Explore the Florida Climate

Mary Campbell, Extension Director
and Urban Sustainability Agent    

Is there such a thing as too much information? In the area of climate change, many would say “yes”. There is an abundance of information on climate variability from many sources. It can be confusing to know what information is reliable and from a trusted source. There are several reliable resources that Extension recommends if you want to understand more about the science of climate change.

The Florida Climate Institute (FCI), is a network of national and international research and public organizations, scientists, and individuals concerned with achieving a better understanding of climate variability and change. The FCI, founded in 2010 by the University of Florida and Florida State University, has over 200 members. FCI provides many resources including an “Environmental Minute” radio show available online that provides information on sea level rise, sustainability, and climate patterns.

Climate variability and change pose significant economic, food security, and environmental risks worldwide. Drought, storms with heavy rain, high winds, flooding, and freeze events cause millions of dollars in losses to agriculture and natural resources in Florida and globally. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that by the year 2100 global average temperature is likely to increase by 2 to 11.5°F, global mean sea level will rise from 7 to 23 inches, and increases in precipitation intensity and variability will increase the risk of both flooding and drought.

For up to date climate change information choose a reliable resource, such as the Florida Climate Institute ( http://floridaclimateinstitute.org/ ), EPA (http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/), NASA (http://climate.nasa.gov/) or NOAA (http://www.noaa.gov/climate.html). Critical information is now available to better inform citizens of potential impacts due to climate variability and change.

NASA Video illustrates warming.

Florida State Climatologist http://climatecenter.fsu.edu/ Offers Florida Climate Summary, Seasonal Climate Outlooks, Information on topics of concern (agriculture, climate change, climate variability, and drought.)

Agroclimate http://www.agroclimate.org/- a climate-based decision support system for agriculture.

Southeast Climate Consortium http://www.seclimate.org/

NASA videos. http://nas-sites.org/americasclimatechoices/summaries-and-videos-from-the-acc-series/climate-change-lines-of-evidence-videos/