Katharine L Jacobs

Interests

Teaching

water policy, climate assessment, climate adaptation

Research

Climate change, climate adaptation, water management, environmental science, connecting science and decision-making, stakeholder engagement, water policy, groundwater management

Courses

Scholarly Contributions

Books

• Jacobs, K. L., & Buizer, J. L. (2016). Foreword to Climate in Context: Science and Society Partnering for Adaptation. Wiley.
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  Foreword to the Book: Climate in Context: Science and Society Partnering for Adaptation
• Jacobs, K. L., Buizer, J. L., & Moser, S. (2016). The U.S. National Climate Assessment - Innovations in Science and Engagement. Journal on Climatic Change: Special Issue: Springer Verlag GmbH. doi:10.1007/s10584-016-1621-5
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  CoEditor (with Kathy Jacobs and Susanne Moser) of Special Issue on the National Climate Assessment for the Journal Climatic Change
• Jacobs, K. L., Titley, D. W., Hegerl, G., Mote, P. W., Paciorek, C. J., Shepherd, J. M., Shepherd, T. G., Sobel, A. H., Walsh, J., & Zwiers, F. (2016). Attribution of Extreme Weather Events in the Context of Climate Change. Washington DC: National Academies Press. doi:DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/2185
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  DAVID W. TITLEY (Chair), Pennsylvania State University, University ParkGABRIELE HEGERL, University of Edinburgh, UKKATHARINE L. JACOBS, University of Arizona, TucsonPHILIP W. MOTE, Oregon State University, CorvallisCHRISTOPHER J. PACIOREK, University of California, BerkeleyJ. MARSHALL SHEPHERD, University of Georgia, AthensTHEODORE G. SHEPHERD, University of Reading, UKADAM H. SOBEL, Columbia University, New York, NYJOHN WALSH, University of Alaska, FairbanksFRANCIS W. ZWIERS, University of Victoria, BC, Canada
• Jacobs, K. L., Wilbanks, T., Baughman, B. P., Beachy, R. N., Benjamin, G. C., Buizer, J. l., Chapin, F. S., Cherry, W. P., Davis, B., Ebi, K. L., Harris, J., Kates, R. W., Kunreuther, H. C., Mearns, L. O., Mote, P., Rosenberg, A. A., Schwartz, Jr., H. G., Smith, J. B., & Yohe, G. W. (2010). America's Climate Choices: Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change. Washington, D.C.: National Research Council.
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  America’s Climate Choices: Panel on Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change, Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, Div. on Earth and Life Studies, National Research Council of the National Academies, The National Academies Press, D.C. (May 2010)

Chapters

• Jacobs, K. L., & Fleming, P. (2017). Climate Change: A Strategic Opportunity for Water Managers. In The Water Problem: Climate Change and Water Policy in the United States. Brookings Institution Press.
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  Invited chapter
• Buizer, J. L., Dow, K., Black, M. E., Jacobs, K. L., Moss, R. H., Moser, S., Luers, A., Gustafson, D. L., Richmond, T. C., Hays, S. L., & Field, C. B. (2015). Innovations in Assessment Processes: Building a Sustained Assessment Process. In Special Issue on the National Climate Assessment. Springer. doi:10.1007/s10684-015-1501-4
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  Abstract The leaders and authors of the Third US National Climate Assessment (NCA3) developed new modes of engaging academia, the private sector, government agencies and civil society to support their needs for usable, rigorous, and timely information and better connect science and decision-making. A strategic vision for assessment activities into the future was built during the NCA3 process, including recommendations on how to establish a sustained assessment process that would integrate evolving scientific understanding into decision making to manage the risks of climate change over time. This vision includes a collaborative assessment process that involves partnerships across a diverse and widely distributed set of non-governmental and governmental entities.
• Buizer, J. l., Jacobs, K. L., Black, M. E., Waple, A., Moss, R. H., Moser, S., Gustafson, D. I., Richmond, T. C., Hays, S., & Field, C. (2015). Building a Sustained Climate Assessment Process. In The Third US National Climate Assessment: Innovations in Science and Engagement,(p. 22). Springer Verlag GmbH. doi:10.1007/s10584-015-1501-4
• Jacobs, K. L., & Buizer, J. L. (2015). Building community, credibility and knowledge: the third U.S. National Climate Assessment. In Special Issue of Climatic Change: The US National Climate Assessment: Innovations in Science and Engagement(p. 13). Springer. doi:10.1007/s10584-015-1445-8
• Moser, S. C., Melillo, J. M., Jacobs, K. L., Moss, R., & Buizer, J. L. (2015). Aspirations and common tensions: larger lessons from the third national climate assessment. In Special Issue on the National Climate Assessment. Springer. doi:10.1007/s10584-015-1530-z

