USGS Contributions to the Climate Change Science Program

Biology and ecosystem-focused global-change related research in the USGS encompasses the themes of:

• bird and habitat interactions;
• potential changes in arid and semiarid ecosystems with changes in climate, management of resources, and uses;
• coastal and interior wetland ecosystems;
• sensitive species and island ecosystems;
• watershed biogeochemistry; and
• regional ecosystem responses to climatic change in and among mountain systems.

The National Parks provide the U.S. Global Change Research Program with an important outdoor laboratory and an index of change in our most treasured ecosystems. USGS research focuses on multiple stresses to U.S. Department of Interior (USDOI) lands including climate change, human population growth, land use change, air and water pollution, habitat fragmentation, and invasive species.

Coastal wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems in the world and are vulnerable to the effects of sea level rise associated with global warming. Determining the potential for wetland submergence is a critical first step for managing these valuable coastal habitats into the next century. Research conducted by USGS has improved our understanding of the natural processes controlling wetland elevation and the potential for submergence of our coastal wetland habitats.

Wildland fire is a serious and growing hazard over much of the United States, posing a great threat to life and property. The USGS conducts fire related research to meet the varied needs of the fire management community and to understand the role of fire in the landscape; this research includes fire management support, studies of post-fire effects, and a wide range of studies on fire history and ecology.