic plankton community. Warming treatments had positive direct effects on phytoplankton
biomass, but these were overcompensated by the negative effects of decreased nutrient flux. Zooplankton
switched from phytoplankton to grazing on ciliates. These results contrast with previous experiments under
nutrient-replete conditions, where warming indirectly reduced phytoplankton biomass via increased
zooplankton grazing. The study concludes that the effect of ocean warming on marine plankton depends on
the nutrient regime, and provide a mechanistic basis for understanding global change in marine ecosystems.
(Lewandowska et a., Ecology Letters (2014) 17: 614–623)
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Climate Change Journal Articles/Publications/News
Climate Outsider Finds Missing Global Warming: Major climate data sets have underestimated the rate of
global warming in the last 15 years owing largely to poor data in the Arctic, the planet's fastest warming
region. A dearth of temperature stations there is one culprit; another is a data-smoothing algorithm that has
been improperly tuning down temperatures there. The findings come from an unlikely source: a
crystallographer and graduate student working on the temperature analyses in their spare time. (Eli Kintisch,
Science 25 April 2014: Vol. 344 no. 6182 p. 348, DOI: 10.1126/science.344.6182.348)
Slowdown of global warming fleeting The recent slowdown in the warming rate of the Northern
Hemisphere may be a result of internal variability of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation--a natural
phenomenon related to sea surface temperatures, according to Penn State researchers. Full story at
http://news.psu.edu/story/310769/2014/04/07/research/slowdown-global-warming-fleeting
Robust increase of the equatorial Pacific rainfall and its variability in a warmed climate (Masahiro
Watanabe, Youichi Kamae and Masahide Kimoto, Geophysical Research Letters, Published Online 1 MAY
2014, DOI : 10.1002/2014GL059692)
Field study shows why food quality will suffer with rising CO2: Climate change is hitting home--in the
pantry, this time. This field study of wheat demonstrates how the nutritional quality of food crops can be
diminished when elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide interfere with a plant's ability to process
nitrate into proteins. (Bloom et al., Nature Climate Change)
Odds that global warming is due to natural factors: Slim to none An analysis of temperature data since
1500 all but rules out the possibility that global warming in the industrial era is just a natural fluctuation in
the earth's climate, according to a new study by McGill University physics professor Shaun Lovejoy. The
study, published online April 6 in the journal Climate Dynamics, represents a new approach to the question
of whether global warming in the industrial era has been caused largely by man-made emissions from the
burning of fossil fuels. Rather than using complex computer models to estimate the effects of greenhousegas emissions, Lovejoy examines historical data to assess the competing hypothesis: that warming over the
past century is due to natural long-term variations in temperature…. (S. Lovejoy. Scaling fluctuation analysis
and statistical hypothesis testing of anthropogenic warming. Climate Dynamics, 2014; DOI: 10.1007/s00382014-2128-2)
NOAA Collaborators Announce Availability of New Climate Analysis Tool: A group of NOAA collaborators
recently announced the availability of OpenClimateGIS, an open-source tool which aids users in accessing
and interpreting complex climate data. OpenClimateGIS serves users who are already familiar with GIS
systems, enabling them to access data for specific regions and sectors and providing access to recent data
such as outputs from climate models. To learn more about the tool, visit:
http://cires.colorado.edu/news/press/2014/climateGIS.html To view OpenClimateGIS, visit:
https://earthsystemcog.org/projects/openclimategis/
Extreme weather events may not be tied to loss of Arctic sea ice
(JoAnna Wendel, Eos, first published online: 8 APR 2014. DOI: 10.1002/2014EO140018)
Historical and future learning about climate sensitivity (Nathan M. Urban, Philip B. Holden, Neil R. Edwards,
Ryan L. Sriver and Klaus Keller, Geophysical Research Letters, Published Online : 11 APR 2014 DOI:
10.1002/2014GL059484)
Past Land Surface Air Temperature Trend: Global warming is non-uniform in time and space. Now, research
breaks down the warming trend and finds that it began in the subtropical and subpolar regions of the
Northern Hemisphere, followed by the subtropical region of the Southern Hemisphere. (Evolution of land
surface air temperature trend, Ji et al., Nature Clim. Change, 2014/05/04/ advance online publication,
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2223)
Preparing for Climate Change
Green Resilience: Climate Adaptation + Mitigation Synergies This report captures best practices and
lessons learned from experts in the field who are contributing to an integrated approach to climate
adaptation + mitigation (A+M) to cut carbon pollution (mitigation) and prepare the nation for climate
change impacts (adaptation). The best practices and lessons learned were distilled from a recent
symposium and workshop hosted by the Center for Clean Air Policy (CCAP) and the National Climate
Assessment’s network (NCAnet) Adaptation + Mitigation Nexus (AMNex) affinity group as part of the NCSE's
Building Climate Solutions Conference.
