University of Maryland to Lead New National Climate Change Research Initiative

Washington, DC - Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD) applauded the announcement today that the University of Maryland will lead a new climate research partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), North Carolina State University and 16 other institutions.  The nationwide consortium - the Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites (CICS) - will receive up to $93 million in funding over the next five years - two-thirds of which will be managed by the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC) of the University of Maryland.

The new CICS will be an extension of the existing University of Maryland-based Cooperative Institute for Climate Studies.  It will be run from two principal locations: the first in UMD's research park; and the second associated with the agency's National Climate Data Center (NCDC) in Asheville, NC.  The new Institute will incorporate additional academic and private sector partners into a more comprehensive association that will focus on collaborative research into satellite observations and Earth System modeling, key components for a new climate service that aims to provide longer-term forecasts related to climate change. 

"This funding represents a significant investment in climate research," stated Rep. Hoyer. "Investments like these will help us develop comprehensive policy to address the issue of global climate change. I am pleased to see that the University of Maryland will take a leadership role on this crucial issue."

Phillip Arkin, University of Maryland climate scientist and Director of the new Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites, stated, "Establishing this Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites is a major step forward in the NOAA-led effort to create a National Climate Service that would provide longer-term forecasts and warnings related to climate change, just as the National Weather Service does for storms and other short term weather changes.  Our new institute will combine satellite observations with advanced climate change modeling to produce the kinds of services, like long-term regional drought assessments, that such a climate service will provide."

"In the long run, our goal at Maryland and in the new cooperative institute is to develop climate products that will meet social needs and give decision-makers the kind of tailored information that will help them devise more effective adaptation and investment strategies," Antonio Busalacchi, Director of the University of Maryland Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, said.

In the past decade, the University of Maryland has developed major partnerships with federal agencies and fostered research in areas critical to understanding and responding to climate change, including atmospheric and earth science, satellite remote sensing, climate modeling, and energy and insurance research and policy.

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