Correcting Our Course
As the climate changes, so does the ecosystem. Penn State researchers work to manage the risks of anthropogenic, or human-driven, climate change and the risks it poses.
Researching the Changes
Managing the risks of anthropogenic climate change poses significant challenges both now and in the future. Warmer and more extreme weather events will increase the risk of natural disturbances, increase the burden of pests and pathogens, threaten public health, and expose vulnerabilities in critical infrastructural systems. The burden of climate resilience and adaptation will fall unequally and inequitably, burdening people of color and rural and poor communities disproportionately.
Penn State has the critical mass to become a world leader in climate and ecosystem change. IEE’s commitment to supporting interdisciplinary research in energy and the environment means we have a unique opportunity to identify solutions to these impacts across natural, social, and built systems.
Major initiatives within this theme include but are not limited to climate variability and change, ecosystem productivity and biodiversity, stressors and resilience, food and water security, and polar science.
Penn State ranked fourth in the U.S. and 32nd in the world out of 1115 international institutions that participated in the Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings, placing the University in the top 3% of universities worldwide.
Climate and Ecosystem Change Research
Featured IEE Researchers
More Researchers by Topic
Find more researchers studying climate and ecosystem change by clicking on any of the following topics:
Climate Change Climate Modeling Ecosystem Change Atmosphere Resilience Sea Level Habitat Carbon Ice Temperature Warming
Climate and Ecosystem Change News
Featured Stories
Interdisciplinary projects awarded seed grants from IEE
| news.psu.edu
The Institutes of Energy and the Environment (IEE) has awarded seed grants to 22 groups of interdisciplinary researchers for the 2020-21 award cycle. This year, seed grants were awarded to proposals focusing on at least one of IEE’s five strategic research themes — Climate and Ecosystem Change, Health and the Environment, Integrated Energy Systems, Urban Systems, and Water and Biogeochemical Cycles.
Mentions: Bruce Logan, Seth Blumsack, Mary Ann Bruns, Peter Stempel, Klaus Keller, Alexander Klippel, Kristina Douglass, Gregory Jenkins, Shirley Clark, Lauren McPhillips, Hong Wu, Margaret Byron, John (Jay) Regan, Mallika Bose, Stephen Mainzer, Ute Poerschke, Lisa Iulo, Natasha Miles, Jennifer Baka, Kenneth Davis, Esther Obonyo, Wei Peng, Emily Pakhtigian, Hannah Wiseman, Randy L. Vander Wal, Andrew Kleit, Dave Yoxtheimer, Mohamed Badissy, Thomas Murphy, Linxiao Zhu, Alfonso Mejia, Daniel Brent, Charles Cole, Tom Richard
Artificial intelligence predicts river water quality with weather data
| news.psu.edu
A Penn-State led team developed an artificial intelligence model to forecast water quality in remote rivers and streams, which could lead to a better understanding of how rivers are reacting to human disturbances and climate change.
Mentions: Li Li, Chaopeng Shen
Building Convergence in Climate Science
IEE and Erica Smithwick hosted a community forum on Building Convergence in Climate Science. A brief introduction was followed by three breakout groups:
- Mitigation: What efforts exist to reduce or prevent the emission of greenhouse gases?
- Resilience: From local to global, where can we absorb the stresses of climate change or adapt, reorganize, and evolve?
- Impacts: What are the biggest impacts of climate change on ecosystems and human societies?
Each breakout group explored five topics:
- Convergent Research Opportunities (Thematic): Where do climate researchers have opportunities to align their efforts?
- Current Penn State Assets: What is available at Penn State to continue work in climate mitigation, resilience, and impact?
- Barriers to Action: What, if anything, hinders your ability to further your climate work?
- Recommendations: What do you see as opportunities for climate work at Penn State?
- Exemplar Success Stories: Where have you seen climate work shine?
Breakout Group Outcomes
Communicating Climate in a Complex World
Four leading experts—an atmospheric scientist, an archaeologist, a coral reef biologist, and a professor of media studies—share their diverse perspectives on what needs to be most urgently communicated about climate change now.
Join us for an in-depth climate change panel discussion as scientists and journalists relate their experiences communicating their research with the media and other audiences.
