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March 2014 Outstanding Scientific Publication TTU CSC researcher wins award for paper documenting impact of climate change on Lesser Prairie-­‐Chickens Dr. Blake Grisham of the Texas Tech Climate S cience Center and Texas Tech Natural Resources Management department recently published a paper titled “The Predicted Influence of Climate Change on Lesser Prairie-­‐
Chicken Reproductive Parameters." This paper won "Outstanding Scientific Publication" at the 50th Annual Meeting of the Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society Meeting. The Texas TWS is the largest state chapter of The Wildlife Society, the flagship professional society for Wildlife Biologists and Professionals, and over 700 professionals and students were at the meeting. To put it in perspective, the annual national meeting usually hosts around 1500 individuals. In addition, Dr. Grisham was recently invited to co-­‐author two book chapters for Studies in Avian Biology: Conservation and Management of Lesser Prairie-­‐Chickens. The first covers conservation and m anagement in shinnery oak prairies and the other will cover the impact of climate change on lesser prairie-­‐chickens. Dr. Grisham’s research primarily focuses on the relationship between climate change and management of game and non-­‐game bird species. More info about Dr. Grisham’s background and research can be found here: http://goo.gl/O2L0nz Dr. Jennifer Vanos Dr. Vanos is the most recent addition to the Climate Science Center. She received both her bachelor’s and PhD from the University of Guelph in Canada. Dr. Vanos specializes in the effects of weather and climate on human health. Her research uses past and current atmospheric events and their effects on people to help make predictions about future health effects on society. Dr. Vanos will be attending the AAG (http://goo.gl/Ex8RJP) conference in Tampa next month and presenting on her research related to urban heat islands. Dr. Vanos is also collaborating on a climate change and research methods course to be taught in Umeå, Sweden this June. http://www.atmo.ttu.edu/jvanos/ Featured Publication: Grisham BA, Boal CW, Haukos DA, Davis DM, Boydston KK, et al. (2013) The Predicted Influence of Climate Change on Lesser Prairie-­‐Chicken Reproductive Parameters. PLoS ONE 8(7): e68225. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0068225
1 March Climate Science Seminar Speakers Dr. Olga Murova Dr. Robert Duncan Dr. Blake Grisham Agriculture & Applied Economics Texas Tech University “Agriculture and Climate Change” Vice President of Research Texas Tech University “Planning for Desperate Climate Intervention: Can it Make Sense?” Natural Resource Management Texas Tech University “Microclimate and Variation in LPC Nest Survival” Dr. Murova’s presentation about climate-­‐
smart agriculture focused on the need for sustainable food security, adaptation, and mitigation of the effects of climate change on agriculture. The US spends roughly 6% of its annual income on ag, versus the average 20% by other countries. Dr. Murova presents two different modeling methods that can help the US achieve the three goals listed above: structural models and spatial-­‐analogue models. Dr. Duncan’s talk was focused on geoengineering solutions to climate change. While many see geoengineering as a means of adaptation, Dr. Duncan sees these solutions as a last resort should we be stuck in a climate catastrophe. His talk included an overview of examples of geoengineering, like giant dust cannons, and left the audience with the recommendation that these strategies only be employed in a runaway scenario. Coming up on April 1st: Nancy E. McIntyre – “Fragmentation of the Playa Network” Richard Peterson – “Managing Long Run Land Use Change” Michael Farmer – “West Texas Rainmaking” Other highlights from this month: •
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Texas Tech’s Dr. Ken Baake’s Climate Communication song: http://goo.gl/jGlhLK Texas Tech is participating in the national Recyclemania challenge! More info here: http://goo.gl/qYyeie Dr. Jennifer Vanos and Dan Vecellio will be presenting at the annual AAG conference in Tampa next m onth The American A ssociation for the Advancement of Science released their “What We Know” initiative featuring participation from Dr. Katharine Hayhoe and other climate science experts http://whatweknow.aaas.org “Like” us @ http://www.facebook.com/TTUClimateScienceCenter Follow us @ http://www.twitter.com/TTUCSC 2 Lesser Prairie Chickens are a grouse species that can be found in the southern plains. They are unique because they can adapt to four different vegetative regions, but still maintain the same nest characteristics. Upon examining LPCs in 9 counties, Dr. Grisham’s research found that LPCs maximize nesting opportunities in cool and humid conditions, and that humidity is the most important factor. CSC Featured Dataset The high-­‐resolution climate projections generated by the TTU CSC are now online as part of the USGS GeoData Portal. They can be used to make interactive climate maps of a host of variables (here days per year with maximum temperatures above 90°F) http://goo.gl/OF49Ep