Stories from the Field: A Snapshot of Climate Research

Our NOAA Climate and Global Change fellows are a truly brilliant group of scientists. However, as in all professions, being able to simply express your work succinctly and in a manner that the average layperson can understand is not always easy. Here are 4 quick, TikTok-type video clips of some of our current fellows describing their work so that the average person can appreciate the value and effort that goes into their diverse climate science research projects.

• First up, Dr. Laura Larocca explains about predictive glacial changes and how our warming environment may change this forecasting further. Laura touches on why glaciers matter and how what is examined to predict future melting.
• Dr. Nina Whitney explains how ocean quahogs (a type of mollusk) which can live up to 500 years, can provide historical ocean data in their shells. By looking at the ocean’s past we can better understand the drivers that affect the ocean and predict its future.
• Next we are transported to Costa Rica with Dr. Lindsay McCulloch who explains how gaps in the rainforest canopy affect the forest floor. These disturbances in the forest canopy are increasing with climate change and affect us all as these forests capture so much of our world’s carbon, offsetting the effects of climate change..
• Our Costa Rican tour continues with Dr. Mukund Palat Rao who shows us how he monitors detailed data of tree growth to better understand the carbon cycle. This is important because trees and forests are sequestering about 30% of the CO2 we are putting in the atmosphere.

Thank you each for your efforts to better understand various aspects of our natural world and the climate, and taking the time to give us a snapshot understanding of your work. Find out more about the NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellowship program.