---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Makuch, Joseph" <Joseph.Makuch@ars.usda.gov>
Date: Jun 5, 2012 4:43 PM
Subject: [ENVIRO-NEWS] EPA Climate Change and Water News
To: <Enviro-News@ars.usda.gov>
From: water_climate_change@epa.gov [mailto:water_climate_change@epa.gov]
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2012 3:24 PM
Subject: EPA Climate Change and Water News
EPA Climate Change and Water News
U.S. EPA News
EPA Launches Competition for College Students to Develop Innovative Approaches to Stormwater Management
The Campus RainWorks Challenge <http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/greeninfrastructure/crw_challenge.cfm> encourages student teams on college and university campuses across the country to develop innovative approaches to stormwater management. Stormwater is a major cause of water pollution in urban areas in the U.S., impacting the health of people across the country as well as tens of thousands of miles of rivers, streams, and coastal shorelines, and hundreds of thousands of acres of lakes, reservoirs, and ponds. The competition will help raise awareness of green design and planning approaches at colleges and universities and train the next generation of landscape architects, planners, and engineers in green infrastructure principles and design. Student teams, working with a faculty advisor, will submit design plans for a proposed green infrastructure project for their campus. Registration opens September 4, 2012, and entries must be submitted by December 14, 2012. Win!
ning entries will be selected by EPA and winners will be announced in April 2013. Winning teams will earn a cash prize as well as funds for their faculty advisor to conduct research on green infrastructure.
Other Federal Agency News
U.S. Geological Survey Announces Opening for Program Manager (Senior Research Fellow or Postdoctoral Fellow Level) for the Northeast Climate Science Center at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst - Applications due June 15, 2012
Applications are being accepted for the position of Program Manager <http://necsc.umass.edu/news/new-position-necsc-program-manager> (Senior Research Fellow or Postdoctoral Fellow Level) for the Northeast Climate Science Center. The Northeast Climate Science Center is led by the University of Massachusetts and consists of the College of Menominee Nation, Columbia University, the Marine Biology Laboratory, the University of Minnesota, the University of Missouri-Columbia and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Northeast Climate Science Center will develop stakeholder-driven research and decision support for assisting landscape and watershed management in the face of climate variability and climate change. Activities will include developing and integrating future scenarios of climate, hydrology, landscape and resource management change in the region, including the 22 states that comprise the Northeast.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Announces Funding Opportunity Award for Building Resilience against Climate Effects in State, Territorial and Tribal Health Departments - Deadline June 18, 2012
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Climate and Health Program intends to fund state health departments to conduct analytic and programmatic activities aimed at reducing the health consequences of climate change and variability by developing public health adaptation strategies. The application <http://www.cdc.gov/climatechange/funding.htm> deadline date is June 18, 2012.
U.S. Department of the Interior Announces New Online Application and Other Tools to Expand Public Access to Critical Data for Assessing Water Availability Across the Western U.S.
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced a new online tool for western water managers and the public to help increase accessibility of science-based information and understanding of how climate variations will impact the availability of water to communities. Projected streamflow data can be found at the Bureau of Reclamation's new website <http://gis.usbr.gov/Streamflow_Projections/> on Streamflow Projections for the Western United States. The site provides a straightforward interface to data for 195 sites on streams and rivers throughout the West. Along with additional information on the tools and official announcement are also available online <http://www.usbr.gov/newsroom/newsrelease/detail.cfm?RecordID=39908>.
U.S. Geological Survey Details Effects of Climate Change on Water Availability in 14 Local Basins Nationwide
Climate change projections indicate a steady increase in temperature progressing through the 21st century, generally resulting in snowpack reductions, changes to the timing of snowmelt, altered stream flows, and reductions in soil moisture, all of which could affect water management, agriculture, recreation, hazard mitigation, and ecosystems across the nation. Despite some widespread similarities in climate change trends, climate change will affect specific water basins in the U.S. differently, based on the particular hydrologic and geologic conditions in that area. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has released a study <http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.aspID=3205#.T75N67DLyI4> projecting changes in water availability due to climate change at the local level. So far, the USGS has applied these models to fourteen basins.