Who's Winning the Clean Energy Race? Pew released a report that chronicles global clean energy
investments around the world. According to the report, the clean energy sector is now an annual $250
billion component of the world economy, with China clearly in the lead (even as they also are the biggest
consumer of coal). The Pew site states, "a number of developments indicate a promising future for clean
energy.
- First, the prices of leading technologies such as wind and solar have dropped steadily for decades; they are
increasingly competitive.
- Second, clean energy manufacturers are moving forward and have effectively weathered withering
competitive pressures, consolidations, and policy changes. Investor confidence about the long-term future
of renewable energy was reinforced in clean energy stock indexes in 2013, which rose sharply over the year.
- Third, markets in fast-growing, developing countries are prospering; these economies see distributed
generation as an opportunity to avoid investments in costly transmission systems, comparable to the
deployment of cellphones instead of costly landline infrastructure. Even in the contracting markets of
Europe and the Americas, which have affected the overall industry, policymakers are recalibrating rather
than abandoning clean energy policies."
Read more: http://www.pewenvironment.org/news-room/reports/whos-winning-the-clean-energy-race-2013-85899542979
US greenhouse gas emissions at lowest level in 20 years: Climate Central, Most of the GHG decline came
from reductions in energy consumption, increased fuel efficiency of cars and other types of transportation,
and a shift to natural gas from coal in fueling power plants, the EPA said in a statement…
Connect with the American Society of Adaptation Professionals: The American Society of Adaptation
Professionals (ASAP) connects leading professionals from a variety of sectors working to increase climate
resilience across the United States. Initially created in 2011, and formally launched in 2013, ASAP provides a
platform and forum for climate adaptation leaders to interact, participate in cutting edge research, develop
guidance for adaptation, and collaborate with their colleagues across the country. The society builds off the
strengths of its members and focuses on connecting adaptation professionals across the United States.
Membership is free for 2014. To learn more, visit: http://adaptationprofessionals.org/.
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Climate and Weather Reports and Services
Warm U.S. West, cold East: A 4,000-year pattern: Last winter's curvy jet stream pattern brought mild
temperatures to Western North America and harsh cold to the East. A University of Utah-led study shows
that pattern became more pronounced 4,000 years ago, and suggests it may worsen as Earth's climate
warms. Full story at http://unews.utah.edu/news_releases/warm-u-s-west-cold-east-a-4000-year-pattern/
(Zhongfang Liu, Kei Yoshimura, Gabriel J. Bowen, Nikolaus H. Buenning, Camille Risi, Jeffrey M. Welker &
Fasong Yuan. Paired oxygen isotope records reveal modern North American atmospheric dynamics during
the Holocene. Nature Communications, 2014; DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4701)
Multidecadal modulations of the low-frequency climate variability in the wintertime North Pacific since
1950 (Takafumi Miyasaka, Hisashi Nakamura, Bunmei Taguchi and Masami Nonaka, Geophysical Research
Letters, Published Online : 25 APR 2014, DOI : 10.1002/2014GL059696)
The Office of the Washington State Climatologist issues a monthly newsletter that summarizes the WA
climate for the previous month, includes a precipitation and temperature outlook, and also includes a brief
summary of an interesting aspect of the weather or climate of WA, among a few other sections: See
www.climate.washington.edu/newsletter for copies and to join the listserv.
PNW Climate Outlook: This quarterly report from the Pacific Northwest Climate Impacts Research
Consortium (CIRC) provides a seasonal wrap up of relevant regional issues along with an outlook for the
coming season in Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Western Montana. To subscribe send an email to John
Stevenson.
Great Basin Weather and Climate Dashboard: this website provides up to date climate and weather data
and forecasts/outlooks for the Great Basin including temperature, precipitation, drought, snowpack and
hydrologic information. (Some of the information includes the entire western U.S.) The Dashboard is a joint
effort amongst the Western Regional Climate Center, California and Nevada Applications Program, the USDA
Farm Service Agency and the Great Basin LCC.
NOAA Climate Connection E-Newsletter: Free monthly e-newsletter designed to increase climate literacy
and communication capacity for NOAA and its partners. Subscription requests can be sent to
[email protected]. Click here to view the June 2013 NOAA Climate Connection enewsletter.
