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Myanna Lahsen Seminar 21 Sept
Where is the Beef?
Climate Change knowledge and communication in Brazil
Myanna Lahsen
Center for Earth System Science
The Brazilian Institute for Space Research (INPE)
Wednesday 21 September 2016
2:30 – 3:30 pm
AUST 163
Abstract: Skepticism about climate science is often identified as a key obstacle to effective decision making in the U.S. and other countries. Brazil has come to be celebrated as an enlightened counter-example because climate science is largely uncontested, as reflected in analyses of climate coverage in national newspapers and in a series of international surveys performed by the Pew Center and others. However, drawing on extensive analysis of Brazilian climate politics and newspaper coverage of climate change, I reveal a deep disconnect between Brazil’s emissions profile and how climate change and related solutions are defined, a disconnect that obstructs awareness of Brazil’s single most important source of emissions: cattle-raising. During the talk, I will also discuss broader environmental risks generated by agricultural expansion in Brazil’s biodiversity hotspot, the “Cerrado” savanna biome, highlighting how Brazil’s research agendas and mass communications structures bear on the challenge of responding to the threats of resource depletion and global environmental change.
Bio: Myanna Lahsen is Senior Researcher II in the Earth System Science Center at the Brazilian Institute for Space Research (INPE). A Cultural Anthropologist and STS scholar by training, she studies knowledge politics and other socio-cultural dynamics related to global environmental change, environmental sustainability and development. She is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards and fellowship in the United States, including the Jacob K. Javits and EPA ”STAR” fellowships, and two postdoctoral Fellowships, in the Advanced Study Program at the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research and in the J.F. Kennedy school of Government, respectively. Before assuming her current position in Brazil, she held positions as Science Officer with the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, as Research Scientist in CIRES at the University of Colorado and as Lecturer on Environmental Science and Public Policy at Harvard University. She has served on review panels at the U.S. National Science Foundation and been called to participate in Expert Groups advising the United Nations on the dynamics of the science-policy interface and the formation of a global sustainability report. She currently serves as advisor to Nature Climate Change and as Executive Editor of WIREs Climate Change, responsible for the subdomain on The Social Status of Climate Change Knowledge.
This event is hosted by the University of Connecticut Atmospheric Sciences Group (ASG) and the Department of Geography.
ENVE 8 Apr: Ecophysiological Controls and Precipitation Seasonality in Amazonia
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING SPRING 2016 COLLOQUIUM SERIES
Friday, April 8, 2016 • 12:15 PM • CAST 212
“Ecophysiological Controls and Precipitation Seasonality in Amazonia”
By
Jung-Eun Lee
Assistant Professor of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University
Abstract: It is unclear to what extent seasonal water stress impacts on plant productivity over Amazonia. Using new Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT) satellite measurements of sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence, we show that midday fluorescence varies with water availability, both of which decrease in the dry season over Amazonian regions with substantial dry season length, suggesting a parallel decrease in gross primary production (GPP). Using additional SeaWinds Scatterometer onboard QuikSCAT satellite measurements of canopy water content, we found a concomitant decrease in daily storage of canopy water content within branches and leaves during the dry season, sup- porting our conclusion. The strong relationship between GOSAT and model fluorescence (r2 = 0.79) was obtained using a fixed leaf area index, indicating that GPP changes are more related to environmental conditions than chlorophyll contents over tropical evergreen forests. We have also incorporated equations coupling SIF to photosynthesis in a land surface model, the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Land Model version 4 (NCAR CLM4) to use it as a diagnostic tool for evaluating the calculation of photosynthesis.
12 Feb ENVE/ASG Seminar: Luca Delle Monache (NCAR)
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING SPRING 2016 COLLOQUIUM SERIES and ASG
Friday, February 12, 2016 • 12:15 PM • Storrs Hall, Room WW16
“Probabilistic predictions and uncertainty quantification with an analog ensemble”
Luca Delle Monache, Scientist, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO
Abstract: The analog of a forecast for a given location and time is defined as the observation that corresponds to a past prediction matching selected features of the current forecast. The best analogs form the analog ensemble (AnEn). The AnEn is a general method to generate probabilistic predictions that has been tested successfully for a range of applications including weather predictions, climate downscaling, renewable energy (wind and solar), air quality (ground-level ozone and particulate matter), and hurricane intensity. The recurring features found across different applications are:
- Theabilitytouseahigherresolutionmodelsinceonlyonereal-timedeterministicforecastisneeded to generate an ensemble;
- Noneedforinitialconditionormodelperturbationstrategiestogenerateanensemble;
- Reliableuncertaintyquantification,i.e.,noadditionalensemblecalibrationisrequired;
- Abilitytocapturetheflow-dependenterrorcharacteristics.
