2016-2017 Academic Year

News in April 2017

RCI affiliate Alan Robock was awarded a grant worth $2,982,206 for modeling studies on the on the climatological and subsequent ecological and social effects of large nuclear conflicts. Funding for this grant comes from the Open Philanthropy Project.

Congratulations to RCI affiliate Robert Kopp on his appointment as the new director of Rutgers Institute of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences (EOAS).

US Department of Agriculture acknowledges the New Jersey Weather Network(NJWxNet), which operates a 66-station mesonet, run by the NJ State Climatologist and RCI affiliate Dave Robinson. The NJWxNet helps alert fire management officials when fire conditions are favorable and provides high quality weather data to farmers.

RCI affiliate Alan Robock weighs in on the debate over the ethics of geoengineering to combat the rise in global temperatures from increasing CO2 in a NY Times Magazine article. Robock has previously published a list of 20 concerns of using geoengineering to deal with global warming.

NJ’s longest drought in 15 years is over, according to RCI affiliate and NJ state climatologist Dave Robinson in a northjersey.com article. A recent pattern shift has led to above average rainfall over the past few months, leading to the removal of drought warning advisories across the state.

In a recent NJ 101.5 article, RCI affiliate Dave Robinson discusses the unique dangers of flash flooding in New Jersey, because of increased intensity of storms and more area covered with asphalt and surfaces impervious to water.

RCI affiliate Jeanne Herb attended a roundtable discussion titled “How Climate Change Impacts Our Health” with Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ). The NJ Climate Adaptation Alliance’s conclusions from its Climate Change and Public Health Workgroup were offered to help advise the congressman in addressing potential health impacts of climate change.

RCI co-director Anthony Broccoli explains some of the indicators that show the current state of the climate and the extent of global warming on Yale Climate Connections.

Congratulations to RCI affiliate Jason Grabosky, winner of the 2017 SEBS Teaching Excellence Award!

RCI associate director Marjorie Kaplan discusses in Growing Magazine how Rutgers scientists are engaged in plant breeding programs to safeguard New Jersey crops against climate change; while Nick Vorsa, director of Rutgers Marucci Blueberry Cranberry Research and Extension Center discusses climate related vulnerability of blueberry and cranberry from fruit rot as a focus of his breeding research.  

RCI affiliate Alan Robock’s work on the environmental impacts of nuclear war are brought to attention in a NY Times article which delves into the possibility of using geoengineering techniques to combat global warming.

RCI affiliate Leonard Bielory discusses the recent surge of tree pollen, aggravating those with even mild allergies, in a NJ 101.5 article. Trees that typically release their pollen at different times are instead overlapping due to the late March snow storm. Bielory noted over the past 25 years “there’s actually been a doubling of individuals who are allergic, meaning the number used to be 20 percent, now we’re at 30 to 40 percent of the United States population have allergies. And they used to be allergic to two or three items, now they’re allergic to six or eight items.

Changes in the large scale atmospheric pattern have been beneficial for New Jersey's ongoing drought, according to David Robinson in a northjersey.com article. The past 30 days have been above normal, allowing for drought statuses across the state to be downgraded.

Congratulations to RCI co-director Anthony Broccoli on receiving a Faculty Scholar-Teacher Award for the academic year 2016-2017. This university wide award honors faculty members who have made outstanding contributions in research and teaching, recognizing those who bring together scholarly and classroom activities.

RCI affiliate and distinguished Rutgers professor Alan Robock was interviewed on the BBC World Service show The Inquiry, "Do we need a Plan B for climate change?" Robock discussed some of his research on geoengineering and what impacts those methods may have on the planet.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine published proceedings of a January 2016 workshop Antarctic Sea Ice Variability in the Southern Ocean-Climate System.  which aims to bolster the understanding of Antarctic Sea Ice dynamics and variability.

RCI affiliate Jennifer Francis weighs in on the mechanism of how climate change may be influencing the frequency of severe weather in the Christian Science Monitor.

Ben Horton, RCI affiliate discusses sea level rise on a global and local level on Newsworks.org.

In a NorthJersey.com article, RCI affiliates Monica Mazurek and Ben Horton discuss the potential NJ impacts to air quality and coastal communities from President Trump's rescission of certain energy and climate-related presidential and regulatory actions in a March 28, 2017 Executive Order.  

The EPA released an updated State and Local guide to U.S. EPA Climate and Energy Program Resources. Click here to view the document.