Climate Change in the Midwest

The research presented in this volume focuses on identifying and quantifying the major vulnerabilities to climate change in the Midwestern United States. By providing state-of-the-art spatially disaggregated information regarding the historical, current, and possible future climate within the region, the contributors assess the risks and susceptibility of the critical socio-economic and environmental systems. Key sectors discussed are agriculture, human health, water, energy and infrastructure, and the vulnerabilities that may be amplified under current climate trajectories. The book also considers the challenges and opportunities to develop local and regional strategies for addressing the risks posed by climate change in the context of developing an integrative policy for the region.

S. C. Pryor is Provost's Professor of Atmospheric Science at Indiana University Bloomington and editor of Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres and of Understanding Climate Change: Climate Variability, Predictability, and Change in the Midwestern United States (IUP, 2009).