Project News

Global Climate Change and Society

The second year of the Global Climate Change and Society program begins June 17. Out of 130 applications, thirteen students were offered admission. All thirteen have accepted--the thirteenth student bringing his own funding from Queens University in Ontario. This year's students are a diverse lot--their majors include geology, philosophy, women's studies, physics, biology, environmental policy, meteorology, and English.

Over an eight-week period these students will explore the nature of scientific knowledge--its epistemological character, and its social and philosophic implications--and the contribution that social scientific and humanistic perspectives play in public policy debates through an examination of the issues surrounding the computer modeling of global climate change.

GCCS is a summer research program for undergraduates sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

Western Water Assessment

A primary goal of the Western Water Assessment project is to understand societal sensitivity to climate extremes. We are interested in the combined impacts of climate variability and regional growth on water resources. Most of the WWA research effort on this topic has been devoted to the development and application of an integrated assessment model to assess the potential for water shortages in cities and agriculture, and also the potential for insufficient water for environmental needs.

The 2002 drought provides us with an opportunity to observe the actual impacts of drought on regional water resources. A suite of activities are planned, including an assessment of the environmental impacts of the drought and of the effectiveness of water restrictions and water conservation programs in various towns and cities, and a case study that uses the drought to learn more about water transfers. These activities will provide important data to validate future modeling activities.