- A superior skill in predicting rare events.Examples of AnEn current applications will be shown, and a discussion on how this technique could be implemented for probabilistic predictions of weather parameters over a two-dimensional gridded domain will follow.
Presenter’s Bio:
Luca Delle Monache is the Deputy Science Director of the National Security Applications Program of the Research Applications Laboratory with the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado. He earned a Laurea (M.S.) in Mathematics from the University of Rome, Italy (1997), a M.S. in Meteorology from the San Jose State University, San Jose, California (2002), and a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada (2006). Before joining NCAR he worked at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. His main interests include probabilistic predictions, uncertainty quantification and ensemble design, urban meteorology, mesoscale numerical weather prediction, ensemble data assimilation, boundary layer meteorology, air pollution, inverse and dispersion modeling, and renewable energy prediction and resource assessment.
To access this seminar’s live broadcast or recording please use the following link:
https://mediasite.dl.uconn.edu/Mediasite/Play/107cc29e625744038f830910b0c29a061d
Sponsors: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Environmental Engineering Program, Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering and Atmospheric Sciences Group
“An Investigation of Climate Change Influences on the Track and Intensity of Hurricane Sandy” on Friday, January 30th, 2015 @ 12:15 PM
University of Connecticut
School of Engineering
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Environmental Engineering Program
Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering
&
Atmospheric Sciences Group
Invite you to join us for the
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING SPRING 2015 COLLOQUIUM SERIES
Friday, January 30th, 2015 • 12:15 PM • CAST 212
“An Investigation of Climate Change Influences on the Track and Intensity of Hurricane Sandy”
By: Gary M. Lackmann
Professor, Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University
Abstract: Hurricane Sandy was associated with historic societal impacts when it made landfall along the New Jersey shore in late October 2012. The event generated vigorous discussions as to whether the severity, or perhaps occurrence, of the event was tied to anthropogenic climate change. Two related questions are (i) whether the frequency of this type of event is altered by anthropogenic climate change, and (ii) if the synoptic weather pattern accompanying Hurricane Sandy had taken place in 100 years in the past, or 100 years in the future, how would the track, intensity, and impacts have differed? Here, we investigate question (ii) using a simplified approach that is designed to quantify the storm-scale changes
attributable to large-scale thermodynamic changes. I will discuss the numerical model experimental design, and the limitations and advantages of the approach. First, hypotheses are presented as to how and why we would expect climate change t o alter Sandy’s track and intensity . An ensemble of numerical model simulations, in conjunction with GCM-derived large-scale thermodynamic changes, is used to analyze changes between current, past, and future versions of Sandy. The impact of climate change on the synoptic steering features that dictated Sandy’s track is characterized by offsetting physical processes. Future warming and increased precipitation and condensational heating serves to strengthen the downstream ridge to the north of Sandy, contributing to stronger westward storm motion. However, weakening of an upper-level trough to the south of Sandy, also due to increased
condensational heating, has the opposite effect. Increased future upper-level westerly flow leads to more progressive upper-level synoptic features, favoring a more eastward track with warming. Numerical experiments are required to determine which effect, if any, dominates. Results indicate that climate warming to date had a limited effect on the observed Sandy, but that projected future warming would result in a significantly stronger storm with a more northward landfall location. Questions that remain for future research involve climate-change influences on Sandy’s genesis and early track evolution. Bio: Dr. Gary Lackmann is a professor of meteorology and the Director of Graduate Programs in the Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences at NC State University. Gary is a native of Seattle, Washington, and has worked as a research meteorologist for government laboratories
(NOAA/PMEL, Seattle), the military (Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey), as a private sector consultant, and in academia. His primary research focus is on improving understanding and prediction of high-impact weather events, including hurricanes, severe thunderstorms, and winter storms. Gary has a long-standing interest in climate change issues, and especially the question of how climate change relates to the frequency and intensity of storms.
PDF: An Investigation of Climate Change Influences on the Track and Intensity of Hurricane Sandy
Colloquium, November 21, Dept. of Physics “Seeking New Technologies for Future Energy Systems”
Colloquium, November 21, Dept. of Physics
Speaker: Dr. Richard Sassoon, Managing Director of the Global Climate and Energy Project at Stanford University
Seeking New Technologies for Future Energy Systems
Abstract: Finding solutions for supplying the world with energy that is abundant, affordable, reliable, and environmentally clean is one of the grand challenges we face this century. This talk will describe the range of technologies needed to enable a sustainable energy future and provide an assessment of the obstacles that need to be overcome and the progress that needs to be made. It will center around the diverse portfolio of innovative energy research activities taking place under the Global Climate and Energy Project (GCEP) at Stanford University. The overall goal of the Project is to conduct breakthrough, fundamental research to generate technical options that could permit the development of global energy systems with significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions. The talk will provide an overview of its research strategy, accomplishments, and anticipated impact on the energy field.
Speaker: Richard Sassoon
Dr. Richard Sassoon is the Managing Director of the Global Climate and Energy Project where he coordinates and oversees all day-to-day operations of the Project. Prior to joining GCEP, Dr. Sassoon was Senior Scientist and Assistant Vice President at Science Applications International Corporation, where he worked with the U.S. Department of Energy in strategic planning and management of its environmental research programs. His research interests are in the area of photochemical solar energy conversion and storage systems. Dr. Sassoon received his B.Sc. in Chemistry from Leeds University, and his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel.
November 20, 2014 “Climate Change in the American Mind”
UConn’s Edwin Way Teale Lecture Series on Nature & the Environment
presents
Climate Change in the American Mind
Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz,
Director, Yale Project on Climate Change Communication,
Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
Thursday, November 20, 4 pm
Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, Konover Auditorium
University of Connecticut, Storrs
Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz is Director of the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and a Research Scientist at the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University. He will report on recent trends in Americans’ climate change knowledge, attitudes, policy support, and behavior and discuss strategies for more effective public engagement.
Dr. Leiserowitz is a widely recognized expert on American and international public opinion on global warming, including public perception of climate change risks, support and opposition for climate policies, and willingness to make individual behavioral change. His research investigates the psychological, cultural, political, and geographic factors that drive public environmental perception and behavior. He has conducted survey, experimental, and field research at scales ranging from the global to the local, including international studies, the United States, individual states (Alaska and Florida), municipalities (New York City), and with the Inupiaq Eskimo of Northwest Alaska. He also conducted the first empirical assessment of worldwide public values, attitudes, and behaviors regarding global sustainability, including environmental protection, economic growth, and human development. He has served as a consultant to the John F. Kennedy School of Government (Harvard University), the United Nations Development Program, the Gallup World Poll, the Global Roundtable on Climate Change at the Earth Institute (Columbia University), and the World Economic Forum.
http://doddcenter.uconn.edu/asc/events/teale/teale.htm – 860.486.4460
The Edwin Way Teale Lecture Series brings leading scholars and scientists to the University of Connecticut to present public lectures on nature and the environment.
Nov. 19 Seminar: Snow Cover in the Climate System by Professor David A. Robinson
The Atmospheric Sciences Group (ASG) is pleased to co-sponsor with the Department of Geography a seminar by Professor David A. Robinson (Rutgers University and New Jersey State Climatologist) to be followed by a panel discussion.
DATE: Wed 19 November
TIME: 11:00 am-12:30pm – including a panel discussion (Guiling Wang, Scott Stephenson, Anji Seth)
LOCATION: Konover Auditorium @ Dodd Center
TITLE: Snow Cover in the Climate System
ABSTRACT: Annual snow cover extent (SCE) over Northern Hemisphere (NH) lands has averaged lower since the late 1980s than during the first half of the satellite era that began in the late 1960s. This is most evident from late winter through spring, and in the past decade has been exceedingly pronounced at high latitudes in May and June. Monthly SCE is calculated at the Rutgers Global Snow Lab from daily SCE maps produced by meteorologists at the National Ice Center. The most recent five years have been amongst the lowest seven May NH SCEs on record, with Eurasian (Eur) SCE at a record low in 2013. North American (NA) SCE achieved a record minimum in May 2010, but of late has not been as consistently low as over Eurasia. The past seven Junes have seen record minimum SCEs over NH and Eur, with six of these the lowest over NA. The recent early timing of arctic snowmelt appears to be occurring at an equivalent if not greater pace than the loss of summer Arctic sea ice extent. In addition to examining SCE, this lecture will discuss associations between snow cover, atmospheric circulation patterns and other components of the climate system.
SPEAKER BIO: Dr. David A. Robinson is a professor in the Department of Geography at Rutgers University and since 1991 has served as New Jersey’s State Climatologist. A NJ native, he earned a bachelor’s degree in geology at Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA and a doctorate in earth sciences at Columbia University prior to arriving at Rutgers. Dave’s research interests are in applied climate, especially related to New Jersey, and in climate dynamics and change, particularly focused on global snow cover. He is a contributor to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, to the National Climate Assessment, and sits on the National Academy of Sciences’ Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate. Dr. Robinson is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society, has been named a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Environmental Hero, and is past president of the American Association of State Climatologists. He recently received the Rutgers Presidential Public Service award and last month received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the New Jersey Association for Floodplain Management.
Nov. 14 Workshop: Why should you be concerned about exposure to mold when severe wet weather has flooded buildings and things smell moldy???
Why should you be concerned about exposure to mold when severe wet weather has flooded buildings and things smell moldy???
Paula Schenck UConn Health’s Center for Indoor Environments and Health in Farmington, CT
schenck@uchc.edu
Living things need food, water, and a comfortable temperature to grow. Mold, the common name for fungi, can find food in almost anything organic in buildings; and because there are so many types of mold that thrive in a broad range of temperature, mold needs only water to begin growing. Many materials –wallboard, fabrics themselves (clothes, curtains) and those that trap dust (carpet) are a grand meal for mold. Even some well-constructed buildings that haven’t had moisture concerns in the past become wet from wind-driven rain and flood waters in severe storms. Once you note mold inside, what does that mean to you? Mold in indoor environments indicates moisture is available for biological growth. Studies have shown that with more water, you should be more concerned about the possibility for severe respiratory illness. Even after flood waters subside, water/moisture is left in materials and encourages life to grow-mold and bacteria. Some workers who are repeatedly called upon to respond to flooding events are at more risk with each additional event. When you see mold on walls or “mildew” as part of fabrics, and/or smell that musty tell-tale odor, you are at risk for illnesses associated with moisture. Mold may be: 1) a direct factor influencing illness, 2) an indicator of other biological agents and bioaerosols that grow in conditions of excessive moisture, or 3) acting on building materials to release chemicals and dusts that could affect your breathing health. There is much confusion about mold and health with equal measures of uncertainty and concern over indoor exposure to “toxic mold”. However with responsible information from sources such as World Health Organization’s 2009 report and EPA’s internet site on Mold Resources (http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldresources.html), it is clear that it is important to recognize the hazard from mold exposure (toxic or not)! Not everyone has the same level of health risk –children, the elderly, and those with breathing conditions or immune disorders are likely vulnerable-, but others are also of concern. So it is important for everyone to: 1) recognize the mold growing inside as a hazard; 2) protect yourself and others by either avoiding the environment or by using the right clothes and equipment when you are responding to storm events or cleaning up after the event; and 3) plan well and use methods in re-building your homes that recognize the risk from moisture intrusion, so that the buildings will better withstand the next storm—and contribute to a resilient community.
In the fall 2013, the Center for Indoor Environments and Health began work on – Recovery from catastrophic weather: mold exposure and health-related training (funded under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Hurricane Sandy Cooperative Agreement 1U01OH010627-01. This blog is solely the responsibility of Paula Schenck and does not necessarily represent the official views of NIOSH)– Through this project a UConn team is working to provide information about mold, health and how to reduce consequences from mold exposure for emergency and recovery respondents and communities affected by Hurricane Sandy.
Send Paula an email at schenck@uchc.edu to learn about our first free workshop on November 14th.
For more information about the workshop, please see the attached flyer and brochure:
Flyer – UConn workshop on Hurricanes and Mold Nov 14 2014
Brochure – UConn workshop on Hurricanes and Mold Nov 14 2014
Oct. 10 @ 11:30AM – ASG Seminar: Catherine Pomposi
Catherine Pomposi, a former UConn honors student, will return to campus to talk about her current research this week. Catherine is currently an NSF Graduate Fellow at Columbia University.
Here are the details:
Date: Friday, Oct 10 @ 11:30 am
Location: AUST 420 (Geography Conference Room)
Title: Understanding Sahelian Precipitation Variability on Key Timescales with a Moisture Budget Framework and Applications to Society
Abstract: In this talk, I will largely focus on decadal scale precipitation variability over the West African Sahel in the CAM4 Model, using a moisture budget framework. Overall results include the ability of the model to pick up important relationships between Sahel precipitation variability on decadal timescales with the Indian and Atlantic basins, and shows that the change in precipitation minus evaporation in the region is dominated by column integrated moisture convergence due to the mean flow, with the convergence of mass in the atmospheric column mainly responsible. Diagnosis of moisture budget and circulation components within the main rainbelt and along the monsoon margins show that changes to the mass convergence are related to the magnitude of precipitation that falls in the region, while the advection of dry air is associated with the maximum latitudinal extent of precipitation. I will then briefly introduce the next step of this work, which is to continue studying the moisture budget prior to the monsoon onset, which provides insight into the interannual and seasonal variability of the system. Finally, I provide information about a recent trip to Senegal which allows for highlighting the kinds of climate services workshops that are in place in the Sahel, and bridges the scientific aspects of monsoon study with societal needs and a human component.