CLIMBS research to analyze climate change in eastern Kentucky WMKY
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OfficialssaideasternKentuckyisdisproportionatelyimpactedbyclimatechangethankstotheimpactsoflogging,mining,andwastedumping.Now,astatewideresearchprojectwillinvestigatehowtheCommonwealth’sweatherpatternshavechangedovertime.
MoreheadStateUniversitywillreceive$1.1milliontohelpbridgeenvironmentalandengineeringresearchineasternKentucky.TheNationalScienceFoundationgrantwillfuelthestatewideClimateResiliencethroughMultidisciplinaryBigDataLearning,Prediction,andBuildingResponseSystems(CLIMBS)researchinitiative.
JenO’KeefeisaprofessorofgeologyandscienceeducationatMSU.ShesaidKentuckyhasseenanincreaseinnaturaldisasters,andtheCLIMBSprojectaimstofillaneedforresearchoneasternKentucky’sweatherpatterns.
“Wecanbuildanawarenessofnaturalchangesinwateravailabilityandtemperaturevariationsover,say,thelast25,000yearsormore.Withthatinformationinhand,wecanworkwithengineerswhoarefocusedonreengineeringourinfrastructuretoberesilient,”said