Welcome!

The Rutgers Climate Institute is a University-wide effort to address one of the most important issues of our time through research, education and outreach. The Institute draws upon strengths in many departments at Rutgers by facilitating collaboration across a broad range of disciplines in the natural, social and policy sciences.     

News in June 2018

A new study published in Nature found that the Antarctic ice sheet has lost 3.3 trillion tons of ice since 1992, as reported by the NY Times, the Washington Post, and WNYC. Since 2012 the ice sheet has been losing ice at at a rate that is three times faster than a decade ago. The most dramatic effect has been seen in West Antarctica, where the ice sheet is on the sea bed.

New research published in Science Magazine by RCI affiliate Malin Pinsky suggests that due to climate change, fish are migrating too fast for fishing rules to keep up. The rapid shifting of fish will exacerbate international fisheries conflicts, which can lead to overfishing and a degradation of international relations, as reported in Rutgers Today, the Washington Post, Forbes, National Geographic, and the Huffington Post.

The Regional Planning Association is calling for a regional commission to help create a proactive approach to rising sea levels along the shorelines of New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. The scramble between local, state, and federal officials can be chaotic as a storm approaches, but with a coastal commission, communication and actions between the necessary actors can be streamlined. An additional recommendation made by the RPA was to close down Teterboro airport by phasing out flights over the next 40 years, as the airport will lose its battle with sea level rise.

Rutgers faculty Grace Saba, Travis Miles, and graduate student Elizabeth Wright-Fairbanks recently deployed the first integrated glider platform and sensor system for sampling pH in the water column of the coastal ocean as climate change contribute to ocean acidification. The data produced from this new technology will allow the researchers and the community to track the movement of low pH water (which is a measure of acidification), identify high-risk regions and populations of commercially important species that are more prone to periods of reduced pH, and ultimately will enable more informed management of essential habitats in the future, more acidic oceans.

Accelerating sea-level rise will have an enormous impact on the greater New York City metropolitan area, especially on coastal infrastructure built on cheap, low elevation land, as reported by Vox and Patch.com. According to RCI affiliate Robert Kopp, with higher sea level, significant flooding will be possible with weaker storms. This potential crisis threatens a shutdown of vital transportation infrastructure in this part of the country.

RCI affiliate Dina Fonseca is interviewed on WHYY.org to discuss how diseases like Zika and West Nile Virus spreads in the context of climate change and how to protect yourself from being bit by mosquitoes.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released Direct Air Capture and Mineral Carbonation Approaches for Carbon Dioxide Removal and Reliable Sequestration that summarizes a workshop addressing carbon dioxide capturing technologies, including benefits, costs, and barriers to implementing technology.

Highlights

Three Rutgers graduate students have been selected as 2018 GradCAP Scholars. The Graduate Student Climate Adaptation Partners Scholars Program (GradCAP) is sponsored by the USDA Northeast Climate Hub and developed to enhance the engagement of graduate students who are conducting natural/social science research addressing aspects of climate adaptation in the context of agronomic, horticultural, aquacultural, or forest systems. The selected students include Michael Acquafredda, Michael Allen, William Errickson.

Michael Acquafredda  is a PhD candidate in Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources. His research is focused on whether selective breeding for a heat-tolerant surfclam is a viable strategy for enhancing the survival of surfclams exposed to high temperatures on farms. This is highly relevant to the influence of rising temperatures under climate change to aquaculture.

Michael Allen is a PhD candidate in Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources. He studies the effectiveness of policy to conserve grassland birds in the northeast. Hayfield management affects the populations of bird species, which is strongly related to climate and can affect biodiversity in the future.

William Errickson, PhD candidate in Plant Biology studies the role of rhizobacteria in ecosystems in the northeast in improving crop productivity and stress tolerance. His research has focused on microorganisms that can be used as biofertilizers to improve plant growth during stress conditions associated with climate change, such as heat and drought.

Congratulations to RCI intern Emily Cheng who along with Maya Robles, both undergraduates majoring in Environmental Policy, Institutions, and Behavior took first prize in the 2018 Rutgers Energy Institute Competition for their  “The Collegiate Carbon Exchange: Cap and Trade Between the Big 10 Schools”. The energy competition is intended to engage students in devising creative and innovative solutions in reducing energy wasted at Rutgers.  "Energy Innovation" was the challenge for the 2018 competition. The winners were announced May 2, 2108 at the annual REI Energy Symposium.

Maya Robles and RCI Intern Emily Cheng in front of their 1st prize poster.

RCI Intern Emily Cheng (2nd from Left) recognized for the winning poster at the REI 2018 Energy Symposium.

