The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is allocating $15.2 million this year for new research on climate-related topics as the government aims to help U.S. communities become more resilient to extreme weather phenomena.
Sixty-three projects involving universities, research institutions and public agencies in the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands will receive the funds through NOAA’s Climate Program Office, the agency said Tuesday.
The awardees will team up with NOAA programs, research laboratories and centers, and may receive financial support from the agency for three to five years.
Studies will focus on topics such as wildfire pollutants in urban-to-wilderness transition zones, drought management and resilience in tribal nations and creating atmospheric simulations of aerosols, which are elemental to a proposed global dimming method.
Rick Spinrad, administrator of NOAA, said climate is a top priority for the agency and the Department of Commerce.
“These new NOAA investments are essential to improve understanding of climate change, how to mitigate increasing impacts and bolster community resilience. All of these substantive steps work together towards our goal of building a Climate-Ready Nation,” he added.
CPO has been investing in climate science since 2016, mostly in the state of Colorado, which has received a total of $29.1 million for at least 51 projects in the past six years.