Journals/Publications

• Jacobs, K. L. (2021). A New Mission: Mainstreaming climate adaptation in the US Department of Defense. Climate Services, 22(100230). doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cliser.2021.100230
• Jacobs, K. L. (2021). Lesson Learning in the Colorado River Basin. Water International. doi:doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2021.1913782
• Jacobs, K. L. (2021). Scenario Planning: Embracing the Potential for Extreme Events in the Colorado River Basin. Climatic Change, 165(27). doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-021-03013-3
• Ruckelshaus, M. H., Jackson, S., Mooney, H. A., Jacobs, K. L., Kassam, K. S., Arroyo, M. T., Baldi, A., Bartuska, A. M., Boyd, J., Joppa, L. N., Kovacs-Hostyanszki, A., Parsons, J. P., Scholes, R. J., Shogren, J. F., & Ouyang, Z. (2020). The IPBES Global Assessment: Pathways to Action. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 35(5), 407-414. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2020.01.009
• Gerlak, A. K., Mason, S., Daly, M., Liverman, D. M., Guido, Z. S., Soares, M., Vaughn, C., Knudson, C. S., Greene, C. Y., Buizer, J. L., & Jacobs, K. L. (2020). The Gnat and the Bull: Do Climate Outlook Forums Make a Difference?. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Early onine. doi:https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-19-0008.1
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  AbstractWe provide guidance on how to evaluate Regional Climate Outlook Forums, whose longstanding climate prediction efforts have continued to evolve at the forefront in climate services.Little has been documented about the benefits and impacts of the recent growth in climate services, despite a growing call to justify their value and stimulate investment. Regional Climate Outlook Forums (RCOFs), an integral part of the public and private enterprise of climate services, have been implemented over the last 20 years with the objectives of producing and disseminating seasonal climate forecasts to inform improved climate risk management and adaptation. In proposing guidance on how to measure the success of RCOFs, we offer three broad evaluative categories that are based on the primary stated goals of the RCOFs: (1) quality of the climate information used and developed at RCOFs; (2) legitimacy of RCOF processes focused on consensus forecasts, broad user engagement, and capacity building; and (3) usability of the climate information produced at RCOFs. Evaluating the quality of information relies largely on quantitative measures and statistical techniques that are standardized and transferrable, but assessing the RCOF processes and perceived usability of RCOF products will necessitate a combination of quantitative and qualitative social science methods that are sensitive to highly variable regional contexts. As RCOFs have taken up different formats and procedures to adapt to diverse institutional and political settings and varied technical and scientific capacities, objective evaluation methods adopted should align with the goals and intent of the evaluation and be performed in a participatory, co-production manner where producers and users of climate services together design the evaluation metrics and processes. To fully capture the potential benefits of the RCOFs, it may be necessary to adjust or recalibrate the goals of these forums to better fit the evolving landscape of climate services development, needs, and provision.corresponding author: Andrea K. Gerlak, School of Geography and Development and Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, The University of Arizona, PO Box 210137, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA, agerlak@email.arizona.edu
• Gerlak, A. K., Mason, S., Daly, M., Liverman, D. M., Guido, Z. S., Soares, M., Vaughn, C., Knudson, C. S., Greene, C. Y., Buizer, J. L., & Jacobs, K. L. (2020). The Gnat and the Bull: Do Climate Outlook Forums Make a Difference?. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Early online. doi:https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-19-0008.1
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  AbstractWe provide guidance on how to evaluate Regional Climate Outlook Forums, whose longstanding climate prediction efforts have continued to evolve at the forefront in climate services.Little has been documented about the benefits and impacts of the recent growth in climate services, despite a growing call to justify their value and stimulate investment. Regional Climate Outlook Forums (RCOFs), an integral part of the public and private enterprise of climate services, have been implemented over the last 20 years with the objectives of producing and disseminating seasonal climate forecasts to inform improved climate risk management and adaptation. In proposing guidance on how to measure the success of RCOFs, we offer three broad evaluative categories that are based on the primary stated goals of the RCOFs: (1) quality of the climate information used and developed at RCOFs; (2) legitimacy of RCOF processes focused on consensus forecasts, broad user engagement, and capacity building; and (3) usability of the climate information produced at RCOFs. Evaluating the quality of information relies largely on quantitative measures and statistical techniques that are standardized and transferrable, but assessing the RCOF processes and perceived usability of RCOF products will necessitate a combination of quantitative and qualitative social science methods that are sensitive to highly variable regional contexts. As RCOFs have taken up different formats and procedures to adapt to diverse institutional and political settings and varied technical and scientific capacities, objective evaluation methods adopted should align with the goals and intent of the evaluation and be performed in a participatory, co-production manner where producers and users of climate services together design the evaluation metrics and processes. To fully capture the potential benefits of the RCOFs, it may be necessary to adjust or recalibrate the goals of these forums to better fit the evolving landscape of climate services development, needs, and provision.corresponding author: Andrea K. Gerlak, School of Geography and Development and Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, The University of Arizona, PO Box 210137, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA, agerlak@email.arizona.edu