Congratulations to the following RCI affiliates for winning departmental awards:

Elizabeth Sikes - Teaching Excellence Award

Cara Cuite - Outreach Excellence Award

Jill Lipoti - Barbara Munson Goff Teacher of the Year Award

 Climate Lunch April 2018

On April 6, 2018, RCI hosted its final climate lunch of the academic year.   RCI lunches are an opportunity for graduate students, post doctoral researchers, faculty and staff to meet over a casual lunch setting and foster collaboration and information exchange.

Professor Yair Rosenthal, Departments of Marine and Coastal Sciences & Earth and Planetary Sciences  speaking on  “Paleoceanography of the western Pacific warm pool: why, where and how?”

Professor Lauren Feldman, Department of Journalism and Media Studies presents “Climate Change in the Media: Effects on Public Opinion and Engagement.”

Rutgers Day 2018

On Saturday April 28, 2018, Rutgers Climate Institute teamed up with the Office of the NJ State Climatologist where visitors of all ages learned about climate change through stories, “climate jeopardy”, and questions and answers with experts. 

USDA Northeast Climate Hub Partners Meeting

On behalf of the US Department of Agriculture, Northeast Climate Hub, on March 14-15, 2018 Rutgers University hosted the first regional Northeast Climate Hub Partners meeting “Building Agricultural Resiliency Through Adaptation” to examine the state of knowledge on climate adaptation and promote actions to support agriculture in the Northeast Region.  The meeting enabled partners from government, academia and the farm community to share experiences in adapting to climate impacts and foster peer-to-peer learning through multi-directional information exchange; to strategize on how to best support science-based and cost-effective adaptation in the context of current climate science; and to support and formalize the growing community of practice around climate adaptation in agriculture in the Northeast.  Meeting agenda and presentation abstracts are available here; learn more about climate change and agriculture in New Jersey here.

Bill Hohenstein, Office of the Chief Economist, United States Department of Agriculture provides perspectives on national efforts to address climate change.

Dr. Daniel Ward, Rutgers University speaking on Strategies and Tactics for Wine Grape Production in a Changing Climate.

Hannah Aitken and Dr. Joshua Faulkner both of the University of Vermont describing the Climate Masters Project: A Farmers and Fellows Project for Peer-to-Peer Climate Adaptation Education.

RCI Affiliate Paul Falkowski has been honored as 2018 Tyler Prize Laureate for Environmental Achievement. 

Falkowski is a distinguished professor in the Departments of Marine and Coastal Sciences and Earth and Planetary Sciences.  His scholarship focuses  on phytoplankton, coral, and the primary production of aquatic organisms for his studies on the biophysical processes controlling ocean productivity, in the roles of the nitrogen and iron cycles in ocean biogeochemistry and climate. The knowledge that climate strongly influences the distribution and diversity of all animals and plants has been historically clear, but its effects on microbial communities were poorly understood.  In the 1970s, Dr. Falkowski was among the first  scientists to observe this chain of link processes at the source of all life's origins - our oceans- that now informs predictions about how phytoplankton communities will change in the future and impact global climate. He has authored over 300 scientific papers, edited and authored 6 books and advised more than 100 graduate student, postdoctoral fellows, and visiting scientists. Dr. Falkowski is the Bennett L. Smith Chair in Business and Natural Resources and the founding director of the Rutgers Energy Institute. 

Virtual Field Tours “As if You were There” From the USDA Northeast Climate Hub

Explore farm and forestry climate adaptation practices from throughout the Northeast through these 360 degree demonstration projects including.  
In one, Rutgers University scientists, RCI Affiliate Dave Bushek and Rutgers Program Coordinator, Jenny Paterno Shinn, both of the Haskin Shellfish Lab, assist partners from US Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy and Partnership for the Delaware Estuary  to build living shorelines  along the Delaware Bayshore to reduce the impacts of future storms.

Distinguished Professor Debashish Bhattacharya Appointed to National Academy of Sciences Committee Addressing Interventions to Increase the Resilience of Coral Reefs

RCI affiliate, Professor  Debashish Bhattacharya of the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology has been appointed by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to serve on the committee to discuss and report on strategic Interventions to Increase the Resilience of Coral Reefs (http://dels.nas.edu/Study-In-Progress/Interventions-Increase-Resilience/DELS-OSB-17-01). Prof. Bhattacharya’s lab studies coral genome evolution, population structure, and coral responses to abiotic stress, with the goal of identifying the ‘genetic toolkit’ used by these species to adapt to environmental fluctuations.
This committee has multiple tasks. These include to review the state of the art in ecological and genetic interventions that can be used to enhance recovery and persistence of coral reefs. The committee will consider scenarios and solutions that address the next 5-20 years which will see serious deterioration in the reef environment due to warming, more acidic waters. The committee will provide an environmental risk assessment and develop a decision pathway for implementation of potential interventions that includes knowledge gained from genetic, genomic, and ecological data. Two reports will result from this initiative.

