ACCAP to host statewide climate change teleconferences

Submitted by Sarah Trainor
Phone: (907) 474-7878
07/12/07

The Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy is hosting a series of monthly statewide teleconferences on topics related to climate change, impacts and response in Alaska.

The free teleconferences will offer a forum to exchange information on specific aspects of climate change in Alaska. Each conference will start with a 15- to 20-minute presentation followed by discussion and questions from participants. Members of the public, as well as representatives from government, industry and nonprofit organizations, are encouraged to participate. Following is a schedule of upcoming teleconferences:

Tuesday, July 17
10-11 a.m.
"Alaska Storm Tracks: Monitoring, Outlook and Assessment"
Jon Gottschalck, NOAA Climate Prediction Center
There will be a brief overview of Alaska Storm Tracks, an online monitoring and assessment tool designed for people who rely on information about precipitation, wind speed and wave height. Discussions will focus on how the website can better meet the needs of communities around the state.
ON THE WEB: www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/precip/CWlink/stormtracks/strack_alaska.shtml

Tuesday, August 21
1-2 p.m.
"Fire and Climate Change in Alaska"
T. Scott Rupp, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Models project more frequent occurrence of extreme forest fire seasons with climate change. Discussion will focus on how climate change can be expected to impact the fire regime in Alaska, what information gaps still exist and what implications this might have for communities in Alaska.

The Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy is a joint endeavor between UAF and the University of Alaska Anchorage. The center was launched in September 2006 to improve the public’s ability to adapt to climate change by providing information about climate-related processes. The center is part of a network of Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments programs supported by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.

For registration and dial-in instructions, visit www.uaf.edu/accap/teleconference.htm.

CONTACT: Sarah Trainor, ACCAP coordinator, at (907) 474-7878 or via e-mail at fnsft@uaf.edu.