RII Track-2 FEC: An Interdisciplinary Program for Research, Education, and Outreach on Climate Change and Adaptive Resilience in the Yazoo - Mississippi Delta

Mississippi State University, Mississippi State MS

Investigators

Abstract

In this collaborative interdisciplinary research program, Mississippi State University, the University of South Carolina, and Mississippi Valley State University work together to build a climate change education and research program in communities disproportionately affected by climate change in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta (The Delta). The Delta residents are often affected by floods, droughts, and tornadoes. In spite of its rich agricultural heritage, the Delta has high poverty rates, obesity, diabetes, and food insecurity. In this project, we will develop a climate model for the Delta, study social vulnerability to environmental hazards, and estimate resilience to climate change. We'll also study climate impacts on health, and climate risk as it's experienced and lived. The project will provide climate literacy to K-12 students, as well as workforce development for local communities. In addition, this project develops geospatial technology and climate change courses for Mississippi Community Colleges. Thus, many undergraduate students in the state will gain climate literacy and be prepared for graduate school. Research results will provide a road map of communities' risks and vulnerabilities to climate-related extreme events. This project investigates how historical and current land use patterns intersect with uneven climate vulnerability in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta (The Delta). It also determines the extent of resilience and adaptive capacity of underserved communities in the Delta. The objectives of the project are: (1) to develop a scenario-based climate change model and conduct a probabilistic risk analysis for land use and land cover changes in the Delta (2) to assess the current social vulnerability to environmental hazards and to estimate resilience capacity to climate change; (3) to bridge the gap between spatial indicators of vulnerability and climate risk as it is lived and experienced; (4) to determine the impacts of the intersections of climate-vulnerability and people’s health; (5) to increase climate literacy and develop a workforce in the underserved communities; and (6) to help improve adaptive capacity of the underserved communities by working with community organizations. The research will use an interdisciplinary approach including climate modeling, spatial and statistical modeling, interviews, photovoice, and documentation of environmental oral histories. Geospatial technologies and climate change will be taught online through a partnership with community colleges. Education and workforce components of the project aims to provide climate literacy to K-12 students, and workforce development opportunities for underserved communities. By combining community knowledge and scientific reasoning this study will bridge the gap in knowledge related to the interconnection between climate change and food security for marginalized populations. Through knowledge sharing across the research-practice divide, the research will improve communities' adaptive resilience to climate change. The proposed work will support early career faculty development. The project will help develop the environmental science, education, and justice workforce by recruiting and training students from underrepresented communities. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.