Earth System Modeling Project
PARTNERS: National Science Foundation, North Carolina State University, Argonne National Laboratory
SUMMARY: EFETAC scientists are contributing to a four-year National Science Foundation-funded project focused on decadal and regional climate prediction using earth system models. The project's specific goals are to improve upon and extend current modeling capabilities to offer new assessment tools for climate change research and management agencies. The research team asks the following questions:
- How will technology and policy choices under a variety of socioeconomic futures affect anthropogenic emissions that in turn affect future climate, air quality, and ecosystems?
- What are the interactions among decadal climate, air quality, and ecosystems at global, regional, and urban scales? How can their interplay affect future emission forecasts that are important in mitigation decisions?
- What are the choices for co-benefits of climate mitigation, and air quality and ecosystem management at all scales?
Various products from this collaborative project will provide much needed information for land managers and decision makers to design mitigation and adaptation strategies for climate change and air pollution.
STATUS: New
EFETAC'S ROLE: EFFTAC scientists will work towards coupling the water-centric ecosystem model WaSSI-CB and other tools with new climate change predictions under multiple green house gas emission scenarios. They will evaluate how future climate change and air pollution affect water resources (water quantity and quality) and forest carbon sequestration potentials. The research team will employ super computers to generate climatic data with rather high spatial and temporal details and examine climate change impacts at multiple levels--from City and State to the continental United States. The scientists will also supervise graduate students and postdoctoral scientists who are the next generation of global change researchers.
LINKS:
North Carolina State University
CONTACT: Ge Sun, EFETAC Research Hydrologist, ge_sun@ncsu.edu or 919-515-9498
Updated November 2011
