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| University of Maine Climate Change Institute | |
|---|---|
| Name | Climate Change Institute |
| Established | 1973 |
| Type | Research institute |
| Location | Orono, Maine, United States |
| Parent | University of Maine |
| Director | Christopher Shuman |
University of Maine Climate Change Institute The Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine is a multidisciplinary research center focused on paleoclimate, contemporary climate dynamics, and climate impacts on natural and human systems. Founded in the early 1970s, the Institute brings together scientists from glaciology, oceanography, ecology, and atmospheric science to generate long-term climate records and to inform regional and global decision-making. Its work spans field campaigns, laboratory analyses, modeling, and partnerships with government agencies and international programs.
The Institute was established amid a period of expanding interest in Earth system science that included initiatives at National Science Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Smithsonian Institution. Early projects linked scholars associated with Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography to develop paleoclimate archives from ice cores and lake sediments. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the Institute collaborated with teams from British Antarctic Survey, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, and Alfred Wegener Institute on glaciological expeditions and Antarctic programs. In the 21st century, the Institute expanded into coastal and marine studies working alongside Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Maine Maritime Academy, and agencies such as U.S. Geological Survey and National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Research at the Institute integrates disciplines represented by faculty and staff from School of Biology and Ecology, School of Earth and Climate Sciences, and departments linked to Fogler Library resources. Major programs include ice core paleoclimatology drawing on methods used at Greenland Ice Sheet Project, marine sediment studies in collaboration with Ocean Drilling Program, and tree‑ring chronologies akin to efforts by Tree Ring Laboratory researchers. The paleoclimate program produces records comparable to reconstructions from Paleoclimatology Group, NOAA and IPCC. Contemporary climate dynamics research employs modeling techniques similar to those developed at Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory and leverages remote sensing data from MODIS, Landsat, and ICESat missions. Coastal resilience initiatives examine sea level and ecosystem change in frameworks used by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments and collaborate with regional partners such as Maine Coastal Program and Gulf of Maine Research Institute.
The Institute supports graduate and undergraduate education connected to degree programs in University of Maine Graduate School, offering opportunities similar to fellowships from Fulbright Program and workshops like those hosted by American Meteorological Society. Outreach includes public lectures, teacher training modeled after National Science Teachers Association programs, and citizen science projects drawing on platforms used by National Audubon Society and Monarch Watch. Student field courses mirror expeditions organized by Polar Research Board and include internship placements with agencies such as NOAA Fisheries and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Institute also contributes to curriculum materials used by Maine Department of Education and partners with museums like Maine Maritime Museum for exhibit development.
Laboratory facilities encompass geochemistry and geochronology capabilities comparable to those at National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, including mass spectrometry used for isotopic analysis akin to instruments at EarthChem. Field sites extend from northern forest stands resembling study areas near Acadia National Park to Arctic field camps analogous to those supported by Barrow Arctic Research Center. The Institute has a history of Antarctic logistics coordination paralleling operations at McMurdo Station and maintains marine sampling capacity via collaborations with vessels similar to R/V Oceanus and R/V Atlantis. Long‑term monitoring installations link to networks such as National Ecological Observatory Network and Global Seismographic Network.
The Institute maintains formal and informal partnerships with federal agencies including National Science Foundation, NOAA, NASA, and USGS, and academic partners such as Columbia University, University of Colorado Boulder, and Dartmouth College. International collaborations extend to University of Cambridge, University of Copenhagen, and research centers like Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Regional collaborations include Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Maine Department of Marine Resources, and tribal partnerships with Penobscot Nation and Passamaquoddy Tribe. The Institute participates in global programs including International Ocean Discovery Program, International Arctic Science Committee, and contributes to assessments by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Funding sources historically include competitive awards from National Science Foundation, grants from National Aeronautics and Space Administration, cooperative agreements with NOAA, and philanthropic support similar to grants from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Program‑specific funding has come via mechanisms used by U.S. Department of Energy climate initiatives and multi‑institution proposals to European Research Council equivalents. The Institute also benefits from state appropriations funneled through University of Maine System allocations and collaborative contracts with Maine Technology Institute.
Research outputs inform regional planning and policy processes including coastal adaptation strategies used by Maine Coastal Program and resource management discussions in forums like New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers Conference. Contributions to international assessments help shape narratives in Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports and feed into guidance used by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change delegates. Data and expertise from the Institute support coastal hazard mapping used by Federal Emergency Management Agency and restoration projects coordinated with NOAA Fisheries. The Institute’s publications and testimony have been cited in proceedings of bodies such as U.S. Congress committees and advisory panels convened by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Category:University of Maine Category:Climate research institutes