The New Jersey Climate Adaptation Alliance has developed an infographic to explain NJ's climate change impacts, greenhouse gas emissions sources, status on emissions reductions,  progress to meeting state goals, and policy options available to New Jersey.  This infographic is based on the report An Examination of Policy Options for Achieving Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions in New Jersey.

In addition, the Alliance has posted the video: There are benefits to addressing climate change beyond reducing greenhouse gases.

The New Jersey Climate Adaptation Alliance Climate Change and Public Health Working Group has released the final New Jersey Climate and Health Profile Report.  Read the December 2017 final report here. 

A video on Climate Change and Public Health Implications for New Jersey can be found here. 
A video on NJ Populations Vulnerable to Climate Change can be found here. 
A video on Climate Change and Flood Risk for NJ’s Senior Citizens is available here. 

 Congratulations to RCI Affiliate Jeanne Herb and RCI Associate Director Marjorie Kaplan on receiving the 2017 Public Health Advocates of the Year Award by the New Jersey Local Boards of Health Association. Herb and Kaplan are co-facilitators of the New Jersey Climate Adaptation Alliance and through their work with the Alliance they were recognized for their outstanding contribution to public health in New Jersey.

State Department Publication Features Rutgers Polar Research!

 
Rutgers representatives working at the US Naval Arctic Research Laboratory, Point Barrow, Alaska, 1957. Left to right: Professor John Tedrow, William Gillis ‘55, Professor Russell Alderfer, John Cantlon ‘50, James Drew ‘52, Nathan Perselay ‘23, graduate student Lowell Douglass, Jerry Brown ‘58, with Ambercrombie the mascot. (Photo credit: Jerry Brown)

During the U.S. Chairmanship of the Arctic Council (April 2015- May 2017), the State Department created a blog post series on the relationship of each state to the Arctic, which culminated in the book Our Arctic Nation, published in 2017. The chapter on New Jersey features the research of several Rutgers faculty including Professor Jennifer Francis (Marine and Coastal Sciences), Professor Åsa Rennermalm (Geography),  Professor David Robinson (Geography), and Professor Hal Salzman (E.J. Bloustein School) as well as several Rutgers graduate students and discusses the long history of polar research at Rutgers.
You can view the book here.

Read the more in-depth original blog post Putting New Jersey on the Arctic Map: Rutgers Univeristy and The Garden State’s Arctic Connections which was published February 19, 2016 .

Jobs, Internships, Academic Opportunities, Student Competitions & Funding Opportunities

Click here for more information on Fellowships and Internships.

PhD Position in application of machine learning methods to regional climate predictions at The Institute of Coastal Research at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht (Germany). To apply send a CV, description of your scientific expertise, publication list, copies of credentials including grades, and names and addresses of three academic referees in one PDF file to personal(at)hzg.de. Application deadline July 8, 2018.

PhD position in coupled data assimilation and climate predictions with the Geophysical Institute (University of Bergen) and Bjerknes Center for Climate research (Norway). Application deadline  June 20, 2018.

Postdoctoral researcher/PhD position in animating terrestrial ecosystem dynamics at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany). To apply send a CV, publication list, a 1-2 page letter of motivation and contact details for two referees to almut.arneth(at)kit.edu. Application deadline July 9, 2018.

Postdoctoral fellowship in ocean-sea ice-atmosphere coupled seasonal predictions at CNRM (National Center for Meteorological Research) (France). Application deadline July 12, 2018.

Postdoctoral Research Associate in the role of atmospheric convection and clouds in climate change at the University of New South Wales (Australia). Application deadline July 13, 2018.

Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in climate extremes and their impacts with the African Climate and Development Initiative at the University of Cape Town. Application deadline July 13, 2018.

Postdoctoral Research Associate in ocean heat uptake and sea level change at the University of Reading (UK). Application deadline June 28, 2018.

Postdoctoral position in cryospheric and high mountain research with a focus on climate change related impacts at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. Application deadline August 15, 2018.

Climate Change Principal Planner at the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to plan, design, and implement policies and programs to reduce greenhouse gas emission in Delaware. Application deadline July 10, 2018.

Earth System Modeler in soil and vegetation biogeochemistry at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Application deadline July 31, 2018.

Energy Policy Analyst at the Compliance Division of the District of Columbia. Policy Analyst will support the Energy Administration’s policy team, with a focus on achieving the Department’s climate and energy goals. Application deadline June 19, 2018.

Funding available from the Renewable Resources Extension Act-National Focus Fund Projects available to 1862 and 1890 Land-Grant Institutions to provide funds for pilot projects that address emerging forest and rangeland resource issues, have national or regional relevancy, or develop new and innovative projects that can be replicated at other institutions. Application deadline July 20, 2018.