• Jacobs, K. L., & Street, R. B. (2020). The Next Generation of Climate Services. Climate Services, 20(100199). doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cliser.2020.100199
• Jacobs, K. L., Gerlak, A. K., Mason, S., Buizer, J. L., Daly, M., Greene, C. Y., Knudson, C. S., Liverman, D. M., Vaughn, C., Guido, Z. S., Soares, M., Soares, M., Vaughn, C., Guido, Z. S., Liverman, D. M., Knudson, C. S., Daly, M., Greene, C. Y., Mason, S., , Buizer, J. L., et al. (2020). The Gnat and the Bull: Do Climate Outlook Forums Make a Difference?. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Early onine. doi:https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-19-0008.1
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  AbstractWe provide guidance on how to evaluate Regional Climate Outlook Forums, whose longstanding climate prediction efforts have continued to evolve at the forefront in climate services.Little has been documented about the benefits and impacts of the recent growth in climate services, despite a growing call to justify their value and stimulate investment. Regional Climate Outlook Forums (RCOFs), an integral part of the public and private enterprise of climate services, have been implemented over the last 20 years with the objectives of producing and disseminating seasonal climate forecasts to inform improved climate risk management and adaptation. In proposing guidance on how to measure the success of RCOFs, we offer three broad evaluative categories that are based on the primary stated goals of the RCOFs: (1) quality of the climate information used and developed at RCOFs; (2) legitimacy of RCOF processes focused on consensus forecasts, broad user engagement, and capacity building; and (3) usability of the climate information produced at RCOFs. Evaluating the quality of information relies largely on quantitative measures and statistical techniques that are standardized and transferrable, but assessing the RCOF processes and perceived usability of RCOF products will necessitate a combination of quantitative and qualitative social science methods that are sensitive to highly variable regional contexts. As RCOFs have taken up different formats and procedures to adapt to diverse institutional and political settings and varied technical and scientific capacities, objective evaluation methods adopted should align with the goals and intent of the evaluation and be performed in a participatory, co-production manner where producers and users of climate services together design the evaluation metrics and processes. To fully capture the potential benefits of the RCOFs, it may be necessary to adjust or recalibrate the goals of these forums to better fit the evolving landscape of climate services development, needs, and provision.corresponding author: Andrea K. Gerlak, School of Geography and Development and Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, The University of Arizona, PO Box 210137, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA, agerlak@email.arizona.edu
• Jacobs, K. L., McCoy, A., Martin, S., & Gerlak, A. K. (2020). Reimagining the Colorado River by exploring extreme events. EOS, 101. doi:https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EO151369
• Jacobs, K. L. (2019). Water, Climate Change and Law:The Case for More Protection. Arizona Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, 10(3), 12.
• Jacobs, K. L., Moss, R. H., & Others, M. (2019). “Evaluating Knowledge to Support Climate Action: A Framework for Sustained Assessment, Report of an Independent Advisory Committee on Applied Climate Assessment.. Weather, Climate and Society, 11(3), 25.
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  This publication was the most widely read article in this journal last year. It represents substantial work by myself and others over a period of years.
• Gerlak, A. K., Guido, Z., Vaughan, C., Rountree, V., Greene, C., Liverman, D. M., Trotman, A., Mahon, R., Cox, S., Mason, S., Jacobs, K. L., Buizer, J. L., Van Meerbeeck, C., & Baethgen, W. (2018). Building a Framework for Process-Oriented Evaluation of Regional Climate Outlook Forums. Weather, Climate and Society, 14.
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  Gerlak, A.K., Z. Guido, C. Vaughan, V. Rountree, C. Greene, D. Liverman, A.R. Trotman, R. Mahon, S. Cox, S.J. Mason, K.L. Jacobs, J.L. Buizer, C.J. Van Meerbeeck, and W.E. Baethgen, 2018: Building a Framework for Process-Oriented Evaluation of Regional Climate Outlook Forums. Wea. Climate Soc., 10, 225–239, https://doi.org/10.1175/WCAS-D-17-0029.1
• Gerlak, A. K., Guido, Z., Vaughan, C., Rountree, V., Greene, C., Liverman, D. M., Trotman, A., Mahon, R., Cox, S., Mason, S., Jacobs, K. L., Buizer, J. L., Van Meerbeeck, C., & Baethgen, W. (2018). Building a Framework for Process-Oriented Evaluation of Regional Climate Outlook Forums. Weather, Climate and Society, 14. doi:10.1175/WCAS-D-17-0029.1
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  Gerlak, A.K., Z. Guido, C. Vaughan, V. Rountree, C. Greene, D. Liverman, A.R. Trotman, R. Mahon, S. Cox, S.J. Mason, K.L. Jacobs, J.L. Buizer, C.J. Van Meerbeeck, and W.E. Baethgen, 2018: Building a Framework for Process-Oriented Evaluation of Regional Climate Outlook Forums. Wea. Climate Soc., 10, 225–239, https://doi.org/10.1175/WCAS-D-17-0029.1
• Jacobs, K. L. (2018). Building a framework for process-oriented evaluation of Regional Climate Outlook Forums. Water, Climate and Society. doi:doi: 10.1175/WCAS-D-17-0029.1
• Jacobs, K. L. (2018). Through the Looking Glass: Climate Change and the Future of Water in the Tucson Region. Sonorensis, 38(1), 6.
• Gerlak, A. K., Guido, Z., Vaughan, C., Rountree, V., Greene, C., Liverman, D. M., Trotman, A., Mahon, R., Cox, S., Mason, S., Jacobs, K. L., Buizer, J. l., VanMeerbeeck, C., & Baethgen, W. (2017). Building a framework for process-oriented evaluation of Regional Climate Outlook Forums. Weather, Climate, and Society. doi:10.1175/WCAS-D-17-0029.1
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  https://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/10.1175/WCAS-D-17-0029.1Gerlak, A., Z. Guido, C. Vaughan, V. Rountree, C. Greene, D. Liverman, A.Trotman, R. Mahon, S. Cox, S. Mason, K. Jacobs, J. Buizer, C. Van Meerbeeck,and W. Baethgen, 2017: Building a framework for process-oriented evaluation of Regional Climate Outlook Forums. Early Online Release October 20, 2017. https://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/10.1175/WCAS-D-17-0029.1. American Meteorological Society, Weather, Climate, and Society. In press for 2018 Journal Publication. doi: 10.1175/WCAS-D-17-0029.1
