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» Monitoring the Changes



The Basics    [Top]

News    [Top]

Emissions    [Top]


The Climate Registry
The Climate Registry sets standards for the measurement, verification, and public reporting of greenhouse gas emissions throughout North America in a single unified registry. It is a non-profit organization that supports both voluntary and mandatory reporting programs. Tribes participating in the registry: Campo Kumeyaay Nation, Pueblo of Acoma, Southern Ute, and Gila River.
www.theclimateregistry.org/
  • GHG Map Tool (US Environmental Protection Agency)
    Comprehensive greenhouse gas (GHG) data reported directly from large facilities and suppliers across the country are now accessible to the public through EPA’s GHG Reporting Program. The GHG Map Tool allows users to view and sort GHG data for 2010 from more than 6,700 facilities in a variety of ways—including by state, county, facility, industrial sector, and type of GHG.
    http://epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ghgdata/

  • Article: The Climate Registry
    Article about the Climate Registry and the Campo Kumeyaay Nation’s participation in it. Article was published in the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) Native Voices newsletter, Fall 2009 issue.
    The Climate Registry

  • Carbon Monitoring for Action (CARMA)
    Database containing information on the carbon emissions of over 50,000 power plants and 4,000 power companies worldwide.
    http://carma.org/

  • Emission Facts: Metrics for Expressing Greenhouse Gas Emissions (US EPA)
    EPA Emission Facts

  • CarbonTracker (Earth System Research Lab, NOAA)
    Calculates CO2 uptake and release at the Earth's surface over time.
    www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/carbontracker/

  • Energy Information Administration (US Dept. of Energy)
    Energy-related emissions data and environmental analyses.
    www.eia.doe.gov/environment.html

  • Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database—eGRID (US EPA)
    Air emissions data for the US electric power sector. Includes data for nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon dioxide (CO2), mercury (Hg), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O).
    www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/egrid/index.html


Data, Reports, Assessments    [Top]

  • Downscaling Climate Models: Sharpening the Focus on Local-Level Changes
    Refining climate models to focus on local-level climate change. 1/1/12
    http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.120-a22

  • Global Change and Extreme Hydrology: Testing Conventional Wisdom (National Academies Press)
    The National Research Council Committee on Hydrologic Science (COHS) held a workshop on January 5-6, 2010 that examined how climate warming translates into hydrologic extremes like floods and drought. This report presents an overview of the current state of the science in terms of climate change and extreme hydrologic events. It examines the "conventional wisdom" that climate change will "accelerate" the hydrologic cycle, fuel more evaporation, and generate more precipitation, based on an increased capacity of a warmer atmosphere to hold more water vapor. The report also includes descriptions of the changes in frequency and severity of extremes, the ability (or inability) to model these changes, and the problem of communicating the best science to water resources practitioners in useful forums. 2011.
    www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13211#description

  • NOAA Climate Services (NOAA)
    Portal is the "go-to" website for NOAA's climate data, products, and services for all users. Includes data sets, predictions, assessment reports, teaching resources, and much more.
    www.climate.gov/

  • Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratories (PMEL) Carbon Program (NOAA)
    PMEL has launched a new website on the ocean carbon cycle and ocean acidification that provides valuable tools and information for researchers, educators, and the general public. Website provides a comprehensive summary of past, current and forthcoming research on ocean conditions and interactions with rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations. For researchers and data consumers, research data is accessible and easy to explore using Google Earth. For educators and interested individuals, there are several tools available on the site that explain the various chemical interactions and responses to the ocean's uptake of atmospheric CO2.
    www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/

  • SNAP-the Scenarios Network for Alaska Planning (Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks)
    Provides maps and projections of future conditions in Alaska, including temperature and precipitation projections for every Alaskan community.
    www.snap.uaf.edu/home

  • Cal-Adapt (Univ. Of California Berkeley’s Geospatial Innovation Facility)
    Website provides access to the wealth of data and information that has been, and continues to be, produced by California’s scientific and research community. The data available on the website offer a view of how climate change might change California at the local level. Includes local climate snapshots, interactive maps and charts, access to raw data, and more.
    http://cal-adapt.org/

  • Sea Level Trends (NOAA)
    Website has map showing regional trends in sea level and graphs showing trends at individual stations.
    http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/sltrends/sltrends.shtml

  • Global Climate Change: NASA’s Eyes on the Earth (NASA)
    Data, information, and news related to climate change from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
    http://climate.nasa.gov/

