Graduate students presented, networked, and represented last month at the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors conference held at Duke University.

Troy Weber presented on his latest research project, Urban Biome Shifts in U.S. Cities under Future Climate Scenarios.

Troy shares that, "Urban areas are critical to sustainability but face unique challenges from climate change, particularly in maintaining resilient ecosystems." His study evaluates climate-driven shifts in urban biomes across the continental United States by analyzing changes in climate normals (1961–1990 to 2071–2100) in temperature and precipitation.

"Both climate variables categorize biomes based on mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation, and influence vegetation composition and ecosystem services. Using CMIP6 climate projections, we assessed biome shifts under four shared socio-economic pathways (SSPs) through climate displacement analysis, Mahalanobis distance calculation, and convex hull modeling. Additional key metrics included wet bulb temperature to measure human heat stress and vapor pressure deficit to evaluate vegetation water stress. Under SSP2-4.5, a “middle of the road” emissions scenario, biome reclassification could be projected in 28 major U.S. cities by 2100, highlighting risks to ecosystem health and urban livability. These changes are driven by average projected increases across the United States of 27% in mean annual temperature, 6% in mean annual precipitation, 40% in wet bulb temperature, and 18% in vapor pressure deficit."

His poster features visualizations of biome shifts, including maps comparing historical and projected classifications and figures illustrating climate variable changes.

"My findings emphasize the need for proactive adaptation strategies, such as selecting climate-resilient vegetation, enhancing green infrastructure, and improving water management practices. By integrating these strategies into urban planning, this research provides actionable insights to ensure the resilience of urban ecosystems and the communities they support in a changing climate," Troy shares.

Aside from cutting-edge research, the conference was a great networking opportunity.

"I had a wonderful time being able to connect with fellow colleagues from Purdue and meeting new researchers from other Midwest institutes. It was great to learn about the opportunities that exist after graduate school. The panel discussion about academic careers truly solidified my decision to remain in academia afterwards."

Troy Weber

Taymee Brandon

Sruthi Dasika

Ioannis Keroglou

Yiming Liu

Ritbik Kumar

Xiaohan Wu