December 29, 2009
Nelson Institute faculty members Chris Kucharik and Dan Vimont will discuss climate change in Wisconsin at a research exposition in Madison on January 15 hosted by the state's Focus on Energy program. Kucharik will consider the impacts of changing climate and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels on Wisconsin agriculture, while Vimont will detail the latest climate projections for the state. Kucharik, a professor of agronomy and environmental studies, works with the Nelson Institute Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment. Vimont, a professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences and environmental studies, is affiliated with the Nelson Institute Center for Climatic Research. The two reported recently that Wisconsin already has warmed 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit, on average, over the past 60 years, and projected that the state will warm another4 to 9 degrees, on average, by 2050. Conducted for the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI), their research has been funded primarily by Focus on Energy. Attendance at the January 15 exposition is free but registration is required.