Sponsored By
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
A new interactive online tool , called MN CliMAT ( https://climate.umn.edu/MN-CliMAT) , provides highly localized climate projections across Minnesota – down to the 2.5-mile scale.
Users can use data to visualize how even specific towns may be impacted in the coming decades, according to a news release.
Recently launched by the University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership (MCAP), in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Commerce (DOC), the tool includes detailed information about temperature, precipitation, lake temperature, ice cover, soil moisture and other variables vital to informing how and where to prepare for the impacts of climate change.
“These data are critical for understanding our local climate risks and what future we need to prepare for,” said Heidi Roop, MCAP director. “We’re hearing from engineers, planners, foresters, farmers, homeowners – folks across the board – that they want future climate information relevant to Minnesota to inform and guide their planning and decision-making.”
Available to all at no charge, MN CliMAT can be used by the public, policymakers and a range of sectors and industries.
ADVERTISEMENT
For example:
MCAP also says it’s to helping the public and professionals learn how to apply the data. Staff are offering an ongoing series of webinars and in-person workshops across the state, the release states..
“Creating new climate projections is only the first step in planning for climate change,” said Suzi Clark, a climate resilience Extension educator with MCAP. “We want to help people understand the projections and integrate these data into their long-term planning.”
MN CliMAT, which uses the latest generation of global and regional climate models, was funded with support from the DOC, University of Minnesota Extension and the Minnesota Sea Grant College Program, with funds from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
ADVERTISEMENT