Reduction in Freezing Temperatures and Tropicalization of Temperate Climates

Investigator(s): Vincent Brown, Barry Keim
Research Dates: 2021
Affiliate Organization(s): Louisiana State University

SCIPP will build on pre-existing partnerships with water utilities in the Gulf Coast, as well as with the USGS National Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, to determine how climatic changes to extreme low temperatures and freeze return intervals have changed over the last century. We will investigate changes in mean winter temperature, the single coldest temperature recorded each winter, and the frequency of days per winter with temperatures at or below 0°C (i.e., the number of freeze days) to determine how winters have changed. A return interval analysis on the number of events with temperatures below 0°C will be performed at each site using a 30-year moving window. Results of the climate analysis will be compared with observed changes to species, ecosystems, and biomes using data from the National Wetlands Center to determine how sensitive they are to changes in extreme cold temperatures.

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