Search Climate Insights Directory

This fact sheet describes the SACC project, an international consortium studying ocean-related global and climate changes in South America, with a specific focus on the exchange processes between the deep ocean and the Patagonian shelf.

This fact sheet describes a research project initiated at the end of 2008 to investigate how expanding agriculture and forestry, and the resulting land use and cover changes, impact the regional hydroclimate of the La Plata Basin and interact with climate change.

The ADAPTE project provides interdisciplinary expertise to help Latin American city authorities plan for the health impacts of air pollution and extreme weather, focusing on quantifying exposure, understanding vulnerability, and assessing adaptation.

This fact sheet describes a project examining the impacts of coastal environmental variability and climate change on pink shrimp (Farfantepenaeus paulensis) artisanal fisheries in the Patos Lagoon estuary of southern Brazil, focusing on social vulnerability and adaptation capacity.

The Caribbean Coastal Scenarios (CCS) project analyzes how inland activities and climate change affect coastal resources in Cuba, Dominican Republic, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. Initial findings highlight water quality degradation from sewage and damming, specifically noting nitrate/phosphate contamination in Puerto Rico and flooding caused by deforestation and agriculture in the Dominican Republic's Haina River watershed. The project utilizes hydrological models across 84 watersheds to guide sustainable coastal protection.

This fact sheet describes project CRN2014, which investigates how land use and cover change (LUCC) and climate affect soil microorganisms, specifically arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), across temperate and tropical ecosystems in the Americas.

The DIVERSUS Collaborative Research Network is developing an interdisciplinary framework to analyze how land cover change (LCC) affects functional biodiversity, ecosystem properties, and the resulting ecosystem services that support human livelihoods across diverse environments from the tropics to the tundra.

The SAEMC (South American emissions, megacities and climate) project focuses on developing regional climate change scenarios and operational chemical weather forecasting tools to address deteriorating air quality in South American megacities.

This fact sheet describes a research project focused on the Rio de la Plata Basin, examining the drivers and consequences of land use change, specifically the trade-offs between food and biofuel production and the maintenance of ecosystem services.

The project examines hydrological cycles in the American cordillera, specifically in North America and basins in Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. Initial results include a 700-year tree-ring reconstruction showing severe 14th-century droughts in the high Andes that led to social conflict and village abandonment. In Chile, a slight decline in streamflow over the last century is noted, with significant rainfall drops in 1945 linked to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Additionally, drought risk in the southern Andes was higher between 1920 and 2002 than between 1346 and 1919, threatening agriculture and hydroelectric power.

This fact sheet describes a research project led by the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) aimed at improving the understanding and forecasting of tropical cyclones in the Eastern Pacific, particularly regarding their intensification, evolution, and the potential impacts of global warming.

This fact sheet describes a study analyzing transition zones (ecotones) between forest and non-forest sites across one Canadian and four South American locations to understand how climate change and human intervention drive ecosystem displacements.

The report details the second year of project CRN-2094, which investigates how land cover and land use changes (LCLUC) affect the hydroclimate and extreme weather events in the La Plata Basin. Key activities include the development of a Land Data Assimilation System, the use of Ecosystem Functional Types (EFTs) to improve regional climate models, and the implementation of agricultural monitoring tools in Paraguay.

The 2010 IAI Strategic Plan outlines the mission of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) to enhance the understanding of global environmental change in the Americas. The document emphasizes a transition from curiosity-driven to needs-driven science, focusing on the integration of natural and social sciences to support informed policy-making and regional adaptation and mitigation efforts.

This executive summary evaluates the current scientific knowledge regarding the effects of climate change on the biodiversity of the tropical Andes. It identifies the region as a global biodiversity hotspot with high levels of endemism, particularly in cloud forests and high-altitude ecosystems. The document details how rising temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns, and habitat fragmentation threaten species' survival and the ecosystem services—such as water regulation and food security—upon which over 40 million people depend. It advocates for adaptive management, the creation of connected conservation corridors, and increased inter-institutional coordination to mitigate these risks.

This fact sheet describes how a lack of upper-atmosphere sounding data contributed to inaccurate trajectory and rainfall predictions for Hurricane John in 2006, leading to fatalities and flooding in Baja California, Mexico.

This fact sheet describes a study by Jeffrey Donnelly and colleagues on Atlantic hurricane activity over the last 1,500 years, using proxy data from statistical models and sedimentary records to identify historical peaks in storm frequency.

This fact sheet presents GIS-based estimates of populations in the conterminous United States living in coastal areas vulnerable to sea-level rise and storm surges, specifically those residing within 1 km of the coast or below 3 meters in elevation.

This fact sheet describes research by the Louisiana State University and the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) using GIS to estimate the population of the continental United States living in coastal areas vulnerable to sea-level rise and storms.

This fact sheet describes the oceanographic mechanisms of upwelling in the Patagonian shelf of the Southwestern Atlantic. It explains how deep ocean currents, rather than wind, drive the ascent of nutrient-rich waters to the surface, supporting significant biological productivity, large-scale fisheries, and carbon sequestration.