SIERRA NEVADA CLIMATE
CHANGE ASSESSMENT PROJECT
SNCCAP; say “snowcap”; think “mini-SNEP”
AN ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF
CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND OPPORTUNITIES
FOR ADAPTATION
In Development
Sierra Nevada Research Center
Pacific Southwest Research Station
USDA Forest Service
Contacts: Connie Millar, Peter Stine
Assessments Available
Global: Climate Change 2001. Third
Assessment Reports, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
National: Climate Change Impacts on the United States; The Potential
Consequences of Climate Variability and Change, 2001. National
Assessment Synthesis Team, US Global Change Research Program
State: Global Climate Change and California: Potential Implications for
Ecosystems, Health, and the Economy, 2003. California Energy
Commission and EPRI
Æ
Inadequate for developing adaptation and conservation strategies
at scale of Sierra Nevada ecoregion or subregions
CCSP: High priority in federal workplan put on developing
regional and sectoral assessments that enable local planning
and on R-O-A-DS
SNCCAP: A Project in Development
The Sierra Nevada Research Center
(USFS/PSW) is spearheading support
for a multi-year project, planned as
an interdisciplinary, collaborative, scientific
assessment of climate change and its
consequences on Sierra
Nevada ecosystems
and rural communities
Goals
♣ estimate 21st century climate at several
spatial and temporal scales; use diverse
quantitative and qualitative models;
include historical perspectives
♣ assess consequences on physical and
ecological systems and on rural
communities and economies
♣ develop illustrative strategies, recommendations, and guidelines for
integrating assessment results with
ongoing conservation and management
♣ compile databases, models, case-studies,
and decision-support tools to assist
diverse stakeholders
Budget Outlook
USFS Request – PSW priority for “increase”
categories
FY 2005
Phase 1
Phase 2
Climate Change Assessment
Impacts Assessment
$500k
$500k
FY 2006
Phase 3
Adaptation Strategies
$500k
CONSORTIUM FOR INTEGRATED CLIMATE
RESEARCH OF WESTERN MOUNTAINS
(CIRMOUNT)
Goal: Launch a long-term integrated research
program on climate, climate-related
sciences, and applications to resource
management of Western North American
mountain regions
SPONSORS
NOAA Climate Diagnostics Center
USGS Biological Resources Division
NOAA Office of Global Programs
USGS Water Resources Division
USDA Forest Service, PSW & PNW Stns
University of California, White Mtn Research Stn
Desert Research Institute
UCSD, Scripps Institution
Montana State University, Big Sky Institute
MOUNTAIN RESEARCH INTIATIVE
(MRI)
http://mri.sanwnet.ch/
The Mountain Research Initiative (MRI) is a
new multidisciplinary scientific organization
that addresses global change issues in
mountain regions around the world.
Director: Dr. Mel Reasoner,
Mountain Research Initiative Coordination Office, Bern Switzerland
SPONSORS
UNESCO Man & the Biosphere Programme
International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP)
The International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP)
The Global Terrestrial Monitoring System (GTOS)