LSU partnering on regional climate science center

LSU has been selected to partner with the University of Oklahoma to develop and operate a regional climate science center. Housed at the University of Oklahoma, the center will link weather and climate projections with on-the-ground decisions about how best to manage federal lands, natural resources, and fish and wildlife in the region. The facility, commissioned by the U.S. Department of the Interior, will be one of eight nationwide. The center will assess hurricane impacts on flood regions and urban development, spatial and temporal patterns of relative sea-level rise, changes in the region’s hydrology and its influence on commercial fisheries, and impacts on wetland environments. The University of Oklahoma contacted LSU in December to request its participation in developing a proposal to host the climate center, building on existing collaborations. Texas Tech University, Oklahoma State University, The Chickasaw Nation, The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory also take part in the center consortium.