As reported in our earlier story, LSU leaders are removing long-serving state climatologist Barry Keim from the post. Here’s a rundown of who Keim is and the likely reasons for the change.
Who is Barry Keim?
Keim, a Chalmette native, has served as Louisiana’s state climatologist since 2003 and is also a professor at LSU who focuses on climate and weather phenomena. Regularly interviewed by the news media, he has become a familiar voice over the years through his analysis of hurricanes, tornadoes and other weather events statewide.
What does the state climatologist do?
LSU, where the position is housed, describes the office as “responsible for climate data archiving, Louisiana climate monitoring, and public outreach through the issuance of reports and summaries, as well as fulfillment of media requests.” Keim's duties included archiving and maintaining state climatic data sets, providing climate data to the public, and promoting interest in weather and science through talks to schools and organizations. He also assisted universities and local, state and federal agencies in risk reduction, research and planning, and provided weekly climate data for the "Louisiana Crop Weather Summary."
Why is he being removed?
It appears to be the result of criticism from farming interests over whether last summer's intense drought conditions were being accurately portrayed, though LSU declined to say specifically why. Keim described the dispute in a letter to colleagues, and he and others say he was mistakenly criticized over the issue. Severe drought can trigger disaster payments to farmers, and U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, R-Stark, has been peppering U.S. Department of Agriculture officials with demands to speed those up.
LSU said in a statement that it planned “to align the position of state climatologist more closely with the LSU AgCenter as a means of serving every parish in the state through research, extension, and outreach.”
Is he being targeted for his explanations of climate change?
No, that does not appear to be the case. Keim has regularly described Louisiana as the state most vulnerable to climate change due to a range of factors, but the dispute appears limited to the classification of last summer’s drought. Gov.-elect Jeff Landry has in the past dismissed the science surrounding human-caused climate change as a “hoax,” but his team says they were not aware of Keim’s situation.
Who will replace him?
Not clear yet. Keim is, however, a tenured professor and will continue in that role at LSU.