• Buizer, J. L., Jacobs, K. L., & Cash, D. (2016). Making Short-term Climate Forecasts Useful: Linking Science and Action. Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences, 113(17). doi:10.1073/pnas.0900518107
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  This paper discusses the evolution of scientific and social understanding that has led to the development of knowledge systems supporting the application of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) forecasts, including the development of successful efforts to connect climate predictions with sectoral applications and actions;. The evolution of ENSO; activities to connect science and decisionmaking is then discussed, setting the stage for a report of outcomes from an international workshop comprised of producers, translators, and users of climate predictions. The workshop, which focused on identifying critical boundary-spanning features of successful boundary organizations, included participants from Australia, Hawaii, and the Pacific Islands, the US Pacific Northwest, and the state of Ceará in northeastern Brazil. Workshop participants agreed that boundary organizations have multiple roles including those of information broker, convenor of forums for engagement, translator of scientific information, arbiter of access to knowledge, and exemplar of adaptive behavior. Through these roles, boundary organizations will ensure the stability of the knowledge system in a changing political, economic, and climatic context. The international examples reviewed in this workshop demonstrated an interesting case of convergent evolution, where organizations that were very different in origin evolved toward similar structures and individuals engaged in them had similar experiences to share. These examples provide evidence that boundary organizations and boundary-spanners fill some social/institutional roles that are independent of culture.
• Jacobs, K. L., Jackson, S., Duke, C., Joppa, L., Hampton, S. E., Ogden, L. A., Ruckelshaus, M., Shogren, J., Kassam, K. S., & Mooney, H. (2016). Towards a National, Sustained US Ecosystem Assessment. Science Policy, 354(6314), 838-839.
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  This is a commentary in Science Policy.
• Jacobs, K. L., Joppa, L. N., Boyd, J. W., Duke, C. S., Hampton, S. E., Jackson, S. T., Kassam, K. S., Mooney, H. A., Ogden, L. A., Ruckelshaus, M., & Shogren, J. F. (2016). Government: Plan for Ecosystem Services. Science Letters, 351(6277), 1037.
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  Commentary in Science Letter from IPBES Committee
• Jacobs, K. L., Lebel, L., Buizer, J. l., Addams, L., Matson, P., McCullough, E., Garden, P., Saliba, G., & Finan, T. (2016). Linking Knowledge with Action in the Pursuit of Sustainable Water Resources Management. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(17), 6. doi:10.1073/pnas.0813125107
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  Managing water for sustainable use and economic development is both a technical and a governance challenge in which knowledge production and sharing play a central role. This article evaluates and compares the role of participatory governance and scientific information in decision-making in four basins in Brazil, Mexico, Thailand, and the United States. Water management institutions in each of the basins have evolved during the last 10–20 years from a relatively centralized water-management structure at the state or national level to a decision structure that involves engaging water users within the basins and the development of participatory processes. This change is consistent with global trends in which states increasingly are expected to gain public acceptance for larger water projects and policy changes. In each case, expanded citizen engagement in identifying options and in decision-making processes has resulted in more complexity but also has expanded the culture of integrated learning. International funding for water infrastructure has been linked to requirements for participatory management processes, but, ironically, this study finds that participatory processes appear to work better in the context of decisions that are short-term and easily adjusted, such as water-allocation decisions, and do not work so well for longer-term, high-stakes decisions regarding infrastructure. A second important observation is that the costs of capacity building to allow meaningful stakeholder engagement in water-management decision processes are not widely recognized. Failure to appreciate the associated costs and complexities may contribute to the lack of successful engagement of citizens in decisions regarding infrastructure.
• Jacobs, K. L., Moss, R. H., & Ghassam, A. R. (2016). Challenges and Opportunities in Earth-Human Systems Research. EOS, 97. doi:doi:10.1029/2016EO050919
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  Report of the findings of a workshop that we cosponsored at the Aspen Global Change Institute in 2015
• Star, J., Rowland, E., Black, M. E., Enquist, C. A., Garfin, G. M., Hawkins-Hoffman, C., Hartmann, H., Jacobs, K. L., Moss, R. H., & Waple, A. M. (2016). Supporting Adaptation Decisions through Scenario Planning: Enabling the Effective Use of Multiple Methods. Climate Risk Management, 13, 88-94. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2016.08.001
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  Scenario planning is a technique used to inform decision-making under uncertainty, and is increasingly applied in the field of climate change adaptation and policy. This paper describes applications that combine previously distinct scenario methods in new and innovative ways. It draws on numerous recent independent case studies to illustrate emerging practices, such as far stronger connections between researcher-driven and participatory approaches and cycling between exploratory and normative perspectives. The paper concludes with a call for greater support for, and collaboration among, practitioners with the argument that mixed methods are most effective for decision-making in the context of climate change challenges.

