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The North Carolina Climate Science Report (NCCSR) is a scientific assessment of historical climate trends and potential future climate change in North Carolina under increased greenhouse gas concentrations. It supports Governor Cooper’s Executive Order 80 (EO80; “North Carolina’s Commitment to Address Climate Change and Transition to a Clean Energy Economy”) by providing an independent, peer-reviewed scientific contribution to the EO80.
The report was prepared independently by North Carolina–based climate experts, and an advisory panel (“Climate Science Advisory Panel”) was formed to provide oversight and review of the report. This panel consisted of North Carolina university and federal research scientists with national and international reputations in their specialty areas of climate science. The report underwent several rounds of review and revision, including an anonymous peer review organized by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
The report includes an overview of the physical science of climate change, detailed information on observed and projected changes in temperature and precipitation averages and extremes, hurricanes and other storms, sea level, and other relevant climate metrics.
Findings are presented for both the state as a whole and for each of three regions in the state: the Coastal Plain, the Piedmont, and the Western Mountains. The report also includes chapters on sea level rise, trends involving interactions of multiple aspects of the climate system (including inland flooding, wildfire, forest ecosystem changes, urban heat island effects, and air pollution), and findings relevant to engineering design standards.
Cataloging Information
- climate change
- drought
- fire frequency
- fire severity
- North Carolina
- precipitation
- wildfires