Anticipate and Adapt: protecting natural resources under extreme rainfall

Abstract:

In the last fifty years, heavy precipitation events have increased by 42% in the Midwest U.S. and 55% in the Northeast U.S., according to the 4^th National Climate Assessment. These extreme events, and associated flooding, are detrimental to urban and rural communities affecting infrastructure, crops, and human health and safety. Floods are also detrimental to ecosystems, impairing fish and wildlife populations, degrading habitat, and restricting outdoor recreation. Floods are now one of the leading concerns of natural resource managers in the region given the frequency, magnitude, and geographic extent of the adverse effects of extreme rainfall events. U.S. Geological Survey Climate Adaptation Science Centers respond to high priority management challenges, foster substantive, sustained engagement between scientists and managers, advance understanding of the impacts of climate change on fish, wildlife, water, and land, and provide the scientific basis to support climate adaptation and sound resource management. In this presentation, we will share the techniques used to engage natural resource managers, describe our portfolio of extreme precipitation research, review our success at co-production of climate adaptation, and demonstrate our communications and decision support activities for the Midwest and Northeast region.