Welcome to the Southwest Climate Blog!

Greetings. We’re happy to unveil the Southwest Climate Blog as a new feature on the Southwest Climate Change Network site. The goal of this blog is to spark more discussion of climate issues as they relate to the Southwest.

Given the nature of all things climate, this blog will aim to be interdisciplinary and accessible to all those in the Southwest who have a stake in climate or those who are just interested in understanding what’s going on with our climate. We hope to discuss issues that are relevant to folks on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico, as well as those in regions neighboring the Southwest. There are many climate issues that transcend regions all the way up to the national and global scale, and we’ll cover these too, as long as they have implications for, or are of interest to, the Southwest.

Our intent is to start off with posts from University of Arizona faculty, staff and students, and with time, we hope to have guest blogs as well. Our aim is to be inclusive and courteous. Those who join the SWCCN will be free to reply to our posts, and of course, all are encouraged to read and keep track of what we’re discussing.

Who in the Southwest has a stake in climate? Most of us who live and work in the Southwest! Our region is blessed with great weather, beautiful scenery, and much more, but it’s also a region that is very sensitive to both natural and human-caused climate variability and change. The Southwest is one of the few regions in the U.S. already undergoing human-caused climate change, and everyone probably already knows that the region can be hit by droughts even without any human influences. We’ll talk about these, their interactions, and much more.

We look forward to hearing what you think!