Overview

The Oregon Climate Change Research Institute (OCCRI), based at Oregon State University (OSU), is a network of over 100 researchers at OSU, the University of Oregon, Portland State University, Southern Oregon University, and affiliated federal and state labs. In 2007, the Oregon state legislature created OCCRI and tasked it with: fostering climate change research among faculty of the Oregon University System (OUS); serving as a clearinghouse for climate information; and providing climate change information to the public in an easily understandable form.

In September of 2010, OCCRI was named as the anchor institution for two federally funded regional climate science centers. The Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Pacific Northwest Climate Science Center (CSC) is one of eight planned CSC’s. The CSC will serve as a resource for DOI agencies in providing necessary science in advising policy decisions. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Pacific Northwest Climate Decision Support Consortium is one of 11 Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) projects. The NOAA RISA will engage and support a broad number of stakeholders, including municipalities, utilities, emergency management organizations, and state and federal agencies (see http://pnwclimate.org).