U.S. Global Change Research Program Makes Available Technical Input Reports to the 2013 National Climate Assessment
The 2013 National Climate Assessment, conducted under the auspices of the Global Change Research Act of 1990, will be a report submitted to the President and the Congress that integrates, evaluates, and interprets the findings of the U.S. Global Change Research Program; analyzes the effects of global change on the natural environment, agriculture, energy production and use, land and water resources, transportation, human health and welfare, human social systems, and biological diversity; and analyzes current trends in global change, both human-induced and natural, and projects major trends for the subsequent 25 to 100 years. Technical input reports <http://www.globalchange.gov/what-we-do/assessment/nca-activities/available-technical-inputs> that were submitted for the 2013 National Climate Assessment by March 1, 2012 have now been made available online.
U.S. Global Change Research Program Announces NCAnet - A Network of Partners Supporting the National Climate Assessment
NCAnet <http://ncanet.usgcrp.gov> is a network of organizations working with the National Climate Assessment (NCA) to engage producers and users of assessment information across the United States. Partners extend the NCA process and products to a broad audience through the development of assessment-related capacities and products, such as collection and synthesis of data or other technical and scientific information relevant to current and future NCA reports, dissemination of NCA report findings to various users of assessment information, engagement of assessment information producers and users, supporting NCA events, and producing communications materials related to the NCA and NCA report findings. NCAnet currently consists of over 50 partners. The NCA is seeking additional partners.
Other News
Water Utility Climate Alliance (WUCA) Announces New Leadership for Climate Alliance - Seattle Public Utilities succeeds San Francisco as WUCA Chair
Following the first leadership change since its founding in 2007, the Water Utility Climate Alliance <http://www.wucaonline.org> (WUCA) is pursuing a work plan this year to expand its reach and influence on climate adaptation and related issues. The organization's new leaders are Executive Chair Ray Hoffman, who is Director of Seattle Public Utilities, and Executive Vice Chair Gerald Seeber, who is General Manager of Tampa Bay Water. Hoffman succeeds Ed Harrington, General Manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which founded WUCA in 2007 and chaired the coalition until this year.
Researchers Publish Paper in Nature Geoscience Journal that Seagrasses Can Store as Much Carbon as Forests
Seagrasses are a vital part of the solution to climate change and, per unit area, seagrass meadows can store up to twice as much carbon as the world's temperate and tropical forests. The paper, "Seagrass Ecosystems as a Globally Significant Carbon Stock <http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ngeo1477.html>," is the first global analysis of carbon stored in seagrasses. The results demonstrate that coastal seagrass beds store up to 83,000 metric tons of carbon per square kilometer, mostly in the soils beneath them. The new results, say the scientists, emphasize that conserving and restoring seagrass meadows may reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon stores--while delivering important "ecosystem services" to coastal communities. The research is part of the Blue Carbon Initiative, a collaborative effort of Conservation International, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. !
The press release <http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=124263&WT.mc_id=USNSF_51&WT.mc_ev=click> from the National Science Foundation is also available online.
________________________________
This newsletter is produced by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water (EPA). If you have questions related to the newsletter or want to submit an item, email the editor at water_climate_change@epa.gov. For past issues of EPA Climate Change and Water News, as well as further information on climate change impacts on water resources, visit www.epa.gov/water/climatechange. For more information on EPA's climate change activities, visit www.epa.gov/climatechange. [deletions]
***********************************************
Enviro-News is a service of the Water Quality
Information Center at the National Agricultural
Library. The center's Web site is at
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/.
The Enviro-News list facilitates information exchange.
Inclusion of an item in Enviro-News does not imply
United States Department of Agriculture(USDA) agreement,
nor does USDA attest to the accuracy or completeness of
the item. See
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/environews.shtml#disclaimer
You can contact the list owner at
owner-Enviro-News@ars.usda.gov.
