PI-CASC
The Department of Interior Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center (PI-CASC) is a part of a federal network of eight Climate Science Centers (CSCs) managed by The mission of the Climate Science Centers (CSC) is to provide natural and cultural resource managers with the tools and information they need to develop and execute management strategies that address the impacts of climate change on a broad range of natural and cultural resources.
Summary
In 2009 the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) established two partner-based entities
to address challenges of climate change: Climate Science Centers (CSCs) and Landscape
Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs). CSCs provide region-focused climate science to support
management of natural and cultural resources. The Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation
Science Center (PI-CASC) was launched in 2012 and serves Hawaiʻi and the U.S.–Affiliated
Pacific Islands region. The PI-CASC is hosted by a university consortium including
the University of Hawaiʻi and the University of Guam. Partnership with academia provides
scientific expertise along with commitment to capacity building in the region. In
close partnership with the PI-CASC is the Pacific Islands Climate Change Cooperative
(PICCC), which serves as the regional LCC. Together, they work with Federal, state,
and other partners to deliver scientific research and interpretation. A biocultural
framework emphasizes interconnected natural and anthropogenic systems and seeks to
integrate multiple knowledge systems and modes of investigation. The vision for the
PI-CASC is to inform and support sustainability and climate adaptation of human and
ecological communities in the Pacific islands. Emphasis is on actionable science—science
with a clear path for integration with resource stewards, with research organized
around themes that guide progress of the PI-CASC. In this Agenda, four themes are identified as priorities, namely (1) Guidance for Anticipated Intermediate-Term
Climate Changes; (2) Potential Effects of Changing Climate on Freshwater Resources;
(3) Anticipating and Mitigating Change in Coastal and Low-Lying Areas; and (4) Forecasting
Sustainability for Resource Management and Planning. Within each Theme in this agenda,
objectives are identified that will advance knowledge and capabilities that were identified
during the development process. Objectives may contain more than one science element.
Some may be addressed with existing knowledge and research methods, while others may
need to wait until essential information or tools are developed. Leveraging science
and technology programs in other institutions based on shared or unique mission goals
will help make effective investments. By virtue of the PI-CASC relationship with the
host universities and the network of cooperators and stakeholders, the center facilitates
educational training and capacity building. The Agenda is a living document and will revised to reflect both progress on existing objectives
as well as development of additional or alternative science priorities based on evaluation
of climate issues, knowledge, and capabilities in the region.
citation:
Helweg, D., Nash, S., and Polhemus, D., 2014, The Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center five-year science agenda, 2014–2018: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2014–1075, 30 p., https://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ofr20141075
ISSN 2331–1258 (online)
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