Welcome

Climate Impacts Group

The Climate Impacts Group (CIG) is an internationally recognized interdisciplinary research group studying the impacts of natural climate variability and global climate change (“global warming”). Research at the CIG considers climate impacts at spatial scales ranging from local communities to the entire western U.S. region, with most work focused on the Pacific Northwest (PNW). Through research and interaction with stakeholders, the CIG works to increase community and ecosystem resilience to fluctuations in climate.

The CIG focuses on the intersection of climate science and public policy/resource management. We perform fundamental research on climate and climate impacts and work with planners and policy makers to apply this information to regional decision making processes. Key areas of the group's collective expertise include but are not limited to: downscaling global climate model data; regional climate modeling; hydrologic modeling; water resources and terrestrial/aquatic ecosystem modeling and impacts assessment; coastal impacts assessment; climate change vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning; and outreach and education.

The CIG is part of the College of the Environment at the University of Washington.

Map of the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, highlighting the Columbia River Basin

Pacific Northwest. The Climate Impacts Group focuses on the Columbia River basin (shaded) and the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

Spotlight (past Spotlight features)

 

This site contains information about:

The CIG

... information about CIG researchers, accomplishments, future research directions, and partnerships with the stakeholder community

Pacific Northwest Climate

... an overview of natural climate variability and human-caused climate change in the PNW

Climate Impacts Research at the CIG

... summaries of key findings and details of current research

CIG Publications

... a comprehensive listing of CIG publications by author, year, and research area

Data/Links

... global and regional data sources for a variety of climate and natural resource conditions

Contact CIG

... information about contacting CIG offices and departments, our location, and mailing address

Forecasts and Planning Tools for PNW Resource Management

... short- to medium-term climate and resource forecasts, climate change scenarios, and information and case studies to enable planning for climate variability and change

Outreach, Classes, and Seminars

... information about CIG-sponsored meetings, classes, and seminars