Center for Climate Science

the future of extreme precipitation in california

The Future of Extreme Precipitation in California

Our researchers are investigating the effects of climate change on heavy precipitation events in the state. Specifically, we're focusing on atmospheric rivers, moisture-laden filaments of air that move across oceans and produce heavy precipitation when they make landfall. Understanding how atmospheric rivers are affected in a changing climate is key to smart water planning in the future.

the henry “hank” weiss memorial climate education event

The Henry “Hank” Weiss Memorial Climate Education Event

At the Center for Climate Science, we believe that all the cutting-edge research in the world can’t help to solve real-world problems if people don’t know about it. That’s why good communication and education are a critical part of our mission. With a generous endowment gift made by Suzanne Weiss Morgen in 2018, we’ve been given the opportunity to launch a new type of climate education event.

the california climate expedition

The California Climate Expedition

The California Climate Expedition is an annual bicycle journey led by Center for Climate Science director Alex Hall and our partners at OnePulse. Each journey explores climate change impacts and solutions first-hand and raises funds for a critical area of climate-related research.

los angeles regional climate assessment

Los Angeles Regional Climate Assessment

For more than a decade, the State of California has undertaken periodic scientific assessments with the goal of understanding future climate change impacts on the state. For the first three…

global climate model evaluation

Global Climate Model Evaluation

Although our research is primarily focused on regional climate change concerns, we are active in global climate research as well. That's because regional climate research starts with a toolkit developed to operate the global scale. A better understanding of those global tools — their strengths and limitations — helps us do better regional work.

climate change in los angeles county: grid vulnerability to extreme heat

Climate Change in Los Angeles County: Grid Vulnerability to Extreme Heat

In this project, UCLA and Arizona State University researchers developed a sophisticated and in-depth description of future electricity demand, grid response, and vulnerability due to increased heat events in Southern California Edison territory under current and future climate scenarios. The project's findings enable innovative grid management and operation strategies and identify adaptation guidance.

climate change in the sierra nevada

Climate Change in the Sierra Nevada

Using an innovative technique to produce high-resolution future climate projections, our team is answering key questions about the fate of the Sierra Nevada snowpack, a critical natural resource that not only supports an iconic ecosystem but also provides freshwater to millions of Californians.

developing metrics to evaluate the skill and credibility of downscaling

Developing Metrics to Evaluate the Skill and Credibility of Downscaling

Within the climate science community, a variety of techniques are used to "downscale" information from global climate models and produce fine-scale projections of future climate, but the relative strengths and weaknesses of these techniques are not well-understood. In this project, we are comparing downscaling techniques and establishing best practices.

climate change in the los angeles region

Climate Change in the Los Angeles Region

The most comprehensive study of climate change in LA to date, the Climate Change in the Los Angeles Region Project was conducted by Center for Climate Science Faculty Director Alex Hall and his research group between 2010 and 2015. Dr. Hall and his team developed a novel method for bringing global climate model projections to high spatial resolution, creating neighborhood-by-neighborhood projections of future climate over the greater Los Angeles region under different scenarios of greenhouse gas emissions.

Publications