Arid Lands
Adapting to a Hotter, Drier World
In the midst of a decades-long megadrought, the Desert Southwest, in which AIR is located, is at the forefront of aridification, the process in which regions become increasingly dry due to rising temperatures and diminishing water resources. AIR is ideally positioned to leverage new technologies, elevate Native wisdom and practices, and demonstrate for the global community how we can preserve traditions while adapting to a more arid world.
Centers & Programs
Climate Assessment for the Southwest
CLIMAS – a NOAA funded partnership between the University of Arizona, the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, and New Mexico State University – has been working with stakeholders from the private sector, academia, local, state, federal, and tribal government since 1998 to help bring the best-available knowledge to challenges related to weather and climate in the Southwest.
Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill
The Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill is an 860-acre ecological preserve in the heart of Tucson. The Laboratory was founded in 1903 by the Carnegie Institution to answer the fundamental question: how does life cope with aridity? In the twenty-first century, increasing drought and heat in many parts of the globe have transformed this basic scientific question into an urgent challenge facing humanity.
Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center
The SW CASC was established in 2011 to provide objective scientific information, tools, and techniques that land, water, wildlife, and cultural resource managers and other interested parties can apply to anticipate, monitor, and adapt to climate change impacts in the southwestern United States.
