Research

Regional Climate

Overview

Understanding how climate affects natural resources and human systems rests squarely on an understanding of climate itself, developed by CIG’s regional climate research group. This research has demonstrated (1) how climate typically varies within the Pacific Northwest (PNW) and (2) how our climate is affected by larger-scale climate variations, such as El Niño/La Niña and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (see “About PNW Climate”). CIG also evaluates the predictability of regional climate, in order to improve regional resource forecasts. CIG researchers are also “downscaling” global climate change scenarios projected by global climate models, in order to help answer the question: what does global warming mean for the Pacific Northwest? (view PNW climate change scenarios.)

Key Personnel

• Nathan Mantua
• Philip Mote
• Eric Salathé

Related Activities

• Annual climate and streamflow forecasting workshops
• Climate change planning meetings and policy workshops
• Contributions to national and regional policy related studies (e.g., CIG contribution to National Assessment of Climate Impacts on the United States)

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