  • Evaluating Sustainability of Projected Water Demands under Future Climate Change Scenarios (Natural Resources Defense Council)
    Report presents an integration of water withdrawal projections and future estimates of renewable water supply across the US to assess future water availability in the face of a changing climate. The analysis is performed using annual water use data at the county level, and using global climate model outputs for temperature and precipitation, both projected 20-40 years into the future. Report indicates that water supplies in 70% of counties in the US may be at risk to climate change, and approximately one-third of counties may be at high or extreme risk.
    http://rd.tetratech.com/climatechange/projects/nrdc_climate.asp

  • Gwynne Dyer: JOIDES Research Shows Global Warming Will Accelerate (Natural Resources Defense Council)
    Commentary about JOIDES research on ocean sediment cores, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, and global temperature rise. © 2010 Vancouver Free Press, 10/29/09. *
    www.straight.com/article-268126/gwynne-dyer-joides-research-shows-global-warming-will-accelerate

  • Audio: Major Study Shows Arctic Temperature Rise (KNAU)
    Interview with Northern Arizona University geologist Darrell Kaufman about his recently published study showing that Arctic temperatures have reached their highest levels in two-thousand years. Sept 18, 2009, ©Copyright 2009, KNAU.
    www.publicbroadcasting.net/knau/news.newsmain/article/0/13/1555725/KNAU.and.Arizona..News/Major.study.shows.Arctic.temperature.rise

  • Key Scientific Developments Since the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (Pew Center on Global Climate Change)
    Science brief summarizes some of the key findings since the 2007 IPCC assessment. June 2009.
    www.pewclimate.org/brief/science-developments/June2009

  • Thresholds of Climate Change in Ecosystems (US Climate Change Science Program)
    Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.2. Provides overview of what is known about ecological thresholds and where they are likely to occur. Identifies potential actions that can begin to improve understanding of thresholds and increase the likelihood of success in developing management and adaptation strategies in a changing climate, before, during, and after thresholds are crossed. January 2009.
    Thresholds of Climate Change in Ecosystems

  • Past Climate Variability and Change in the Arctic and at High Latitudes (US Climate Change Science Program)
    Synthesis and Assessment Product 1.2. Summarizes current knowledge of the past climate of the Arctic and discusses its relevance to key questions about present and future changes of relevance to policy makers and stakeholders. January 2009.
    Past Climate Variability and Change in the Arctic and at High Latitudes

  • Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)
    Working Group I Report.
    www.ipcc.ch/

  • Climate Wizard (Nature Conservancy, Univ. of Washington, and Univ. of Southern Mississippi)
    Climate Wizard enables technical and non-technical audiences alike to access leading climate change information and visualize the impacts anywhere on Earth. This web-based program allows the user to choose a state or country and both assess how climate has changed over time and to project what future changes are predicted to occur in a given area.
    www.climatewizard.org/index.html

  • US Global Change Research Information Office
    Scientific research information; numerous reports available in online catalog.
    www.gcrio.org/

  • US Global Change Research Program
    The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) coordinates and integrates federal research on changes in the global environment and their implications for society. Website provides regional and sectoral information about climate change, and global change reports and assessments.
    www.globalchange.gov/

  • National Water and Climate Center (Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA)
    Data, maps, snow surveys.
    www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/

  • US Drought Portal (National Integrated Drought Information System)
    Maps, forecasts, current conditions, impacts, drought planning.
    www.drought.gov/portal/server.pt/

  • Maps of areas susceptible to sea-level rise (Environmental Studies Lab, Univ. of Arizona Dept. of Geosciences)
    www.geo.arizona.edu/dgesl/research/other/climate_change_and_sea_level/sea_level_rise/sea_level_rise.htm

  • Common Sense Climate Index (NASA)
    A simple measure of the degree to which practical climate change is occurring. Can view index for individual stations.
    http://data.giss.nasa.gov/csci/

  • Global Change and Climate (USDA CSREES Program)
    Information about CSREES-supported climate change projects—includes research, extension and education activities.
    www.csrees.usda.gov/globalchangeandclimate.cfm

  • USGS Global Change Science (US Geological Survey)
    Information about USGS climate change activities.
    www.usgs.gov/global_change/

  • National Land Cover Map and Online Map Viewer (US Geological Survey)
    The USGS released the most detailed national vegetation US land-cover map to date. The map will enable conservation professionals to identify places in the country with sufficient habitat to support wildlife. The data can be used in determining the status of biodiversity, as baseline data for assessing climate change impacts, and for predicting the availability of habitat for wildlife The data are freely available and can be downloaded.
    www.gap.uidaho.edu/landcover.html

  • National Report on Sustainable Forests – 2010 (USDA Forest Service)
    Report on the state of forests in the US and the indicators of national progress toward the goal of sustainable forest management. The 64 indicators of forest sustainability used in the report reflect many of the environmental, social, and economic concerns of the American public regarding forests, and they help us establish a quantitative baseline for measuring progress toward sustainability. While the report presents data primarily at a national or regional level, it also provides a valuable context for related efforts to ensure sustainability at other geographic and political scales. Action at all levels is vital to achieving sustainable forest management in the US. June 2011.
    www.fs.fed.us/research/sustain/