***********************************************
From: "Makuch, Joseph" <Joseph.Makuch@ars.usda.gov>
Date: Jun 5, 2012 4:43 PM
Subject: [ENVIRO-NEWS] EPA Climate Change and Water News
To: <Enviro-News@ars.usda.gov>
From: water_climate_change@epa.gov [mailto:water_climate_change@epa.gov]
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2012 3:24 PM
Subject: EPA Climate Change and Water News
EPA Climate Change and Water News
U.S. EPA News
EPA Launches Competition for College Students to Develop Innovative Approaches to Stormwater Management
The Campus RainWorks Challenge <http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/greeninfrastructure/crw_challenge.cfm> encourages student teams on college and university campuses across the country to develop innovative approaches to stormwater management. Stormwater is a major cause of water pollution in urban areas in the U.S., impacting the health of people across the country as well as tens of thousands of miles of rivers, streams, and coastal shorelines, and hundreds of thousands of acres of lakes, reservoirs, and ponds. The competition will help raise awareness of green design and planning approaches at colleges and universities and train the next generation of landscape architects, planners, and engineers in green infrastructure principles and design. Student teams, working with a faculty advisor, will submit design plans for a proposed green infrastructure project for their campus. Registration opens September 4, 2012, and entries must be submitted by December 14, 2012. Win!
ning entries will be selected by EPA and winners will be announced in April 2013. Winning teams will earn a cash prize as well as funds for their faculty advisor to conduct research on green infrastructure.
Other Federal Agency News
U.S. Geological Survey Announces Opening for Program Manager (Senior Research Fellow or Postdoctoral Fellow Level) for the Northeast Climate Science Center at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst - Applications due June 15, 2012
Applications are being accepted for the position of Program Manager <http://necsc.umass.edu/news/new-position-necsc-program-manager> (Senior Research Fellow or Postdoctoral Fellow Level) for the Northeast Climate Science Center. The Northeast Climate Science Center is led by the University of Massachusetts and consists of the College of Menominee Nation, Columbia University, the Marine Biology Laboratory, the University of Minnesota, the University of Missouri-Columbia and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Northeast Climate Science Center will develop stakeholder-driven research and decision support for assisting landscape and watershed management in the face of climate variability and climate change. Activities will include developing and integrating future scenarios of climate, hydrology, landscape and resource management change in the region, including the 22 states that comprise the Northeast.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Announces Funding Opportunity Award for Building Resilience against Climate Effects in State, Territorial and Tribal Health Departments - Deadline June 18, 2012
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Climate and Health Program intends to fund state health departments to conduct analytic and programmatic activities aimed at reducing the health consequences of climate change and variability by developing public health adaptation strategies. The application <http://www.cdc.gov/climatechange/funding.htm> deadline date is June 18, 2012.
U.S. Department of the Interior Announces New Online Application and Other Tools to Expand Public Access to Critical Data for Assessing Water Availability Across the Western U.S.
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced a new online tool for western water managers and the public to help increase accessibility of science-based information and understanding of how climate variations will impact the availability of water to communities. Projected streamflow data can be found at the Bureau of Reclamation's new website <http://gis.usbr.gov/Streamflow_Projections/> on Streamflow Projections for the Western United States. The site provides a straightforward interface to data for 195 sites on streams and rivers throughout the West. Along with additional information on the tools and official announcement are also available online <http://www.usbr.gov/newsroom/newsrelease/detail.cfm?RecordID=39908>.
U.S. Geological Survey Details Effects of Climate Change on Water Availability in 14 Local Basins Nationwide
Climate change projections indicate a steady increase in temperature progressing through the 21st century, generally resulting in snowpack reductions, changes to the timing of snowmelt, altered stream flows, and reductions in soil moisture, all of which could affect water management, agriculture, recreation, hazard mitigation, and ecosystems across the nation. Despite some widespread similarities in climate change trends, climate change will affect specific water basins in the U.S. differently, based on the particular hydrologic and geologic conditions in that area. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has released a study <http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.aspID=3205#.T75N67DLyI4> projecting changes in water availability due to climate change at the local level. So far, the USGS has applied these models to fourteen basins.