NOAA’s State of the Climate Monthly Update
NOAA Monthly Drought Outlook: The monthly drought outlook complements the weekly drought condition
updates via the U.S. Drought Monitor. See this site.
NOAA Climate Portal: http://www.climate.gov/ National Snow and Ice Data Center: http://nsidc.org
NOAA 2013 Global Climate Report: The average global temperature for 2013 tied as the fourth warmest
year since record keeping began in 1880, according to NOAA scientists. It also marked the 37th consecutive
year with a global temperature above the 20th century average. The last below-average annual temperature
was 1976. Including 2013, all 13 years of the 21st century (2001-2013) rank among the 15 warmest in the
134-year period of record. The three warmest years on record are 1998, 2005, and 2010. This analysis is
from NOAA's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina. To access the summary and full
report, visit: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/news/ncdc-releases-2013-global-climate-report.
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List Servers
ClimateNews-- is a snapshot from British Columbia’s Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource
Operations, provides new and emerging climate change adaptation and mitigation activities in the natural
resource sector. Contact: [email protected]
Climate CIRCulator (Oregon Climate Change Research Institute)
Climate Impacts Group (Univ. Washington)
EPA Climate Change and Water E-Newsletter
LCC list servers (see your LCC’s website) and the national LCC Network newsletter
Ocean Acidification Report
OneNOAA Science Webinars
North Pacific LCC Listserve – North Pacific Tidings - important news and announcements; and NPLCC Climate
Science Digest - new science/information affecting natural and cultural resources.
NCTC Climate Change List server (upcoming webinars and courses): send email [email protected]
Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS) (British Columbia) Climate News Scan- a weekly summary of the
major climate-change related science, technology, and policy advances of direct relevance to the BC provincial
and the Canadian federal governments and more generally to businesses and civil society
PointBlue Weekly Ecology, Climate Change and Related e-Newsletter: Send request to [email protected]
PNW Tribal Climate Change Network: Send request to [email protected]
US Forest Service Fish & Wildlife Research Updates
FWS Resources and Tools
FWS Pacific Region employees can access journal articles and publications archived at the Region’s Climate
Change Sharepoint site (links below). The Region's Climate Change Science Synthesis document uses these
new findings. (The blog is used to highlight changes made to the document.)
> Home Page
> Read this report in Word/Find previous reports
> Document library (journal articles, reports, etc., updated weekly)
> Best available climate change science-- R1 synthesis (updated weekly)
> Blog (provides updates on new journal articles, R1 examples on use of climate science in decision making,
etc.)
> Use of Climate science: Regional examples
FWS Climate Change Response: How do partnership efforts such as Landscape Conservation Cooperatives
and the National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy fit into the Service's overall response
to accelerating climate change? How is our agency reducing its carbon footprint? What is our agency doing
now to reduce the impacts of climate change on fish, wildlife and plants? Learn more
Landscape Conservation Cooperatives: Natural systems and landscapes are impacted by increasing land use
pressures and widespread resource threats amplified by a rapidly changing climate. These changes are
occurring at an unprecedented pace and scale. By leveraging resources and strategically targeting science to
inform conservation decisions and actions, Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) are a network of
partnerships working in unison to ensure the sustainability of America’s land, water, wildlife, and cultural
resources. Learn more
National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy: The National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants
Climate Adaptation Strategy will provide a unified approach—reflecting shared principles and science-based
practices—for reducing the negative impacts of climate change on fish, wildlife, plants, habitats and
associated ecological processes across geographic scales. Learn more
FWS Climate Change Information Toolkit: A key part of the Service's climate change strategy is to inform
FWS staff about the impacts of accelerating climate change and to engage partners and others in seeking
collaborative solutions. Through shared knowledge and communication, we can work together to reduce the
impacts of climate change on fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats. Here are some resources that can
help.
Climate Change, Wildlife, and Wildlands Toolkit: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in partnership
with the National Park Service and with input from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, developed a kit for use
when talking with the public about how climate change is affecting our nation's wildlife and public lands.
Learn more .
Safeguarding Wildlife from Climate Change Web Conference Series: The FWS and National Wildlife
Federation have developed a series of web conferences to increase communication and transfer of technical
information between conservation professionals regarding the growing challenges of climate change. Learn
more
(FWS employees only)
NCTC Climate Change Resource Library: The NCTC Climate Change Resource Library provides selected
citations to peer-reviewed journal articles, documents, books, theses, presentations, and Websites on the
effect of climate change on North American fish, wildlife and habitats. FWS employees can access the library
here
For more information on how the Service is working with others to conserve the nature of America in a
changing climate, visit http://www.fws.gov/home/climatechange/
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