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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.
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)
- (new!) The State of Adaptation in the United States is a new report supported by the MacArthur Foundation
The Climate Impacts Group joined forces with Ecoadapt, the Georgetown Climate Center and the University of California-Davis to write an overview examining how communities are responding to climate change and identifying what information is lacking to implement adaptive strategies. - (new!) March 6 webinar on the draft findings from the PNW National Climate Assessment chapter now available on You Tube
Watch CIG Director Amy Snover's recent C3 webinar on the draft findings for the PNW chapter of the National Climate Assessment - (new!) Town Hall meeting focuses on the Northwest Region in the National Climate Assessment
The U.S. Global Change Research Program has planned a town hall meeting in Portland, Oregon on March 12th. The meeting will give participants a chance to learn more about the 2013 National Climate Assessment, particularly as it pertains to the Pacific Northwest region, and about the science underlying the assessment. - 2012 the hottest year ever for U.S. temperatures
The average temperature for the contiguous U.S. for 2012 was 55.3°F, 3.2°F above the 20th century average and 1.0°F above the previous record from 1998. Read more in from the National Climate Data Center. - New URL for PNW climate change streamflow scenarios database
The URL for the CIG's hydrologic scenarios database has been updated. Climate change streamflow scenarios and summary figures for nearly 300 locations in the Columbia River Basin and coastal drainages are available at this site. Please update any bookmarks or links to the site. - Washington State releases groundbreaking recommendations for addressing ocean acidification
Read more about the Washington State Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification and its recommendations for addressing the causes and consequences of ocean acidification in Washington State.
This site contains information about:
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 |
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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 |
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