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Climate science for wildlife & people.
Science at Local, Regional, and National Scales
Each of the eight regional Climate Science Centers (CSCs, view CSC region map) conducts and supports science projects that address specific local and regional research priorities and needs. Browse CSC projects by region >>
Projects led by the National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Office (NCCWSC) often cross CSC boundaries and build on CSC science to examine climate change impacts at a national or multi-region level. Currently, the NCCWSC is leading efforts that include understanding the impacts of "ecological drought" on important natural resources across the country, examining the impacts of climate change on migratory waterbirds, and evaluating the use of downscaled climate information for the purpose of informing natural resource management actions.
The framework below is an overview of activities that occur at the CSCs and NCCWSC.- Assess and synthesize our state of knowledge about climate and land use change impacts to natural and cultural resources Perform vulnerability assessments of species and ecosystems Understand the social-ecological impacts of climate and land use change Understand the interactions between climate and the physical, biological, and chemical forces that influence the structure and functioning of ecosystems and the goods and services they provide (search our projects)
- Collaborate, communicate and translate science results to managers, stakeholders and the public interested in climate change activity Create a shared information and data management platform Educate and train a core of climate scientists that will provide expertise in the future (learn more about our educational programs) Evaluate the impacts of the CSC/NCCWSC enterprise
Stakeholder Input
The CSCs and NCCWSC rely on stakeholder input for the identification of research needs, the prioritization of projects, and the elevation of research products. Each CSC has a regional Stakeholder Advisory Committee that it meets with several times a year. These Committees include members from federal, state, local, regional, and tribal natural and cultural resource management entities and science providers. These regional committees, along with the Federal Advisory Committee on Climate Change and Natural Resource Science, provide direct input into our annual and longer-term science planning efforts and help develop our regional science themes that comprise our funding opportunity announcements.
Education & Training
The CSCs and NCCWSC support young and early career scientists and managers in learning about and conducting research on the climate change impacts to fish and wildlife, developing skills in science communications, user interactions, and stakeholder engagement, and developing a network of peers to support their career development. This commitment is carried out through various programs across the country targeted at undergraduate and graduate students, Ph.D. candidates, and post doctoral researchers. Learn more about our education & training programs >>
Funding Opportunities
Every two years, the CSCs and NCCWSC announce a national funding opportunity open to researchers at CSC consortium institutions and USGS centers and offices. The next national funding opportunity will be held in Fiscal Year 2017. Opportunities for funding from and collaboration with the CSCs may be available in the interim. Learn about these opportunities by visiting and monitoring the individual CSC websites and the NCCWSC website, or by signing up for our BioClimate newsletter. Learn more about our research funding opportunities >>
Have Questions? Contact us at nccwsc@usgs.gov!