U.S. Global Change Research Program Makes Available Technical Input Reports to the 2013 National Climate Assessment
The 2013 National Climate Assessment, conducted under the auspices of the Global Change Research Act of 1990, will be a report submitted to the President and the Congress that integrates, evaluates, and interprets the findings of the U.S. Global Change Research Program; analyzes the effects of global change on the natural environment, agriculture, energy production and use, land and water resources, transportation, human health and welfare, human social systems, and biological diversity; and analyzes current trends in global change, both human-induced and natural, and projects major trends for the subsequent 25 to 100 years. Technical input reports <http://www.globalchange.gov/what-we-do/assessment/nca-activities/available-technical-inputs> that were submitted for the 2013 National Climate Assessment by March 1, 2012 have now been made available online.
U.S. Global Change Research Program Announces NCAnet - A Network of Partners Supporting the National Climate Assessment
NCAnet <http://ncanet.usgcrp.gov> is a network of organizations working with the National Climate Assessment (NCA) to engage producers and users of assessment information across the United States. Partners extend the NCA process and products to a broad audience through the development of assessment-related capacities and products, such as collection and synthesis of data or other technical and scientific information relevant to current and future NCA reports, dissemination of NCA report findings to various users of assessment information, engagement of assessment information producers and users, supporting NCA events, and producing communications materials related to the NCA and NCA report findings. NCAnet currently consists of over 50 partners. The NCA is seeking additional partners.
Other News
Water Utility Climate Alliance (WUCA) Announces New Leadership for Climate Alliance - Seattle Public Utilities succeeds San Francisco as WUCA Chair
Following the first leadership change since its founding in 2007, the Water Utility Climate Alliance <http://www.wucaonline.org> (WUCA) is pursuing a work plan this year to expand its reach and influence on climate adaptation and related issues. The organization's new leaders are Executive Chair Ray Hoffman, who is Director of Seattle Public Utilities, and Executive Vice Chair Gerald Seeber, who is General Manager of Tampa Bay Water. Hoffman succeeds Ed Harrington, General Manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which founded WUCA in 2007 and chaired the coalition until this year.
Researchers Publish Paper in Nature Geoscience Journal that Seagrasses Can Store as Much Carbon as Forests
Seagrasses are a vital part of the solution to climate change and, per unit area, seagrass meadows can store up to twice as much carbon as the world's temperate and tropical forests. The paper, "Seagrass Ecosystems as a Globally Significant Carbon Stock <http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ngeo1477.html>," is the first global analysis of carbon stored in seagrasses. The results demonstrate that coastal seagrass beds store up to 83,000 metric tons of carbon per square kilometer, mostly in the soils beneath them. The new results, say the scientists, emphasize that conserving and restoring seagrass meadows may reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon stores--while delivering important "ecosystem services" to coastal communities. The research is part of the Blue Carbon Initiative, a collaborative effort of Conservation International, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. !
The press release <http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=124263&WT.mc_id=USNSF_51&WT.mc_ev=click> from the National Science Foundation is also available online.
________________________________
This newsletter is produced by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water (EPA). If you have questions related to the newsletter or want to submit an item, email the editor at water_climate_change@epa.gov. For past issues of EPA Climate Change and Water News, as well as further information on climate change impacts on water resources, visit www.epa.gov/water/climatechange. For more information on EPA's climate change activities, visit www.epa.gov/climatechange. [deletions]
***********************************************
Enviro-News is a service of the Water Quality
Information Center at the National Agricultural
Library. The center's Web site is at
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/.
The Enviro-News list facilitates information exchange.
Inclusion of an item in Enviro-News does not imply
United States Department of Agriculture(USDA) agreement,
nor does USDA attest to the accuracy or completeness of
the item. See
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/environews.shtml#disclaimer
You can contact the list owner at
owner-Enviro-News@ars.usda.gov.
***********************************************
