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NWS Climate Services

Michelle Hawkins, PhD

Climate Services Division

NWS Partners Meeting

June 29, 2010

Outline

• Overview of the Division• Ongoing Activities• Emerging Collaborations• Climate Services

Vision

Mission

An engaged, responsive NWS that delivers state-of-the-art, timely, and reliable climate information and decision support

services to help the Nation address environmental impacts

An engaged, responsive NWS that delivers state-of-the-art, timely, and reliable climate information and decision support

services to help the Nation address environmental impacts

To ensure NWS has the capacity to develop and deliver reliable climate services integrated with weather and water information through user engagement, policy development, data stewardship, incorporation of research into operations,

training, education, and outreach in collaboration with partners

To ensure NWS has the capacity to develop and deliver reliable climate services integrated with weather and water information through user engagement, policy development, data stewardship, incorporation of research into operations,

training, education, and outreach in collaboration with partners

NWS Climate Services Division

Updated in June 2011

NWS Climate Services ProgramTraining

• Developed by CSD with instructors drawn from CSD, CPC, NCDC, & OAR

• Courses– Three direct-contact courses

• Operational Climate Services Delivery (Ops) course (NWSTC)• Climate Variability and Change Virtual Course (CVCVC) (through COMET)• Advanced Climate Variability course (through COMET)

– Online training at CSD website• 30 hours, Available to anyone• Academia and technical groups

– Targeted training for technical user groups• California Department of Water Resources (hydrologists, water resource

and supply managers, and engineers)• Nuclear Regulatory Commission• Department of Transportation/Federal Highway Administration

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• Cooperative Observing Program– Optimizing the network to

include siting and spacing– Updating older equipment– Implementing cost effective

measures– Increasing near real-time

observations

• Increasing data availability for users• Ensuring climate data is of the highest quality• Ensuring the latest (1981-2010) climate normals are integrated

into NWS products

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NWS Climate Services ProgramData

NWS Climate Services ProgramPartners Exchange Program (PEP)

• Visitors/Partnership Program (2001-2005)

• PEP (2010-current)– Purpose

• Establish mutually-beneficial relationships among climate partners by formally connecting the climate services community that exists both internal and external to NOAA

• Strengthen partnerships by establishing two-way communication and face-to-face collaboration between NOAA and the broader climate community

– FY10: 4 participants• 1 academia (co-sponsor for FY11 CPAS workshop)• 3 NOAA personnel

– FY11: 9-10 participants • NOAA• Academia • Public works 7

• Brochures and one-pagers– Climate Series

• “Smart chart”– Climate & Weather

– Climate Variability versus Climate Change

– Climate Phenomena (e.g., El Niño/La Niña, monsoon, etc.)

• Climate 101• Climate change information for the general public• New projects

– Daily climate question/answer– Use of social media (e.g., podcasts, YouTube videos)

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NWS Climate Services ProgramOutreach

• National Science Teachers Association in FY10 and FY11

• NOS Climate Stewards Program Leadership Team– Formal and informal educators– 15 hours of professional development in climate studies and to

do a special, climate-related project with their class/es

• Climate information for elementary school level

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NWS Climate Services ProgramEducation

• Devils Lake Decision Support System– NOAA included in Interagency Team

lead by USACE for 90-day response to develop options and recommendations

– Leveraged NWS field infrastructure to facilitate local activities

– Incorporated resources from NOAA partners to support NOAA activities

• Sanctuaries– NWS (CPC and WFO) GFS forecasts:

daily and weekly products were included in the “Monument’s Bleaching and Disease Response Plan”

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NWS Climate Services ProgramCollaborations

www.devilslake.noaa.gov

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• Health– NOAA-CDC MOU: provides a formal

cooperative framework to further collaborative efforts

• Strengthens science and services to reduce environmental and public health threats

• Promotes the efficient use of shared technologies and infrastructure

• Enhances the accuracy, timeliness, and integrated application of data and information to address public health issues

– Incorporate CDC statements on NWS Web pages – local offices and national

• Provide health alerts for potential local weather and climate-related health hazards

NWS Climate Services ProgramExternal Collaboration

• Energy– Supporting energy/climate-

related activities on NWS Energy Team

• NOAA-wide Energy Team developing the NOAA Energy Plan

• Action Plan for Memorandum of Understanding on Weather-dependent and Oceanic Renewable Energy Resources – out of MOU between NOAA and DOE

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NWS Climate Services ProgramExternal Collaboration

NOAA Climate Services

• President’s FY12 budget proposal to develop a NOAA Climate Service – A single point of contact in

NOAA to provide credible, useful, and timely information products

– Work with the broader climate service enterprise, including other Federal, state, and local government agencies, the academic community, and the private sector to provide services and information for decision-making.

NOAA Climate Services

Continue to advance all of NOAA's Next Generation Strategic Plan Goals and Objectives, including Climate

• An informed society anticipating and responding to climate and its impacts– Improved scientific understanding of the changing climate system and its

impacts

– Assessments of current and future states of the climate system that identify potential impacts and inform science, service, and stewardship decisions

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– Mitigation and adaptation choices supported by sustained, reliable, and timely climate services

– A climate-literate public that understands its vulnerabilities to a changing climate and makes informed decisions

NWS Climate Services

Climate Services delivery at local levels• Partner at Regional Levels

– Regional meetings

• Observations; Climate products; Local climate studies; User engagement/outreach; Training

The National Weather Service (NWS) provides weather, hydrologic, and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States, its territories,

adjacent waters and ocean areas, for the protection of life and property and the enhancement of the national economy. NWS data and products form a national information database and infrastructure which can be used by other governmental agencies, the private sector, the public,

and the global community.

Questions?

For more information visit: http://www.weather.gov/om/csd/

Thank You!