The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Pacific Islands Climate Science Center (CSC) has tapped David Helweg as the organization’s first permanent director. The center–headquartered at the University of Hawaii, Manoa–is one of eight regional DOI Climate Science Centers established and managed by the U.S. Geological Survey to provide federal, state and local land managers access to the best science available on climate change.
“With the Pacific Islands already at the leading edge of many climate-related challenges, the breadth and depth of Dr. Helweg’s background is a perfect match for helping the Center achieve its goal of providing scientific information to help land managers, policy makers and citizens effectively respond to climate change,” said USGS Acting Director Suzette Kimball.
The regional climate change challenges for the Pacific Island communities currently include coral reef health; freshwater resources; ecosystem restoration; fish and wildlife response to climate change; sea-level rise and coastal erosion; invasive species; and marine and coastal resilience.
Helweg comes to Pacific Islands CSC from his post as deputy director of the USGS Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, a position he held for more than a decade. Before joining the USGS, he held posts at the U.S. Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center in San Diego and the University of Auckland in New Zealand. He’s considered an expert in ecology, behavioral biology, bioacoustics and signal processing.
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