Funded Research Projects
The Louisiana Office of State Climatology conducts applied research funded by federal agencies, state programs, and university initiatives. These projects address Louisiana's most pressing climate, weather, and natural hazard challenges—translating science into tools that serve farmers, communities, policymakers, and emergency managers across the state.
Resilient Partnerships for Actionable Hazard Science and Community Preparedness in Louisiana
The LAUNCH initiative hosts a series of three interdisciplinary workshops designed by LSU and UCAR scientists to foster partnerships, enhance public understanding of Earth system science, and apply cutting-edge research to address the needs of Gulf Coast communities. Workshops address K–12 climate education, geospatial tools for disaster resilience, and hydrologic forecasting for Louisiana's complex river and coastal systems.
Local Engagement Assessment and Planning (LEAP) Framework for Resilience and Development
The Community Well-Being Index is an innovative, evidence-based tool that systematically assesses local vulnerabilities and development opportunities by integrating trusted data from FEMA, NOAA, HUD, the EPA, and the Census Bureau. The project delivers fine-scale, GIS-based scorecards and interactive dashboards to help companies, local governments, and communities in Louisiana identify priority investment areas, maximize resilience, and track measurable improvements in quality of life.
Louisiana Sugarcane Fire Weather Forecast Application
Prescribed burning contributes $157 million annually to Louisiana's sugarcane economy. This project develops a mobile-friendly web application that consolidates National Weather Service fire weather forecasts with Louisiana Smoke Management Guidelines into a single, easy-to-use tool for sugarcane farmers. The app delivers parish-specific Burn Category Day forecasts with color-coded guidance and plain-language recommendations, enabling safer and more compliant burn decisions.
Annotated Atlas of Louisiana Weather and Climate Hazards
This project develops a comprehensive, visually compelling, fine-scale atlas of projected natural hazards for Louisiana—covering 11 hazard types under three climate change scenarios for the years 2050, 2075, and 2100. Output from global climate models will be dynamically downscaled to produce high-resolution maps for extreme temperatures, hurricanes, flooding, and more. The atlas is designed for social scientists, planners, and policymakers, offering non-technical narrative alongside rigorous scholarship to support disaster preparedness and long-term resilience planning.