Science Synthesis
National Climate Assessments
USDA Southwest Climate Hub staff contributed to the Fourth National Climate Assessment and the Fifth National Climate Assessment. The assessments are mandated by congress under the Global Change Research Act of 1990 and are the most authoritative assessment of climate impacts, risks and responses in the United States.
National Climate Change Roadmap
Members of the USDA Southwest Climate Hub participated in the development of the National Climate Change Roadmap.
Vulnerability Assessments of U.S. Agriculture and Forests (2018)
Two special issues in the journal Climatic Change feature vulnerability assessments of agriculture and forestry across the Nation written by the Climate Hubs and their partners.
Spatio-temporal Analysis of Federal Crop Insurance Cause of Loss Data: A Roadmap for Research and Outreach Efforts
Federal crop insurance provides a financial safety net for farmers against insured perils such as drought, heat, and freeze. In this white paper, we analyze publicly-available Federal crop insurance…
Drought Vulnerability Assessment to Inform Grazing Practices on Rangelands
The USDA Southwest Climate Hub and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) worked together to produce two drought vulnerability assessments at the Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) level based on…
Climate-Adapted Forests in Arizona and New Mexico: An overview of forest composition and review of common garden studies
Lauren Kramer, USDA Southwest Climate Hub
Assessment of Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies
A report describing the potential vulnerability of crops, forests and animal agriculture to climate-driven environmental changes (SW and CA Hub regions).
Drought Impacts in the Southwestern Region
This report contains a synopsis of the presentations and work group sessions from the Region 3 Drought Workshop, held on May 31 – June 1, 2017 in Albuquerque, NM.
How do Multiscalar Drought Indices Relate to Soil Moisture in the Semi-Arid Southwest?
Vegetation productivity in the semi-arid Southwestern United States (‘Southwest’) is adapted to the seasonal timing and magnitude of precipitation for soil water recharge
Without Water There Is No Agriculture: ARS’s Road Map for Water Research to 2050
The ARS Water Research Vision 2050 provides a roadmap and guide that describes where we have been, where we are going, how we would like to get there, who we would like to travel with, and what we would like to accomplish together toward solving the most important water issues of the next three decades and beyond.
Feral Swine Bomb
The success of pigs in the wild is due to several factors. They mature early and can produce an abundance of offspring. They are generalists, meaning they can thrive in a wide variety of environments and can eat a variety of foods. They are also a highly adaptive and intelligent species that learns quickly to evade capture. “A wild hog is very possibly the most dangerous animal in the wild, and he knows no enemies and he knows no fear” Hank Berdine, Mississippi Levee Board.
Megadrought and Aridification in the Southwest United States
What is megadrought? We hear the term used frequently in news outlets with respect to the ongoing drought in the southwest. Undeniably, to date, the southwest U.S. has known nothing but drought for the twenty-first century, so is it a megadrought?
Wildfire Awareness and Prevention in the Western Pacific
Wildfires caused by humans, climatic shifts, and increases in fire-prone vegetation are a growing issue within the U.S. affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI). Island wildfires might burn a smaller area than the fires we see in the mainland U.S. but relatively speaking, they burn a much greater percentage of the available land.
