Elizabeth Fly, Ph.D., has joined the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium as the coastal climate extension specialist. Fly’s position is jointly funded by the Consortium and University of South Carolina’s Carolinas Integrated Sciences and Assessments (CISA) program. CISA conducts applied climate research and works to integrate climate science into decision-making processes.
Fly has a B.S. in biology from the University of Puget Sound and a Ph.D. in biological sciences from the University of South Carolina. She recently completed a year as a John A. Knauss Marine Policy fellow in Washington, D.C., where she worked on the National Climate Assessment at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Program Office and the U.S. Global Change Research Program.
In her new position, Fly will work with state climate experts to gather knowledge that already exists, identify areas that need more research and present climate information to local communities and the public. She also will assist coastal communities with data collection and resiliency planning in order to incorporate available weather and climate information into local decision-making processes. In addition, Fly will help CISA develop and implement coastal-drought indicators for planning purposes.