Discipline: Ecology Environmental and Earth Sciences
Subcategory: Climate Change
Session: 1
Room: Park Tower 8206
Fabienne Placide - University of New Orleans
The Deep South is a region with much history and a rich culture, however it is also a region with surmounting poverty levels, a crippled education system, overtly racist and sexist politics, all united with a great income disparity between itself and other regions of the United States. Coupled with these already existing disadvantages, the prospect of climate change will greatly impact the region. Some earlier studies have shown that the Deep South regions will be on the most affected and least resilient to climate change and its effects. HIAPER is one of the aircrafts designed by NCAR that could be used to go anywhere and do research on tropical storms that routinely impact the region. Another model that could greatly aid the Deep South region is the Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting Model (HWRF), which can aid in detecting and tracking said hurricane or tropical storm. It can also be used to determine the strength and potential damage a hurricane may potentially bring to a region if landfall is made. All of said systems and models would greatly be of use to the Deep South region and outreach of organizations such as NCAR and UCAR as well other prestigious institutions could be extremely beneficial to the Deep South region This research will demonstrate potential solutions to problems the region is facing and includes innovating ways NSF and NCAR could impact the region for the better. Introduction The culture of the Deep South (AL,GA,MS,LA,SC) is a nuanced and convoluted one. With long histories of discrimination and triumph, its roots go deep to the days of the natives who once lived there and preserved and honored the land for its rich soil and wildlife. However, as years passed and different cultures and groups came into power, the land that was once honored has begun to wash away and the air has become contaminated after years of mistreatment from man-made devices and pollution. The Deep South is a region where the people are generally conservative and issues such as environmental health and safety as well as air pollution aren’t often discussed. It is a subject of much debate among the general public whether or not humans are the cause for much of what is happening with our Earth. Some believe humans have nothing to do with the sudden melting of the ice caps or the Earth’s temperature rising. The increased temperature of the ocean and rising sea levels affect the strength and consequences of this are more powerful tropical storms and hurricanes, which impact much of the South and particularly the Deep South. The changes are seen as a natural occurrence that was bound to happen regardless of manmade influence. There are various reasons for why so many individuals believe that climate change and environmental issues are not cause for concern, but this may be due to lack of education, lack of resources, and lack of access to tools so that people can better understand the effects of what man-made creations can have on the environment. In this study, we will delve deeper into this problem and explore whether organizations such as NSF’s (National Center for Atmospheric Research) can create a change in the views of the others in the Deep South. By providing access to models and aircraft technology that they don’t have resources to own or operate directly, NCAR’s tools could be put to good use in educating students, professors, and representatives in the region. With the tools NCAR has available, this could bring about major change and new atmospheric and environmentally friendly policies that could benefit citizens of the region and the Earth as a whole. The National Science Foundation is a world renowned U.S Federal Agency whose main mission is to encourage the progress of science; to develop national health, prosperity, and welfare; as stated in their website. The organizations prime initiatives are to foster a nation that capitalizes on new concepts in science and engineering as well as to provide global leadership in advancing research and education. NSF’s main goals align perfectly with what could potentially be groundbreaking information that would not only benefit the Deep South region but society as a whole.Since NCAR is an NSF center, we require their goals to align. NCAR’s undertaking is to understand the behavior of the atmosphere and related Earth and geospace systems and all of the secrets they hold. With the research that this study undertakes in its search for varying ways the Deep South region can be aided with the onset of climate change and the effects it has and will have on the region, NSF can help greatly. What this study aims to assess is use NCAR systems and aircrafts that have worked extremely well in other regions and try to use those same systems and aircrafts to not only educate people in the Deep South region, but to also be used in tropical storm research, meteorology, and climate change impacting the region.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): The National Science Foundation, QEM, LS-LAMP
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Ashok Puri, apuri@uno.edu
Role: I did all of the research