ESRL/PSD Seminar Series

Lessons learned from the 2000s Western drought: Evolving linkages between research and services

Andrea J. Ray, NOAA ESRL/PSD and Western Water Assessment

Abstract


The new century brought with it drought for much of the interior western U.S. that have persisted as one of the longer droughts on record. The Western Water Assessment (WWA), a NOAA-funded Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessment program, started just prior to this multi-year drought. This talk will describe lessons learned in the delivery of experimental climate services during this period, with experiences drawn from user studies and other activities targeting a variety of stakeholders, including municipal water suppliers, conservation and conservancy districts, and federal and state agencies that manage water and conduct policy and planning activities. The drought has raised the level of interest in climate information in general, and highlights the need to provide drought information in a larger context of climate and climate-sensitive information. We have found evidence that stakeholders are bringing more and different types of climate and climate-sensitive information across planning timescales, and that the types of research by scientists have evolved in response to co-defined stakeholder needs. Mechanisms for successful delivery of information are not as simple as providing information on a webpage. Based on these experimental climate services, linkages between science and services have evolved within WWA and may provide useful lessons for climate services design and on the role of climate information in adaptive management in general.


PSD-South Conference Room(1D403)
Wednesday, 30 April 2008
2:00 pm Gather for refreshments at 1:50 pm

SECURITY: If you are coming from outside the NOAA campus, please be advised that you will need an on-site sponsor. Please contact that person in advance of the seminar to be put on the list and allow 10 minutes extra on the day of the seminar. Please contact Joe Barsugli (303-497-6042) or Barbara Herrli (303-497-3876) at least a day before the seminar if you have any questions.