Traditional Knowledge    [Top]


  • Traditional Knowledge Initiative (United Nations University)
    UNU-IAS Traditional Knowledge Initiative seeks to build greater understanding and facilitate awareness of traditional knowledge (TK) to inform action by indigenous peoples, local communities and domestic and international policy makers. Key outputs include research activities, policy studies, capacity development and online learning and dissemination.
    www.unutki.org/

  • Alaska Native Knowledge Network (Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks)
    Network serves as a resource for compiling and exchanging information related to Alaska Native knowledge systems and ways of knowing. It has been established to assist Native people, government agencies, educators and the general public in gaining access to the knowledge base that Alaska Natives have acquired through cumulative experience over millennia.
    http://ankn.uaf.edu/index.html

  • TK Bulletin (United Nations University-- Institute of Advanced Studies)
    Weekly review of traditional knowledge issues in the global news and posts on issues of relevance to TK at a global level.
    http://tkbulletin.wordpress.com/

  • Inuit Knowledge Helps Science Learn Something New About Arctic Weather
    Incorporating indigenous knowledge into a climate study is providing insight to researchers into what’s happening with the climate in the Canadian Arctic. Includes audio recording.
    http://cires.colorado.edu/news/press/2010/gearheardInuit.html

  • Video: Climate Modeling and Native Knowledge
    Alaska Native communities are providing important information that helps scientists downscale climate change models, giving a clearer picture of how changes will impact specific locations. 4 min. Aug 2009.
    www.youtube.com/watch?v=mX1BOLGgUwA

  • Geoscience and Traditional Knowledge: An Interview with Dr. Daniel Wildcat
    Interview with Dan Wildcat, Euchee member of the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma and faculty member at the Haskell Indian Nations University, about traditional knowledge, geosciences and climate change. Earthzine, © 2007 IEEE, ICEO, 7/31/07.
    www.earthzine.org/2007/07/31/geoscience-and-traditional-knowledge-an-interview-with-dr-daniel-wildcat/

  • Presentation: Respecting Traditional Ecological Knowledges (TEK) or Unlearning the Methodologies of Collecting
    Presentation given by Dan Wildcat (Haskell Indian Nations University) at ITEP's Climate Change course, August 2008.
    Presentation


Monitoring the Changes    [Top]


Project Budburst
You can join other citizen scientists in submitting data on the timing of leafing and flowering of native trees and flower species in your area.

www.windows.ucar.edu/citizen_science/budburst/

  • Climate Change Indicators in the United States (US EPA)
    Report will help readers interpret a set of important indicators to better understand climate change. The report presents 24 indicators, each describing trends related to the causes and effects of climate change. It focuses primarily on the United States, but in some cases global trends are presented to provide context or a basis for comparison. You can download individual sections or the entire report. April 2010.
    http://epa.gov/climatechange/indicators.html

  • Indicator Development for Estuaries (US EPA)
    Manual presents stepwise process for developing regional-specific indicators for estuaries. February 2008.
    Indicator Development for Estuaries

  • Drought Impact Reporter (National Drought Mitigation Center)
    The principal goal of the Drought Impact Reporter is to collect, quantify, and map reported drought impacts for the United States and provide access to the reports through interactive search tools. Members of the public can submit a drought-related impact for their region. Has an interactive map that displays reported impacts.
    www.drought.gov/portal/server.pt/community/impacts/210

  • AZ DroughtWatch: Arizona's Drought Impact Reporting System
    AZ DroughtWatch is a tool designed to collect qualitative reports of drought impacts across Arizona. This impact information is used in conjunction with meteorological and hydrological data to characterize drought conditions.
    http://azdroughtwatch.org/faces/jsp/index.jsp

  • USA National Phenology Network
    Brings together citizen scientists, government agencies, non-profit groups, educators and students of all ages to monitor the impacts of climate change on plants and animals in the United States.
    www.usanpn.org/

  • NestWatch
    NestWatch is a continent-wide citizen-science project and nest-monitoring database of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
    http://watch.birds.cornell.edu/nest/home/index

  • Project FeederWatch
    Winter-long survey of birds that visit bird feeders in North America. Helps scientists track broad-scale movements of winter bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance.
    www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/

  • The Great Backyard Bird Count
    Annual four-day event-counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent.
    www.birdsource.org/gbbc/
* This item was added to the website with support from the US Forest Service and Sustainable Northwest.




©2002 Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals & Northern Arizona University
Last updated: January 24, 2012