Proceedings Publications

• Jacobs, K. L., Black, M. E., & Leinberger, A. (2019, October/Fall). Final Report of the Colorado River Conversations Conference. In Colorado River Conversations Conference, 39.
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  Report from major Walton Family Foundation event in Oct, 2019
• Jacobs, K. L. (2018, June/Summer). National Council for Science and the Environment: 2018 National Conference Report. In NCSE: Science, Business and Education of Infrastructure: Building Resilience in a Changing World, 26.
• Jacobs, K. L. (2015, Spring). Contributions of the Third US National Climate Assessment. In US-Iran Symposium on Climate Change: Impacts and Mitigation.
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  Summary of a presentation given at the National Academies in Irvine, CA

Presentations

• Jacobs, K. L. (2020, all year). Approximately 30 presentations to public audiences. MultipleArizona Forward, Desert Museum, Greater Tucson Leadership, League of Women Voters, Water Resources Research Center, AMS, etc.
• Jacobs, K. L., & Leinberger, A. (2020, February/Spring). Southwest Practitioners Adaptation Network Heat Resilience Event. Southwest Practitioners Adaptation Network. Reno, NV: CCASS/DOI.
• Jacobs, K. L. (2019, April/Spring). Desert Waters Internatioanl Symposium Concluding Panel. Desert Waters Internatioanl Symposium. UA-ENR2: WRRC.
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  I was on the concluding panel for this event - audience maybe 80?
• Jacobs, K. L. (2019, April/Spring). Panel on Infrastructure and Climate Adaptation. National Adaptation Forum. Madison, WI: National Adaptation Forum/Ecoadapt.
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  Described work with architects, engineers and planners on climate commitmentAudience maybe 100?
• Jacobs, K. L. (2019, December/Winter). Changing Role of Science on the Colorado River. Colorado River Water Users Association. Las Vegas, NV: CRWUA.
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  Panel discussion including Colorado River Conversations work, about 800 in audience?
• Jacobs, K. L. (2019, December/Winter). Climate Adaptation in Tucson: What can we do?. Sky Islands High School Classes. Sky Islands High School: sky Islands high school.
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  Presentation to two Sky Islands Classes, including discussion of climate impacts, adaptation, careers. About 40 students/
• Jacobs, K. L. (2019, February/spring). Lessons in Climate Adaptation. Second Nature Summit. Arizona State University, Tempe: Second Nature.
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  Participated in a panel discussion with audience of around 250
• Jacobs, K. L. (2019, January/Spring). Water, Climate Change and Law:The Case for More ProtectionJanuary 18, 2019. The End of Environmental Law. James E Rogers College of Law: Law School.
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  Invited presentation at conference
• Jacobs, K. L. (2019, January/Spring). Water: Working with People and Institutions for Climate Change. Sky Islands High School Assembly. Sky Islands High School: Sky Islands High School.
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  Invited presentation to entire student body
• Jacobs, K. L. (2019, June/Summer). Climate Adaptation on the Colorado River. CHARTING A BETTER COURSE FOR THE COLORADO RIVER: IDENTIFYING THE DATA AND CONCEPTS TO SHAPE THE INTERIM GUIDELINES RENEGOTIATION. Boulder, CO: CU Boulder.
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  Panel on Climate Adaptation and the Colorado River, Martz Conference
• Jacobs, K. L. (2019, March/Spring). Climate Adaptation in Tucson What’s happening with the climate? What can we do?. Building a Resilient Neighborhood. Sam Hughes Elementary School: Sam Hughes Neighborhood Assoc, Physicians for Social Responsibility.
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  Presentation to Neighborhood Association with ideas for adaptation and resilience - audience around 30
• Jacobs, K. L. (2019, March/Spring). Climate Change in Arizona. Lincoln Institute. Phoenix, AZ: Lincoln Institute.
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  Presentation at a conference - roughly 100 people?
• Jacobs, K. L. (2019, March/Spring). How Warming has Changed Everything. Enironmental Journalists Conference. Phoenix, AZ: Lincoln Institute.
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  Presentation to roughly 60 environmental journalists
• Jacobs, K. L. (2019, March/Spring). National Climate Assessment and Adaptation. 19X Water Summit. Arizona State University, Tempe: Arizona State University.
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  Panelist, large conference - maybe 400 in attendance? not sure
• Jacobs, K. L. (2019, March/Spring). Water Matters More. Loft Cinema Public Panel on Patagonia Water Issues. Loft Cinema: Audubon Arizona.
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  I organized and moderated a session on water issues in Patagonia Arizona following the film "Water Matters More"Audience approximately 100
• Jacobs, K. L. (2019, March/Spring). Water: Working with People and Institutions for Climate Change. Basis North STEM Club. Basis North High School: Basis North High School.
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  Presentation at student-led workshop with stem club,about 20 in attendance
• Jacobs, K. L. (2019, May/Spring). Managing Climate Risk: The Realities of Science and Decision-making. Deep South Science Program. Auckland, New Zealand: Deep South indpendent Science Panel.
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  This invited keynote address in Auckland, NZ was one of the more important presentations I gave this year and was very well received. Perhaps 600 people in attendance?
• Jacobs, K. L. (2019, October/Fall). Climate Change in Tucson: Risk and Opportunity. United Nations Association Meeting. United Nations Shop - Tucson: UN Association.
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  Community meeting, very well attended - maybe 40 people
• Jacobs, K. L. (2019, September/fall). Enhancing Collaboration Among Natural Resources Science and Policy. Water Education Foundation Colorado River Conference. Santa Fe, NM: Water Education Foundation.
