Using Citizen Science to Support Drought Decision Making

1. Using Citizen Science to Support Drought Decision Making American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting January 8, 2018 Amanda Farris & Kirsten Lackstrom Carolinas Integrated Sciences & Assessments (CISA) A NOAA RISA Program

2. Creating the CoCoRaHS Condition Monitoring Program • A pilot project to • test a new way of collecting drought impacts information from citizen science volunteers • build public awareness of drought impacts • advance understanding of the linkages between drought and on-the-ground impacts • The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) • Tapping into an existing network of volunteers and resources Using Citizen Science to Support Drought Decision Making ~ 2018 American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting

3. Condition Monitoring vs. Drought Impacts Reporting • Weekly observations help to: • Identify early signs of drought • Monitor deteriorating conditions • Determine when conditions begin to improve • Identify any lingering impacts Photos courtesy of CoCoRaHS observer Christopher Lumpp Using Citizen Science to Support Drought Decision Making ~ 2018 American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting

4. Phase 1 Surveys and Feedback Interviews

5. Project Timeline Using Citizen Science to Support Drought Decision Making ~ 2018 American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting

6. An Iterative Process to Guide Program Improvements • Observer feedback • Knowing how the information is used and by whom is very important to volunteers • This information is communicated through monthly newsletter content, observer conference calls, and in a training animation Using Citizen Science to Support Drought Decision Making ~ 2018 American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting

7. An Iterative Process to Guide Program Improvements The condition monitoring scale bar was created to help with real time “translation” of the information Using Citizen Science to Support Drought Decision Making ~ 2018 American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting

8. An Iterative Process to Guide Program Improvements Interviews with decision makers identified a need for improved access to view the reports https://www.cocorahs.org/Maps/conditionmonitoring/ Using Citizen Science to Support Drought Decision Making ~ 2018 American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting

9. An Iterative Process to Guide Program Improvements Interviews with decision makers identified a need for improved access to view the reports https://www.cocorahs.org/Maps/conditionmonitoring/ Using Citizen Science to Support Drought Decision Making ~ 2018 American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting

10. An Iterative Process to Guide Program Improvements https://www.cocorahs.org/Maps/conditionmonitoring/ Using Citizen Science to Support Drought Decision Making ~ 2018 American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting

11. An Iterative Process to Guide Program Improvements https://www.cocorahs.org/Maps/conditionmonitoring/ Using Citizen Science to Support Drought Decision Making ~ 2018 American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting

12. Phase 2 Surveys and Feedback Interviews

13. Project Timeline Using Citizen Science to Support Drought Decision Making ~ 2018 American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting

14. Who is using the information for drought decision making and how? “Condition monitoring reports are most important for onset and recovery and seasonal transitions. These are the most difficult conditions to convey on the map.” ~ US Drought Monitor author Using Citizen Science to Support Drought Decision Making ~ 2018 American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting

15. What other types of decisions can be supported by condition monitoring reports? • National Weather Service • Fire weather forecasts • Winter weather warnings • Spring frost/freeze warnings Source: Christopher Lumpp Source: NC State University Extension Using Citizen Science to Support Drought Decision Making ~ 2018 American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting

16. Is subjective data a valuable contribution to drought monitoring? A “convergence of evidence” approach “I think these reports are indirectly validating what we bring in as far as other data. And it gives you another perspective that is sometimes very hard to capture unless you have people, boots on the ground so to speak, talking with a lot of people to get that same kind of perspective.” ~ US Drought Monitor Author “To me, it goes back to the question, is *some* information that is a bit subjective better than *no* information? In my opinion, yes! ~ NC State Climate Office “Although the process can be quite subjective, I rely on the observers to provide the best condition [reports] based on their observations.” ~ National Weather Service Using Citizen Science to Support Drought Decision Making ~ 2018 American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting

17. For further reading Lackstrom, K., A. Farris, D. Eckhardt, N. Doesken, H. Reges, J. Turner, K.H. Smith, and R. Ward, 2017: CoCoRaHS Observers Contribute to “Condition Monitoring” in the Carolinas: A New Initiative Addresses Needs for Drought Impacts Information.Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc.,98, 2527–2531, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-16-0306.1 Using Citizen Science to Support Drought Decision Making ~ 2018 American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting

18. Thank You. This work is support by the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Program Office (Grants NA11OAR4310148 and NA16OAR4310163) Amanda Farris Program Manager Carolinas Integrated Sciences & Assessments (CISA) (803) 777-6875 afarris@sc.edu Using Citizen Science to Support Drought Decision Making ~ 2018 American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting