The ‘Game of Life’- alternate method to Earth’s climate modeling

by Paulina Ćwik With all the technological advancements of the 21st century, unveiling the future of climate change and its impacts on societies and the environment remains difficult. This is especially true because anthropogenic climate change involves a multitude of complex interactions and feedback between climate system components, such as atmosphere, land, surface, sea-ice, etc., …

A Summer Experience Working with the US Fish and Wildlife Service

By Ashley Booth The last eight years of my life I’ve spent most of my time in the swamps and marshes of Louisiana, covered in mud while studying blue crabs, sea birds, and wetland plants. From my Masters through my PhD these experiences offered an opportunity to experience the unique ecosystems and cultures of the …

What do climate models tell us about the future of ridges over the pacific northwest?

Graham Taylor In mid-June of 2021, weather forecasters in the Pacific Northwest saw an extraordinary area of high pressure build in the upper atmosphere weeks out in weather models. Given the decaying accuracy of weather models more than a week or so in the future, this potentially record breaking feature was assumed to be part …

A primer on climate modeling

by Paulina Cwik “All models are wrong, but some are useful” (George E. P. Box). Scientific models predict the behavior of a certain process or a mechanism under investigation. Inevitably, models are too simplified to capture the real state of a system. For example, scientists use climate models, idealized mathematical representations of climate system components …

An Abbreviated Journal of a Postdoc

Dr. Clay Tucker Clay, hard at work coring a bald cypress My graduate school advisor once told me, “a master’s degree is learning how science is done, and a PhD is proving that you can do science.” After obtaining a PhD, many are expected to produce scientific products (e.g., publications, grant proposals, teaching) without much …

What is the future of Tornado Outbreaks?

by Paulina Ćwik “I saw devastation. The town was just destroyed. This was the end of Brandenburg (Kentucky) as I knew it” recalls Jane Willis after a violent tornado ravaged her hometown during a Super Tornado Outbreak of 1974 (“When Weather Changed History – Super Outbreak”). In the United States, stories like Jane’s echo almost …

But do we understand each other? – Applying a communication model to science co-production

A team of coffee farmers in South America know climate change will affect timing, water use, and yields, but they’re not sure how to make adjustments for their particular crops based on the latest science. Water basin managers in the Rockies are making long-term water supply plans but they need more localized climate projections and …

A Figure is Worth a Thousand Words – The Power of Data Visualization

Apr 20, 2021 by TONI KLEMM Chocolate and hiking trips aside, there are few things I like more than intuitive and informative figures about scientific data. Visualizing our research in intriguing and comprehensible ways is essential in sharing it with peers, stakeholders, decision makers, and the public. Examining a figure can be more time-efficient than …

Virtually Presenting vs. Personally Present – The (Lost) Power of Conferences

DEC. 10, 2020 by ADRIENNE WOOTTEN Every Fall, many of us working in climate science would usually be attending the major end-of-year conferences, meeting colleagues, making connections, presenting our work, and receiving constructive comments and criticism. But the COVID-19 pandemic has changed how millions of people interact personally and professionally. One such meeting is the …

The 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season in Perspective

NOV. 5, 2020 by CLAY TUCKER and JILL TREPANIER “It was over in less than two and a half hours,” our neighbor Bob explained about his experience with Hurricane Zeta on October 28, 2020. Bob is a rarity: a permanent resident in the small unincorporated coastal town of Cocodrie, Louisiana. Though the nearest post office …