Discover the intricate web of climate, drought, and climate change in the Southwestern US in this engaging 25-minute talk and 20-minute LIVE Q&A. Our seasoned climatologist, Russ Schumacher, will explore Colorado's climate, the significance of mountain snowpack, and the path of water to rivers. Uncover key climate metrics like temperature and precipitation and their impact on water resources. Explore the diverse nature of drought, its definitions, and its evolving face under the influence of climate change. Middle School students and above are invited to join the conversation to learn and be inspired.
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About the Presenter
Russ Schumacher is a professor in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University and serves as the Colorado State Climatologist and Director of the Colorado Climate Center. He received his M.S. in 2003 and Ph.D. in 2008 in Atmospheric Science at CSU. His research and teaching interests include extreme precipitation, weather prediction, the climatology of precipitation, and Colorado’s weather and climate. In 2021, he received the Clarence Leroy Meisinger early-career research award from the American Meteorological Society.
Additional Learning Resources
Here are the resources we discussed during the webinar:
From CIRES CEEE:
- Colorado Drought HEART force unit (MS)
- Colorado Drought HEART force unit (HS)
- SnowSchool (take your students outside and learn about Snow Water Equivalent!)
- SPLASH (Educator training field course; MS/ES VR tour coming spring 2024)
From Russ:
- https://www.drought.gov/
- https://labs.waterdata.usgs.gov/visualizations/snow-to-flow/
- https://climate.colostate.edu/drought/
- https://wearewater.colorado.edu/
- https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/
- https://drought.unl.edu/
- https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/conservation-by-state/colorado/colorado-snow-survey
