What are Climate Services and What Will They Look Like?

1. What are Climate Services and What Will They Look Like? Art DeGaetano Director NOAA Northeast Regional Climate Center Dept. of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 2008 AMS Summer Community Meeting

2. PRODUCTS AND TOOLS ARE THE FRUITS OF CLIMATE SERVICES DATA ARE AT THE CORE OF CLIMATE SERVICES CLIMATE SERVICES BRANCH TO REGIONAL AND LOCAL LEVELS CLIMATE SERVICES MUST BE ROOTED IN USERS

3. The way a team plays as a whole determines its success.  You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime.  ~Babe Ruth

4. Regional hubs for user-centric climate services, interdisciplinary climate research, applications, and education that provide a regional focus to addressing societal needs. NOAA Regional Climate Centers

5. RCC Functions • Contractual obligations data systems, user service and monitoring • Near-real time relational database system, web-based information resources. • Infrastructure capabilities grow from user and partner interests and needs. • Efficiency and robustness • Program versus individual centers • Leverage infrastructure to support applied research

6. ARSCO To satisfy the current and growing needs for climate services, climatological expertise must be readily available at the local level.ARCSOs have the best understanding of the climate of their state, and the ability and knowledge to provide climate data and information to users.

7. ARSCOs • Infrastructure • connect to data archives at the NCDC, RCCs, and other locations. • Multiple dissemination pathways,websites • Services • provide data and information to users, both printed and on-line • Research • relationships between climate and human activities that impact their state • Outreach • evaluate the needs of the user community adjusting and developing products and services as required. Educate state citizens people of their states on current and emerging climate issues • Awareness • promote its program as well as regional and national programs • Media Contacts • cultivate print and broadcast media contacts • Monitoring and Impact Assessments • monitor current climate conditions, evaluate potential future impacts and place events in historical perspective

8. Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments RISAs support research that addresses complex climate sensitive issues of concern to decision-makers and policy planners at a regional level.

9. RISA Expertise

10. Government Partners • NOAA • Local/Regional Forecast Offices • NEDIS, NWS OAR, etc. • Other Federal Agencies • USDA, BLM, NPS, etc. • NASA, NSF • Data, research dollars, models etc. • National Drought Mitigation Center • State Government

11. Private Industry • “Big Industry” • Northrup Grumann • Investment Banking • Consultants • Agricultural, Meteorological, Engineering • Media • The Weather Channel, local stations

12. So unlike Bugs…… No one group can play all the positions!

13. Our collective vision for National Climate Services should build on existing partnerships. Our goal should be to excel in our positions, but to play as a part of the team.

14. Gettin' good players is easy.  Gettin' 'em to play together is the hard part.  ~Casey Stengel

15. Fire Season Stations in AZ from the Western RCC Partnering in Data Regional Data Network from the High Plains RCC

16. Partnering with SCs Hybrid Coop/CoCoRaHS Precip Maps

17. Partnering with NWS • xmACIS(NWS Field Office Use) • Applied Climate Information System • Data query tool for NWS local climate • research/local product development, • and to answer customer climate record • inquiries • Complete historical climate database • with near real-time update • NOWData (Public Use) • Self-service tool • Subset of xmACIS • Free, limited access • Current year and Normals • Portal for ACIS and • NCDC information http://www.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=btv

18. Partnering with NWS/NCDC/Private Industry • ThreadEx(Open Use) • Consistent daily temperature and precipitation extremes http://threadex.rcc-acis.org/ Likely to be a several different sites

19. Partnering with NWS/NCDC • Datzilla(Partner Use) • Data discrepancy reporting • 400 registered NOAA users

20. Partnering with NWS/NCDC • WxCoder III(COOP Use) • Internet observation entry system

21. Partnering with Federal Agencies • AgACIS (Custom NRCS data and products)

22. Partners with RISAs

23. Map Navigation Tools GIS Tools Metadata

24. West Nile Virus Research Midwestern RCC Northeast RCC Southeastern RCC Partnering in Applied Research Trend Identification in Twentieth-Century U.S. Snowfall: The Challenges Kenneth E. Kunkel,  Michael A. Palecki,  Kenneth G. Hubbard,  David A. Robinson,  Kelly T. Redmond, and David R. Easterling Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology SERVICES: A Modern Applied Climate Information System Kenneth G. Hubbard,  Arthur T. DeGaetano, and Kevin D. Robbins Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society Winter Orographic Precipitation Ratios in the Sierra Nevada—Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulations and Hydrologic Consequences Michael Dettinger,  Kelly Redmond, and Daniel Cayan Journal of Hydrometeorology RCC – ARCSO - NCDC RCC - RCC RISA - RCC

25. Some thoughts for continued growth and improvement that may capture and nourish the ideas, energy, talent and commitment of the AASC ……

26. Data will remain the core of climate services • Historical climate data essential but not sufficient • Past to present to future • Expand thinking beyond climate …. ecological, social and economic data • Data encompass more than observations • Quality, quantity, scale, uncertainty • Climate to weather and back again • Decisions do not obey arbitrary time bounds • Decision Support instead of raw values

27. Enhanced integration and consistency across datasets Unnamed ARSCO CLIMOD product: Daily Data Month: January 2007 Day  Max  Min  Avg  Precip   1 53 36 45 0.08 2 39 31 35 0.00 3 49 35 42 0.00 4 57 44 51 0.03 5 57 50 54 0.95 6 56 41 49 0.28 7 43 32 38 0.13 8 44 30 37 0.15 9 34 28 31 0.05 10 29 21 25 0.02 2007  01 01 53 36 44.5 0.08 2007  01 02 39 31 35 0.00 2007  01 03 49 35 42 0.00 2007  01 04 57 44 50.5 0.02 2007  01 05 57 50 53.5 0.95 2007  01 06 56 41 48.50.29 2007  01 07 43 32 37.5 0.13 2007  01 08 44 30 37 0.15 2007  01 09 34 28 31 0.05 2007 01 10 29 2225.5T NWS LCD DY MAX MIN AVG WTR =================== 1 53 36 45 0.08 2 39 31 35 0.00 3 49 35 42 0.00 4 57 44 51 0.03 5 57 50 54 0.95 6 56 41 49 0.28 7 43 32 38 0.13 8 44 30 37 0.15 9 34 28 31 0.05 10 29 21 25 0.02

28. Enhanced integration of networks ASOS

29. Enhanced integration of networks add Coop

30. Enhanced integration of networks Add MADIS

31. Move ahead with scACIS development and use • Agreement on what components are essential • A prioritized wish list of additional features • Input into design specs for new products • A commitment to adopt scACIS • Use versus abuse • Mechanisms to facilitate in-house SC development of state-specific products • RCC commitment to lowering the programming bar for access to ACIS data

32. On the forefront of climate to decision making • Build upon acquired stakeholder trust • Trust the team not a particular player • Shared information, tools and solutions • Funding will continue to be at a premium • Proactive, evolutionary approach • Grounded in tried and true methods • Understand changing hazards, consequences, adaptations and assets • challenges and opportunities

33. Potential for expansion to go from climate to weather and back again! Potential utility for climate change impact assessment on ground and estuary water quality

35. The RCCs and AASC share a long common history of climate services on behalf of society. How will NOAA utilize this partnership to deliver climate information and services that answer social needs in a changing environment?