For the last several years, violent tornadoes and historic floods have severely impacted Kentucky communities and hampered economic growth in the Commonwealth. The CLIMBS project is a five-year, $24 Million collaborative research partnership across eight institutions that will advance Kentucky’s climate resiliency, protect communities, and bolster economic growth for years to come.
Climate Resilience Through Multidisciplinary Big Data Learning, Prediction & Building Response Systems (CLIMBS)
CLIMBS is an eight-institution collaboration including the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, Western Kentucky University, Northern Kentucky University, Morehead State University, Eastern Kentucky University, Murray State University and Thomas More University, that will address three fundamental knowledge gaps in climate-related understanding:
DEVELOP BIG DATA
Utilize “big data” approaches and monitoring networks to increase knowledge of Kentucky’s atmosphere and hydrosphere, including paleoclimate data from Kentucky’s past, to determine Kentucky-specific climate activity.
PREDICT DISASTERS
Enhance predictions of future climate, water resources and biodiversity through application of artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques on extensive environmental datasets to forecast climate events, floods and landslides, enhancing response and preparedness efforts.
BUILD RESPONSE SYSTEMS
Establish an enhanced framework for climate mitigation and community-level disaster response. It aims to explore the interconnectedness between infrastructure (such as water, power, traffic and communications), human populations and climate hazards. Additionally, it will develop risk assessment tools and restoration models that prioritize human health, socio-economic vibrancy and the long-term sustainability of communities.