Regulation Database – Geological Survey

Research Programs and Centers

In May 2013, the US Geological Survey chartered the Advisory Committee on Climate Change and Natural Resource Science (ACCCNRS) in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). The committee’s role is to advise the Secretary of the Interior on US Geological Survey operations within the National Climate Change and Wildlife Center and the DOI Climate Science Centers. In July 2013, the “ACCCNRS Operating Procedures and Ground Rules” were published, outlining the general requirements of the committee including bi-annual meetings, the designation of a Federal Officer, and the establishment of scientific subcommittees. While the Committee is comprised of NGOs, local and state government officials, Native American Tribes and scientists, the USGS is the central body and provides administrative and logistical support.

 

In 2015, ACCCNRS submitted a Report to the Secretary of the Interior, recognizing accomplishments with the Climate Science Center program, and providing recommendations to clarify, focus, and enhance the program’s efforts.  See Advisory Committee on Climate Change and Natural Resource Science (ACCCNRS) - ScienceBase-Catalog.  The Report also included the following:

  • Actionable Science How-To Guide for Scientists
  • Managers and Funders & executive summaries of a Guidebook for Traditional Knowledges
  • Primer for Climate Change and Indigenuous Peoples

All documents can be downloaded from Key Reports - ScienceBase-Catalog.

The USGS National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center (NCCWSC) is the managing entity for the Department of the Interior Climate Science Centers (CSCs). Climate change is creating novel challenges for our nation’s resource managers, decision-makers, and communities. Together, NCCWSC and the CSCs provide resource managers and other stakeholders with information and decision-making tools to respond to the effects of climate change on fish, wildlife, ecosystems, and the communities they support. Through close collaboration with managers and scientists inside and outside of government, NCCWSC and the CSCs deliver science to address stakeholder-defined priority climate needs.

The Climate Adaptation Science Centers published the following annual reports since 2011:

These are available at CASC Network Annual Reports.

For Fiscal Year 2019, CASC published the 2019 CASC Spotlight Series: Summary of 2019 CASC Activities” instead of an annual report.  The Summary includes, publications by CASC researchers on topics account drought, fire, partnerships, and wildlife and habitats. These are also available at 2019 CASC Spotlight Series:  Publications.

CASC also provides Regional annual reports from the Alaska CASC, the North Central CASC, the Northeast CASC, the Northwest CASC, the Pacific CASC, the South Central CASC, the Southeast CASC, and the Southwest CASC, See generally Regional CASC Annual Reports (usgs.gov).

Additional Resources

In August of 2011, the US Geological Survey published an interagency report to Congress titled “Strengthening the Scientific Understanding of Climate Change Impacts on Freshwater Resources of the United States,” developed in response to section 9506 of the Omnibus Public Lands Act (Public Law 111-11). The mission of the report is to identify key actions to improve the nation’s capacity to detect and predict changes in freshwater resources resulting from climate change, and help improve the quality of observational data in order to help future water resource management. In addition to outlining 25 key findings, the report 6 “next steps” for moving forward. Data and analysis are provided on changing precipitation patterns, altered snowpack characteristics, changing sea levels, disrupted aquatic ecosystems. This report was published after the USGS posted a notice in the Federal register requesting comments on the draft report on March 23, 2011.

In 2007, the Energy Independence and Security Act (Public Law 110–140; U.S. Congress, 2007) directed the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct a national assessment of geologic storage resources for CO2 in consultation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and State geological surveys. This report present the results of the USGS national assessment of geologic CO2 storage resources, which was completed in 2012.