Earth's climate system is undergoing a period of rapid change as a result of man-made
interference with the climate system, superimposed on underlying natural variability. Changes
are occurring at an unprecedented rate, with profound risks and consequences for all organisms
on earth. The course of future interactions between climate and human society hinges upon policy
decisions which must be based upon modern climate science. Climate change has become a
challenging scientific issue for this generation and the next.
The Climate System Research Center is a research facility of the University
of Massachusetts. Our research is focused on the climate system, climatic
variability and global change issues, from contemporary climate variations,
their causes and consequences, to paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental changes.
The Climate System Research Center brings together graduate students,
post-docs, research scientists, and University faculty who are all interested
in different aspects of the climate system and its variability in time and space.
The result is a stimulating environment for the exchange of ideas and expertise.
Research at the Climate System Research Center involves primary data,
aquisition, including meteorological/glaciological observations and the
recovery of paleoclimatic archives, often in remote area, as well as analysis
of paleoclimate archives in thelaboratory, instrumental data analysis, and
modeling. The Center excels in researchthat involves both modern and paleoclimate
data, including calibrating paleoclimatic records with instrumental data and
integrating them with long-term instrumental records.
