SEA GRANT/NWS COLLABORATION

Sea Grant Engagement for a Weather Ready Nation

A North Atlantic Regional Team (NART) FY 2013 and 2014 Project

REGIONAL COLLABORATION TEAMS• Are a network of senior NOAA

representatives in the region• Tackle issues that are cross-

organizational in nature• Help NOAA implement

priorities relevant to the unique needs of each region by having the ability to link the ‘right’ people, ideas, and projects

• Are directly connected to NOAA HQ leadership

NORTH ATLANTIC REGIONAL TEAM

George McKillop, NWS/ER, HSD

Jason TuellNWS/ER

Adrienne Antoine, OAR/CPO, COCAAndrew Larkin,

NMFS/NCBO; NOS/OCS

Ellen Mecray, NESDIS/NCDC

Colleen CooganNMFS/NERO

Betsy Nicholson, NOS/CSC

Nicole BartlettNART Coordinator

Tony Siebers,NWS/NCEP

Jennifer Samson,NMFS/NEFSC

Kevin Friedland, NMFS/NEFSC

Catalina Martinez,OAR/OER

Sylvain DeGuise,OAR/CT Sea Grant

Paul Ticco,NOS/ONMS

Sim AbersonOAR/AOML

Rich OkulskiNWS, Caribou WFO

Beth Turner, NOS/NCCOS

WEATHER READY NATION• Position information from the National Weather Service

(NWS) to better assist successful decisions• Forecast data, even if very accurate, are not sufficient;

need forecast information that will fuel successful outcomes for people

• Thus, NWS strives to leverage advances in science and technology to provide a higher level of decision support services– Not just the numbers but what do they mean for people’s lives

and livelihoods– Impact based

EXAMPLES

• December 13, 2007– Outstanding forecast– Horrific impact

• Coastal Flooding from storm surge– Few understand the numbers– Many more can understand

the threat expressed in a map of forecast inundation

WHY COLLABORATION

• Coastal resiliency important to both sets of stakeholders

• Project seeks to leverage Sea Grant/NWS collaboration for more integrated approach to achieving coastal resiliency– Premise is we can accomplish more working together

than separately• Build upon current level of collaboration – Spotty but increasing as targets of opportunity arise– Opportunity for new best practices

STAKEHOLDERS

• Sea Grant– Coastal Program Managers– Community Land Use Planners– Conservation agents– Industry representatives concerned with coastal

storms and climate change• NWS– Emergency managers

COLLABORATION IDEAS• Add Sea Grant to Customer Advisory Boards

– Can help vet new products/services• Sea Grant Extension Agents can help:

– Identify specific coastal vulnerabilities – Introduce new people to NWS services– Provide coastal storm impact info

• Including assistance at identifying inundation areas in post storm coastal surveys

• Documentation of impacts via Storm Reporter tool

• NWS Forecast Services– Pending storm info to help with mitigation actions – Forecast info to assist with shellfish closure decisions– Weather impact knowledge that might influence longer term

planning decisions

NWS familiarity with SEA GRANT

• 100% have heard of Sea Grant and 25% have worked with Sea Grant

• About half think Sea Grant is in NOS, only 2 knew that Sea Grant is in OAR

• Most (72%) had interacted or collaborated very few times over the past 10 years, the rest had never

• 90% had rarely used any Sea Grant products• 82% were not aware of Sea Grant’s work in climate change

and coastal resiliency • Most know that Sea Grant is associated with Universities

SEA GRANT familiarity with NWS

• 100% know that NWS is part of NOAA• All were able to provide a brief, accurate

description of NWS• About half had heard of the “Weather Ready

Nation” initiative.• 90% named a Weather Office in their area• 9 (~25%) were able to name a NWS employee

NWS suggestions for collaboration

• Coastal inundation, flooding and storm surge and wave run up impacts• Hurricane / tsunami preparedness• Rip currents• Communicating increasing risk of severe storm events• Beach hazard statements and warnings• New partnerships with fisheries and other coastal industries• High resolution visualizations of areas that are vulnerable to storm surge

and inundation • Web portals to access forecast information• Sea Grant can host information seminars featuring NWS experts• Interlinks between program web sites to connect Sea Grant stakeholders to

NWS products and services.

SEA GRANT suggestions for collaboration

• Formal and informal education about coastal hazards (rip currents, inundation, etc.)

• Sharing existing products with stakeholders• Assessment of potential impacts and how to manage

them• Help communities to better understand the difference

between weather and climate• “Shadow a NWS scientist” for students• Access to on-line data sources for communities

NWS/SEA GRANT COLLABORATIONRecent Success in the Northeast

• Two NWS/Sea Grant Focus Group Meetings in Eastport and Bangor

• Follow-up on NWS/Sea Grant Marine Survey• WFO Taunton Outreach Team working with

MIT Sea Grant on weather kit• MIT and Woods Hole Sea Grant attended last

WFO Taunton Marine Advisory Board meeting

NWS/SEA GRANT COLLABORATIONMORE EFFORTS UNDERWAY

• MIT Sea Grant assisting NWS on planning team for Boston Harbor High Water Seminar– November 22, 2013 at Boston College

• Sea Grant-funded UMaine Dept of Engineering study on nearshore waves– Better understand nearshore wave dynamics – Investigate high resolution modeling of nearshore

waves– Applications of study can be used for input to

wave runup equations and enhancement of coastal hazard resiliency efforts

NWS/SEA GRANT COLLABORATIONMORE EFFORTS UNDERWAY

• MIT and Woods Hole Sea Grant working with WFO Taunton on new NHC product outreach– Forecast inundation map prototype to be

introduced to Stakeholders in eastern MA• Buzzards Bay and Boston’s South Shore areas targeted

– Opportunity for input from stakeholders impacted by both tropical and extratropical cyclones

– Perhaps consider for other areas

SEA GRANT ENGAGEMENT FOR A WEATHER READY NATION

Questions/Ideas

Sowing a Fertile Ground