Climate change is the defining issue of our time.
As a society, we stand at a crossroads between a sustainable, resilient future and one that leaves future generations to deal with extended droughts, heat waves, flooding, resource scarcities and growing social inequities as a result of unmitigated climate change.
Research on climate change mitigation and adaptation is more important than ever. The Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at The Ohio State University is one of the world’s leading research, education and outreach centers focusing on polar and climate science. The Byrd Center delivers research about climate change and its impacts to governments, industry, agriculture, healthcare, military and the general public.
We hold the keys to understanding our changing planet. Byrd houses the planet’s most extensive collection of ice cores from the low latitude mountain glaciers.
We use chemical and physical parameters locked in these cores to understand past climate change, pollution and even diseases in order to help society and develop practices and innovations to help guide mitigation and adaption efforts. The Center
is also the hub coordinating climate research across the campus of one of the world’s largest and most prestigious research universities.
What we do matters, and we need your help to maintain current assets and expand the research resources and outreach capabilities of the Byrd Center to make a meaningful impact on our community, the state of Ohio and the world at large.
We invite you to partner with us to build a more sustainable and resilient future for all. The time to act is now.
Your support of the Byrd Center will make an impact by...
Preserving Our Ice Cores
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Understanding the details of Earth’s past climate is essential to better inform our decision makers regarding future land use, agriculture, infrastructure and how to address future climate changes.
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The ice core freezer fund supports the preservation
of these unique cores so that future generations of scientists may continue to gather new information from them using the newest novel techniques and equipment. -
The freezers provide long-term protection for the planet’s premiere collection of ice samples retrieved from mountain glaciers.
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Thus, the Byrd Center’s ice archive offers the last opportunity to study and analyze these cores that contain the long and detailed climate histories essential for development and testing of climate models that provide future climate predictions.
Growing the State Climate Office of Ohio
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Serving as Ohio’s foremost conduit of climate information between agricultural practitioners and researchers.
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Creating online tools to provide farmers with weather information relevant to their operations.
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Expanding top-quality weather and climate monitoring stations installed across the state.
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Communicating timely climate information to decision makers in Ohio urban and rural communities.
Investing in Education and Outreach
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Creating cutting-edge visualizations and immersive technology to inspire and educate the public about our complex planet.
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Offering professional development opportunities to educators, decision makers and key stakeholders to broaden Ohio’s climate change knowledge base.
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Educating the next generation of science professionals and science-literate citizens.
For giving opportunities, please contact Michele Cook at (614)292–7972 or cook.942@osu.edu.