Bringing together multidisciplinary scientists and food security analysts from UC Santa Barbara, Africa and Central America, the Climate Hazards Group develops datasets, tools and forecasts that help guide effective disaster responses and long-term development plans in food insecure countries. Working closely with partners in the US Geological Survey, NASA, and the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, the team uses climate and hydrologic models, satellite-based earth observations, and socio-economic data sets to predict and monitor droughts and food shortages among the world’s most vulnerable populations, supporting critical planning and timely humanitarian assistance that save lives and livelihoods.

The Sargasso Sea contains a unique ecosystem based upon floating seaweed. It is a marine treasure that is threatened by pollution and other human activities. The Sargasso Sea Commission, an international team of researchers and policy makers, is working to preserve and protect this wonder of the ocean.

Sustaining the availability of clean water is one of the greatest challenges humanity will face, as climate change leads to hotter, more extreme weather patterns that disrupt normal snow and rainfall worldwide. These changes are predicted to hit arid climates particularly hard, and the effects in such areas are already being felt in many countries across the globe. Dr Maureen McCarthy at the University of Nevada and the Desert Research Institute is working with Native American communities to help promote and preserve ancient tribal agricultural practices and water use in the United States.

As global climate change and other major environmental threats advance, scientists are looking for ways to evaluate sustainable solutions for energy, agriculture and city management. Ecosystem services are benefits provided to humans by nature, and over the past two decades researchers have begun refining ways to assess the value of these services compared to human-made options. Dr Benedetto Rugani and his team are developing novel ways to assess ecosystem services and advance the use of nature-based solutions in urban areas.