Climate Change Indicators for the North-Central CA Coast

Dr. Benét Duncan is working to develop a set of linked environmental and biological climate change indicators for the North-Central California coast, extending from Bodega Head to Año Nuevo. The indicators will be integrated into a collaborative monitoring plan to help track and address the effects of climate variability and change on the region. This first of its kind effort within the National Marine Sanctuary System will produce a regionally-specific set of indicators to ultimately help inform management decisions.

In Phase I of the project, a comprehensive review of existing published and unpublished literature, indicator reports, and monitoring plans will provide the foundation for defining a clear selection process and indicator selection criteria. Phase II is focused on determining the environmental and biological climate change indicators. Workshops with regional experts, numerical computer modeling, and data analysis will maximize confidence in the chosen indicators. In Phase III, the final climate change indicators will be described in two reports that are tailored for management and peer-reviewed journals, respectively. Phase IV will utilize a working group to define regional monitoring goals, and to incorporate the climate change indicators into a comprehensive monitoring plan for the North-Central California coast. Download project outline (PDF, 40KB)

This two year postdoctoral research project is part of the Postdocs Applying Climate Expertise (PACE) Fellowship program, which is administered by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) and the NOAA Climate Program Office. Dr. Duncan is hosted by four mentors: Kelley Higgason, at the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (GFNMS) Ocean Climate Center (OCC); Dr. Tom Suchanek, with the USGS Western Ecological Research Center; Dr. Jay Stachowicz, with UC Davis and the Bodega Marine Lab; and Dr. Dan Cayan, with USGS and Scripps Institute of Oceanography. Dr. Duncan is based at the GFNMS OCC.

For more information, please contact: Benét Duncan, 415-970-5253