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  Panel included presentation on Colorado River Conversations Project, large audience
• Jacobs, K. L. (2018, August). Climate Change Impact Assessment and Policy. Egghead Talk. Damariscotta, ME: Lincoln County Democrats.
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  Hour-long community presentation with question period afterwards
• Jacobs, K. L. (2018, December). Sustained Assessment Panel. American Geophysical Union. Washington DC Convention Center: Independent Advisory Committee on Sustained Assessment.
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  Moderated panel presentation
• Jacobs, K. L. (2018, July). Climate Change Impacts on Coastal Maine. Workshop, Southport Library. Southport, Maine: Community.
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  Preentation to community group about climate impacts
• Jacobs, K. L. (2018, July). National Research Council - Committee to Advise the USGCRP. Committee Meeting. Remotely presented: National Academies.
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  Presentation on the status of the Independent Advisory Committee on Sustained Assessment to the NRC Committee advising the USGCRP
• Jacobs, K. L. (2018, October). Adapting to Climate Change. Community Climate Coalition Series. Pima County Main Library: Community Climate Coalition.
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  This was an hour presentation including questions, roughly 50 people in attendance
• Jacobs, K. L. (2018, October). The Growing Non- Federal Role in Climate Assessment and Adaptation. SNRE Colloqium. UA: SNRE.
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  Met with graduate students to have career conversations over lunch, made a presentation to roughly 60 in the colloquium, followed by question and answer period
• Jacobs, K. L. (2018, September). Climate Assessment. Science to Action Day, Governor's Climate Action Summit. Exploratorium, San Francisco: GCAS.
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  Presentation to roughly 100 people part, part of a very large effort by the Governor of California to raise awareness of climate impacts.
• Jacobs, K. L. (2018, September). Principles for Planning and Design. Workshop on Principles for Incorporating Climate into Planning and Design. San Francisco: Science to Action Community.
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  I worked collaboratively with design practitioners (architects, engineers, planners) to develop these principles for firms to adopt to commit to resilient design
• Jacobs, K. L. (2018, September). Water and Climate Adaptation in Communities. Water Pavilion, Governor's Climate Action Summit. Exploratorium, San Francisco: Water Solutions Network.
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  Part of a forum attended by roughly 300 people
• Buizer, J. l., & Jacobs, K. L. (2017, September). Navigating Science to Action in a Post-fact World. Recorded on Mrs Green's World radio program. Tucson, AZ: Mrs Green's World.
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  Broadcast on 2017/10/10
• Buizer, J. l., Jacobs, K. L., & Murphy-Darling, G. (2017, June). Workshop on Communicating complex science in a post fact world. Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences. University of Arizona: NCSE-AESS-UA.
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  Created and co-led a workshop on Communicating complex science in a post fact world at the Summer 2017 AESS Conference hosted by the University of Arizona, Institute of the Environment
• Jacobs, K. L., & Buizer, J. l. (2016, February). Climate Adaptation – Realities, Risk, and Consequences. Special Event of the Green Valley Council Meeting. Green Valley, AZ: Green Valley Council.
• Buizer, J. L., & Jacobs, K. L. (2015, March). Presentation 1 of 2: The National Climate Assessment: Preparing for the Climate of the Future. OLLI Lecture Series. Tucson, Arizona: OLLI.
• Buizer, J. L., & Jacobs, K. L. (2015, March). Presentation 2 of 2: The National Climate Assessment: Preparing for the Climate of the Future. OLLI Lecture Series. Tucson, Arizona: OLLI.
• Chief, K., Jacobs, K. L., Marchand, C., & Black, M. (2015, November). The role of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) in climate adaptation planning. Tribal Climate Summit, Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions (CCASS) Haury Native Nations Adaptation Program. Tucson, AZ.
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  Chief, K., K. Jacobs, C. Marchand, and M. Black. 2015. The role of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) in climate adaptation planning. Tribal Climate Summit, Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions (CCASS) Haury Native Nations Adaptation Program, November 12, 2015, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.
• Jacobs, K. L., Buizer, J., Marchand, C., Black, M., & Chief, K. (2015, June). Native and Hispanic Center Conversations: Increasing Resilience to Climate Impacts. Native and Hispanic Center Conversations. Tucson, AZ: Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions (CCASS) Haury Native Nations Adaptation Program.
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  Jacobs, K., J. Buizer, C. Marchand, M. Black, and K. Chief. 2015. Native and Hispanic Center Conversations: Increasing Resilience to Climate Impacts, Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions (CCASS) Haury Native Nations Adaptation Program, June 3, 2015, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.
• Chief, K., Garfin, G., Jacobs, K. L., & Weilsman, A. (2014, March). Climate Change in the Southwest. Tucson Festival of Books. University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ: Tucson Festival of Books.
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  Chief, K., G. Garfin, K. Jacobs, and A. Weilsman. 2014. Climate Change in the Southwest. Tucson Festival of Books, March 16, 2014, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
• Jacobs, K. L., Buizer, J. l., Garfin, G. M., Breshears, D. D., & Liverman, D. M. (2014, January). Living in Our Future Climate: Adapting to Climate Change. Moderate Panel and Present at CCASS convened conference. Student Union Memorial Center, Kiva Room, UA: UA Institute of the Environment.

