Improving Societal Welfare in the Context of Changing Weather and Climate.
RAL carries out interdisciplinary research on social, economic, and health activities related to climate and weather at local, regional and global scales. Our research areas include natural resource governance, dynamics of urban systems, weather climate and health, GIS and regional climate for adaptation. RAL scientists address adaptation to climate change by generating scenarios of projected climate change, developing scientific tools and methods for analyzing current and future vulnerability, and conducting integrated analyses of climate change impacts and adaptation. An important component of this program is the integration of decision-makers and users of climate information into our societal research activities.
Focus Areas of Research
Climate Analysis
Climate projections and their uncertainties
Climate and Weather Impacts on Human Health
Modeling the Impact of Climate on Infectious Disease Transmission and Human Health
Climate and Wildfire
Decision support and planning for future scenarios of wildland fire
Climate Downscaling Methodology
The ongoing need for high-resolution regional climate models
Climate Modeling and Downscaling
Climate modeling and downscaling for better utilization of climate information for impact assessments
Geographic Information Systems - GIS
Global Assessment of urban heat island effects and future heat waves
High-Resolution Climate Projections and Dataset Development
Providing climate change information for impacts, decision-making, and climate science
Institutional Aspects of Vulnerability and Adaptation
Scientific Efforts to Improve the Ability to Monitor and Predict the Status of Natural Resources
International Climate Activities
Climate research and planning on the regional and global scale
Regional Climate for Adaptation
Deliver climate science to decision-makers to promote sustainability and reduce vulnerabilites to impacts
Seasonal Forecasting
Promoting economic and societal preparedness for next season’s weather
Urban Futures
Exploring Crucial Intersections Between Urban Development and the Environment
Water Resources and Climate
Climate Variability and Change Impacts on Water