Foundational and Applied Science Program grants available from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Application deadlines vary. [Posted June 17, 2018]

Project Scientist position, Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay. Applications will be reviewed beginning June 19th, 2018. Qualifications include graduate degree in social, behavioral, or economic sciences.

2018 NJDEP Recycling Awards to recognize businesses, government agencies, organizations, and individuals who have made significant contributions to recycling and source reduction in New Jersey. Deadline for nomination submittals is July 27, 2018.

Funding opportunity from NOAA RESTORE Science Program on identifying, tracking, understanding, and/or predicting trends and variability in the Gulf of Mexico’s living coastal and marine resources and the processes driving them. Applicants must propose work that addresses this priority in one or more of these areas of emphasis: 1) exploring trends in multiple species, 2) investigating the link between weather and/or climate and trends, and 3) examining the relationship between trends and economic activity. Application deadline October 29, 2018.

Advanced Research Projects Agency- Energy is now soliciting funding proposals for its Duration Addition to Electricity Storage (DAYS) program to improve the stationary electricity storage systems incorporated into the larger electricity grid. Notice of intent deadline June 15, 2018 and full application deadline July 2, 2018.

Assistant/Associate Extension Professor in climate science at the University of Minnesota. Review of applications will begin September 14, 2018.

Air Pollution Educational and Research Grant administered by the Mid-Atlantic States Section of the Air and Waste Management Association (MASS-A&WMA). Open to full-time doctoral students or post-doctoral researchers in the MASS-A&WMA region (DE, NJ, most of NY, and eastern PA) conducting environmental research on air quality, air pollution, the atmosphere, or any other closely related topic. Application deadline June 30, 2018.

NJDEP grant competition to help communities impacted by Superstorm Sandy. Application deadline July 20, 2018.

NJDEP is providing grants to improve water quality in the Barnegat Bay Watershed. Email an electronic copy of project proposal to NPSgrants(at)dep.nj.gov. Application deadline August 31, 2018.

Policy Associate position at New Jersey Future in Trenton, NJ. [Posted May 20, 2018]

Various fellowships via the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research for scientists, engineers, social scientists, and humanities researchers (early career scientists (w/in 5 years of undergraduate or graduate degree) and/or current PhD researchers in Antarctic research. Application deadline July 11, 2018.

Various short-term and long-term fellowships with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. [Posted May 20, 2018]

EMBO Fellowships to support international postdoctoral and pre-doctoral research experience. Applications accepted throughout the year, [Posted May 20, 2018]

Applications now being accepted for the Pamela and Alexander F. Skutch Research Award to support research into the life histories of little known birds of the continental Neotropics, including Trinidad and Tobago; applicants can include amateur or proffesional ornithologists. Application deadline July 15, 2018.

Lecturer/Senior lecturer positions in climate science and paleoclimate modelling at the University of Melbourne. Application deadline July 15, 2018.

Postdoctoral Fellowship in the mathematics of climate extremes at CSIRO (Tasmania). Application deadline June 26, 2018.

The 2018 Artists and Climate Change Incubator, open to artists, activists, and educators who want to engage or further their engagement with climate change through artistic practices, will be held from August 6- August 10, 2018 in New York City. [posted May 13, 2018].

Fall undergraduate internship at the Department of Justice Environmental and Natural Resources Division in Washington, DC. Application deadline July 1, 2018.  More information pdf here (1.47 MB) and pdf here (90 KB) .

PhD position in the influence of anthropogenic climate change on health impacts of Australians at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Send a CV, full academic transcript, and names of up to three academic referees to arccss.grad(at)unsw.edu.au. Application deadline June 20, 2018.

Funding available from the National Science Foundation in Growing Convergence Research. Application deadline October 15, 2018 for FY 2019 funding.

Economic Development Administration is now accepting applications for Disaster Supplemental Relief Funding. Applications accepted on a rolling basis.

UCAR is accepting proposals for short-term research collaboration opportunities at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Applications now open to PhD students and postdoctoral researchers in natural, economics and social sciences for the 2018 Allianz Climate Risk Research Award on the topic “climate risk: real-time information and new technologies.” Application deadline July 1, 2018.

Capacity Center for Climate and Weather Extremes is now accepting applications for the Climate and Weather Extremes Tutorial to be held August 1- August 3, 2018 at the NCAR Foothills Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado. Registration open until filled.

Climate Risk Analysis is now accepting applications for the 23rd Summer Course in Climate Time Series Analysis to be held from August 20-August 24, 2018 in Germany. Registration deadline August 10, 2018.

Climate System Analysis Group is now accepting applications for the course using climate information for adaptation and policy development to be held from July 2-July 6, 2018 at the University of Cape Town (South Africa).

Environmental statistician Michael Stein of the University of Chicago is the Rutgers’ Inaugural Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences. He will be teaching an advanced course in Statistics of the Earth System in the fall 2018 semester. Those interested in participating in the course should fill out this survey.