Poster Presentations

• Wasley, E., Jacobs, K. L., & Weiss, J. L. (2018, December). Mapping Climate Exposure and Climate Information Needs to Utility Business Functions. 2018 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union, Washington DC.

Others

• Forrest, T., Brian, S., Christopher, O., Baglee, A., Haverland, A. C., Weiss, J. L., Jacobs, K. L., Falk, D. A., & Garfin, G. M. (2016, June). Selection of Climate Data, Global Climate Models, and Climate Projections. Prepared by the SERDP Project RC-2232 Team for the Strategic Environment Research and Development Program (SERDP).
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  This paper, requested by Dr. John Hall, describes the choice of climate data, climate models, and vegetation, fire and hydrology process models used in SERDP Project RC-2232. The data and models were used (a) to inform the project team’s initial assessments of climate variability and change affecting the region, (b) to communicate historic and projected climate changes to personnel at installations in the southwestern United States, during climate adaptation planning workshops, and (c) as the basis for climate impact modeling studies focused on addressing specific concerns identified during the workshops. Data sources were selected, based on the following criteria: (a) authoritativeness, (b) ease of access, (c) fit with impact applications. Global climate models (GCMs) were selected on the basis of fidelity to the statistical characteristics of historical climatology, (b) availability and accessibility of climate projection data.
• Jacobs, K. L. (2021, fall). Seasonal Changes and Climate: A Review of Observed Evidence in the United States. US EPA report. https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/seasonality-and-climate-change
• Black, M. E., Jacobs, K. L., & Leinberger, A. J. (2020, June/Summer). Final Conference Report, Colorado River Conversations Conference, Oct. 28-30, 2019. University of Arizona.
• Wasley, E., Jacobs, K. L., & Weiss, J. L. (2020, April). Climate Data and Information Spectrum for Case Studies. The Water Research Foundation. http://www.waterrf.org/resource/climate-data-and-information-spectrum-case-studies
• Wasley, E., Jacobs, K. L., & Weiss, J. L. (2020, April). Mapping Climate Exposure and Climate Information Needs to Water Utility Business Functions Appendix E: Water Utility Business Risk and Opportunity Profiles. The Water Research Foundation.
  More info

  53pp
• Wasley, E., Jacobs, K. L., Weiss, J. L., & Morgan, R. (2020, April). Water Utility Business Risk and Opportunity Framework: A Guidebook for Water Utility Business Function Leaders in a Changing Climate. The Water Research Foundation. http://www.waterrf.org/resource/climate-data-and-information-spectrum-case-studies
  More info

