SCIPP works to understand the impacts of climate variability and change across the south-central U.S. This includes studying how cities are preparing to handle the challenges associated with climate change, while also building capacity and creating resources on climate hazards. The work presented in this report on Fayetteville is part of a larger study investigating climate adaptation, equity, and justice in three cities throughout the region: Tulsa, Oklahoma, Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Shreveport, Louisiana.
This research brief summarizes the results of a recent study on stakeholder involvement in mitigation discussions post-flooding event in three U.S. cities.
Author(s): John Day, Barry Keim, Vincent Brown, Michael Mann, Liviu Giosan, Jessica Stephens
Year: 2024
This study contains a review of major threats to the Mississippi River Delta and any potential best practices that could be implemented to protect the region.
Author(s): Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program
Year: 2024
SCIPP is hiring an Engagement Associate. This person will focus on increasing our team’s capacity for stakeholder engagement activities through effective communication and event planning and execution. To learn more and apply, click here: https://bit.ly/4dt715n
Author(s): Vincent Brown, Alan Black, Douglas Hultsrand, William Kappel, Derek Thompson, Alicia Bentley, Barry Keim
Year: 2024
The May 2021 extreme rainfall event caused extensive flooding in southeastern Texas and southern Louisiana, producing over $1 billion in damage. This paper discusses the synoptic setting of this historic rainfall event, which produced 15-19.8 inches of rain in some areas. It also compares the May 2021 event to another extreme precipitation event that affected southern Louisiana, the August 2016 flood.
Author(s): John Day, Yi-Jun Xu, Barry Keim, Vincent Brown, Liviu Giosan, Michael Mann, Jessica Stephens
Year: 2024
The Mississippi River Delta (MRD), which plays an important role in Louisiana’s economy and hazard mitigation efforts, is increasingly threatened by climate change. In this study, investigators reviewed changes in the main climate stressors affecting the MRD. They argue that a priority shift from restoration to adaptation may be needed to protect the delta in the future.
Author(s): Brittany Babin, Devin Metoyer, Anna Reilly, Chelsea Carter, Vincent Brown, Charles Simson
Year: 2024
During winter 2023/2024, SCIPP worked alongside the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) to draft a report titled, “Heat-Related Emergency Department Visits in Louisiana: Review of Syndromic Surveillance Data for April through October 2023.” The report details the historic heat of 2023 and provides important information for heat safety. Additionally, SCIPP’s Vincent Brown and Charles Simson co-produced Python code with the LDH for a heat-related illness dashboard on their website that shows near-real time daily maximum temperatures and emergency department visits across Louisiana. The dashboard is available here.
Tulsa is at a crossroads: develop climate adaptation strategies for the future or continue with business as usual. To understand if and how the city is progressing with adaptation, we conducted a series of interviews, analyzed documents from Tulsa city offices, and surveyed residents to hear where they are already experiencing extreme heat and flooding. The results are clear: Tulsa struggles with environmental issues across the board and is doing little when it comes to planning for the future. There is a deep distrust of the city government from residents and even across various agencies. Despite the adoption of a new comprehensive plan in June 2023, there is no sustainability or climate office within the city that can champion the environmental portions of the plan, making it unclear if these actions will be implemented.
Extreme rainfall events are hazardous and costly. They have increased in parts of the United States, and climate models project that trend to continue. Effective communication of potential threats and impacts associated with extreme rainfall events is one of the foci of a weather forecaster’s job and aligns with the National Weather Service (NWS)’s mission to protect life and property. This research investigated how NWS forecasters processed and communicated information about extreme rainfall events that occurred in the south-central United States between 2015 and 2019. The study also explored forecasters’ perceptions of the relationship between the events and climate change and whether those perceptions impacted the forecasts, including how forecast information was communicated.
Climate justice directly connects to previously-researched areas by SCIPP, including disaster resilience and climate change adaptation, in increasingly meaningful ways. Therefore, Simone Domingue, a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow for SCIPP, hosted a series of webinars and conversations to raise awareness of climate justice’s significance in future adaptation. The webinars offered actionable ideas for participants to bring back to their communities for proactive planning. A summary report was created and provides panelist details, webinar resources, and webinar evaluation highlights.
