During the past decade, the Southeast has experienced several severe droughts which have resulted in losses in agricultural productivity, water use restrictions, water quality degradation and conflicts among water-use sectors and states. Faculty member Puneet Srivastava and colleagues have received a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to help reduce climate impact in the Southeast. A $4 million NOAA grant has been awarded to a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional team of scientists from the Southeast Climate Consortium using advances in climate sciences to forecast seasonal climate and long-term climate change, providing scientifically sound information and decision support tools for agricultural ecosystems and forests, as well as terrestrial and coastal ecosystems in the southeastern states.

As a part of this project, Srivastava is determining how incorporation of seasonal climate information in the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permitting process can reduce threats to water quality. He is also studying the effect of El Niño-Southern Oscillation on stream flow and water quality of watersheds, in which point sources are significant contributors of contaminants. The team is proposing an improved permitting process that accounts for seasonal climate variability.