  24pp
• Wasley, E., Jacobs, K. L., Weiss, J. L., & Nina, P. (2020, April). Executive Summary, Mapping Climate Exposure and Climate Information Needs to Water Utility Business Functions [project 4729]. The Water Research Foundation. http://www.waterrf.org/resource/climate-data-and-information-spectrum-case-studies
  More info

  10pp
• Garfin, G. M., Haverland, A. C., Falk, D. A., Jacobs, K. L., Weiss, J. L., Overpeck, J., O'Connor, C., Haworth, A., & Baglee, A. (2017, August). SERDP Project RC2232 User Guide. April 2017. Best Practices for Assessing Climate Related Risk and Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation: Lessons Learned from DoD Installations in the Southwestern United States.. Strategic Environment and Research Development Program, SERDP.
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  This user guide summarizes findings from SERDP project RC-2232: Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation on Southwestern DoD Facilities and is offered as a collection of resources that DoD managers can use to plan and implement ongoing adaptation activities. Our research focused on assessment of climate related risk and the need for iterative climate change adaptation strategies that are aligned with DoD facilities management. Our overall guidance for climate decision-making is consistent with our original hypothesis—that best practices require direct engagement of installation personnel with researchers to identify current climate-related issues of concern, and connect them through cause-and-effect impact chains to amplified or attenuated future climate-related risks. We have identified an array of promising approaches for incorporating climate time-scale thinking and climate change considerations into DoD operational practices and provide an overview of techniques used to assess risk, a series of best practices, and a compilation of resources to support DoD climate-sensitive decision-making in this guidance document.
• Weiss, J. L., Jacobs, K. L., & Wasley, E. (2019, January). Mapping Climate Exposure and Climate Information Needs to Utility Business Functions. The Water Research Foundation.
• Jacobs, K. L. (2018, April). Colorado River Basin Stakeholder Workshop. UA.
  More info

  This 3 day workshop for roughly 60 scientists and water managers was focused on getting stakeholder input on the proposed science agenda, and setting priorities for the next steps in this process. CCASS was responsible for designing and implementing this entire event. Funding came from 4 partner organizations.
• Jacobs, K. L. (2018, December). Science to Action Workshop. American Geophysical Union Side meeting.
  More info

  This by-invitation-only workshop was designed to elicit a path forward for the community
• Jacobs, K. L., Enquist, C., & Leinberger, A. (2018, October). Southwest Adaptation Forum. Conference/Workshop.
  More info

  This large regional 3 day event was co-hosted by CCASS and the SW Climate Adaptation Science Center. 100 people attended. It was the inaugural event of the Southwest Adaptation and Assessment Network, and involved significant representation from tribes, resource managers, health professionals and urban planners. I was a co-convenor of this event, which was funded by the SW CASC
• Jacobs, K. L., Garfin, G. M., & Buizer, J. l. (2018, September). Pima County Climate Brief.. Pima County Sustainability Program.. https://webcms.pima.gov/UserFiles/Servers/Server_6/File/Government/Administration/CHHmemosFor%20Web/2018/October/Resolution%20In%20Support%20of%20the%202018%20Sustainable%20Action%20Plan%20for%20County%20Operations.pdf
• Jacobs, K. L. (2017, October). Colorado River Basin Science Agenda Workshop. UA.
  More info

  This 3 day workshop for roughly 35 academics from multiple disciplines focused on identifying the key research needs for managing the Colorado River. It was sponsored by NSF and private foundations. CCASS had sole responsibility for planning and implementation and writing final report.
• Black, M., Chief, K., Jacobs, K. L., Chew, S., & Rae, L. (2016, March). Native Nations Climate Adaptation Program Tribal Leaders Summit on Climate Change: A focus on climate adaptation planning and implementation. Haury Native Nations Climate Adaptation Program. http://www.ccass.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/Tribal%20Leaders%20Summit%20Final%20Report_2.pdf
• Garfin, G. M., Falk, D. A., Jacobs, K. L., Haverland, A. C., & Christopher, O. (2016, June). Response to 2016 In-Progress Review: Connecting Short-and-Long-Term Decisions for Climate and Fire Impacts. SERDP Project RC-2232 for the Strategic Environment Research and Development Program (SERDP).
  More info

  This white paper addresses the aforementioned requests, by explaining the methodologies used by the RC-2232 team, and by giving examples from our interactions with Department of Defense installations in the southwestern United States. From the team’s perspective, the issues raised in points (a) and (b), above, are related. Consequently, there is some redundancy in our responses. Also, for further details about the science and interactions described in our case studies, we have attached three reports related to our work on connecting near-term and long-term management decisions, through research on climate-fire connections related to the installations (O’Connor et al. 2015; 2016a; 2016b).
• Garfin, G. M., Ferguson, D. B., Jacobs, K. L., & Breshears, D. D. (2014, May). Ask Me Anything. The NEW REDDIT JOURNAL of SCIENCE. http://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/254diy/science_ama_series_we_helped_create_the_third/
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  Online, real-time, question and answer chat session about the National Climate Assessment