Risk Management

People working on a sand bag wall

Disaster preparedness and decision support

Building Resilience for Climate and Weather Extremes in U.S.-Mexico Border Cities

Lead CCASS Contact: Gregg Garfin

Urban areas of the Southwest US are particularly vulnerable to health risks from extreme heat. A project focused on the Rio Grande/Bravo Basin border cities (including El Paso, Texas, Ciudad Juarez, and Las Cruces, New Mexico), is seeking ways to increase preparedness and capacity to adapt to extreme high temperatures and heat waves.

Co-developing Ways to Increase Preparation for Droughts

Lead CCASS Contact: Mitch McClaran

Drought threatens livestock and natural resources on rangelands, including the 90 million acres of federal land that are administered by the Forest Service and grazed by livestock belonging to ranchers with grazing permits. A team from the University of Arizona worked with ranchers and Forest Service personnel on the Tonto National Forest (TNF) to co-develop ways to increase the preparation for future droughts that are 1) feasible for ranchers and 2) consistent with the federal policies that define management options for the National Forest. The goal of the project is expanded engagement in Forest Service decision processes for long term drought planning.

Heat-Health Early Warning System

Lead CCASS Contact: Gregg Garfin

As part of his work with the North American Climate Services Partnership, UA researcher Gregg Garfin and others are developing a heat-health early warning system in the El Paso-Ciudad Juarez area. A July workshop funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was held in El Paso, with 75 participants. This project is gathering, assessing, and producing resources such as a baseline of ongoing actions and available data.

Using Critical Thresholds in Support Decisions

Lead CCASS Contact: Gregg Garfin

This NOAA-funded project piloted a participatory process to identify locally relevant critical thresholds for extreme events, and use these thresholds to customize climate projections to community-specific needs. Pilot projects were initiated in Las Cruces, NM, San Angelo, TX, Boulder, CO, and Miami, OH, and the team conducted ten community workshops to identify, refine, and discuss extreme weather thresholds that matter to the communities.

Post-Fire Flooding

Lead CCASS Contact: Gregg Garfin

This project worked with the U.S. Forest Service to develop resources on available methods to assess potential risks associated with post-fire events. The site is intended for managers, landowners, and communities to find guidance for assessing and preventing potential damage from post-fire flooding and related events.

Preparing for High-Consequence, Low-Probability Events

Lead CCASS Contact: Gregg Garfin

A regional group of researchers and resource managers with expertise in water, energy, climate, natural hazards, and emergency management met in September 2015, to address management of and preparedness for high-impact, low-probability events.

Hot Spots for Heat Resilience in Border Cities

Lead CCASS Contact: Gregg Garfin

This pilot study aims to increase resilience to the public health risks of dangerous extreme heat episodes in the U.S.-Mexico border region. Resilience efforts and resources will be focused on marginalized residents in underserved colonias of San Elizario, TX, and among expectant mothers.

Adaptation and International Development

Building Resilience for Climate and Weather Extremes in U.S.-Mexico Border Cities

Lead CCASS Contact: Gregg Garfin

Urban areas of the Southwest US are particularly vulnerable to health risks from extreme heat. A project focused on the Rio Grande/Bravo Basin border cities (including El Paso, Texas, Ciudad Juarez, and Las Cruces, New Mexico), is seeking ways to increase preparedness and capacity to adapt to extreme high temperatures and heat waves.

Mexico/US collaborations

Building Resilience for Climate and Weather Extremes in U.S.-Mexico Border Cities

Lead CCASS Contact: Gregg Garfin

Urban areas of the Southwest US are particularly vulnerable to health risks from extreme heat. A project focused on the Rio Grande/Bravo Basin border cities (including El Paso, Texas, Ciudad Juarez, and Las Cruces, New Mexico), is seeking ways to increase preparedness and capacity to adapt to extreme high temperatures and heat waves.

Engagement and Collaborative Processes

Co-developing Ways to Increase Preparation for Droughts

Lead CCASS Contact: Mitch McClaran

Drought threatens livestock and natural resources on rangelands, including the 90 million acres of federal land that are administered by the Forest Service and grazed by livestock belonging to ranchers with grazing permits. A team from the University of Arizona worked with ranchers and Forest Service personnel on the Tonto National Forest (TNF) to co-develop ways to increase the preparation for future droughts that are 1) feasible for ranchers and 2) consistent with the federal policies that define management options for the National Forest. The goal of the project is expanded engagement in Forest Service decision processes for long term drought planning.

Ecosystem Resilience and Adaptation

Co-developing Ways to Increase Preparation for Droughts

Lead CCASS Contact: Mitch McClaran

Drought threatens livestock and natural resources on rangelands, including the 90 million acres of federal land that are administered by the Forest Service and grazed by livestock belonging to ranchers with grazing permits. A team from the University of Arizona worked with ranchers and Forest Service personnel on the Tonto National Forest (TNF) to co-develop ways to increase the preparation for future droughts that are 1) feasible for ranchers and 2) consistent with the federal policies that define management options for the National Forest. The goal of the project is expanded engagement in Forest Service decision processes for long term drought planning.

Coproduction

Co-developing Ways to Increase Preparation for Droughts

Lead CCASS Contact: Mitch McClaran

Drought threatens livestock and natural resources on rangelands, including the 90 million acres of federal land that are administered by the Forest Service and grazed by livestock belonging to ranchers with grazing permits. A team from the University of Arizona worked with ranchers and Forest Service personnel on the Tonto National Forest (TNF) to co-develop ways to increase the preparation for future droughts that are 1) feasible for ranchers and 2) consistent with the federal policies that define management options for the National Forest. The goal of the project is expanded engagement in Forest Service decision processes for long term drought planning.

Risk Management and Preparing for extremes

Evaluating Urban Heat Island and Heat Increase Modeling

Lead CCASS Contact: Ladd Keith

This study focuses on documenting the current use of urban heat maps and models in Arizona and New Mexico communities and evaluating best practices and opportunities to increase their usability.

Risk assessment

Arizona Business Resilience Initiative

Lead CCASS Contact: Andrea Gerlak

The Arizona Business Resilience Initiative is developing a methodology for assessing business opportunities and managing risks to operations associated with climate change and climate variability. This research investigates the most probable impacts on a company’s operations and projections due to climate change, and actions that can be taken to anticipate/mitigate these risks or to take advantage of new opportunities that anticipate and adapt to climate change.

National security

Climate Change Impacts and National Defense

Lead CCASS Contact: Gregg Garfin

UA researchers Gregg Garfin, Arin Haverland, and Kathy Jacobs engaged with DoD managers through interviews, workshops and case-study pilots across a range of DoD operations in the Southwest to develop robust approaches to climate change risk assessment, mitigation and adaptation, supported by a set of climate adaptation tools that can be used across DoD operations.