Climate change is one of the most important environmental issues facing society today. We study regional climate change, variabilty, and extremes and how those changes impact our water and ecological resources.
Faculty research involves using climate observations and numerical models to study how the Earth’s climate varies on different spatial and time scales. Our interests and research activities include understanding the drivers of climate variability and extremes in the Northeast US, studying how changing conditions in the Arctic and Antarctica are modifying ocean and atmospehric circulation in different parts of the world, and using models to provide projections of future climate at appropriate scales.
Faculty research also involves studying the impacts of climate change on water resources. In particular, URI Geosciences faculty studies sea level rise along the Northeast coast and its impact on coastal groundwater through saltwater intrusion as well as the consequences of precipitation extremes (storms and droughts) for our regional water resources.
URI climatology-focused students receive training in physical climatology, climate dynamics and modeling, as well as applied climate science. Students learn about the fundamental principles in climatology, the science behind climate change, future projections using climate models, and about the use of climate data in informing decisions related to management of natural and human resources.
Faculty
