Title: Mark Shafer
1Update on Activities of the National Integrated
Drought Information System (NIDIS)
1
- Mark Shafer
- Director of Climate Services
- Oklahoma Climatological Survey
- Norman, Oklahoma
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NIDIS VISION and GOALS
A dynamic and accessible drought information
system that provides users with the ability to
determine the potential impacts of drought and
the associated risks they bring, and the decision
support tools needed to better prepare for and
mitigate the effects of drought. Public Law
109-430 (Signed by the President December 2006)
(www.drought.gov)
4NIDIS Objectives
4
- Creating a drought early warning information
system - Coordinating national drought monitoring and
forecasting systems - Providing an interactive drought information
clearinghouse and delivery system for products
and servicesincluding an internet portal and
standardized products (databases, forecasts,
Geographic Information Systems (GIS), maps, etc) - Designing mechanisms for improving and
incorporating information to support coordinated
preparedness and planning
5The National Integrated Drought Information
SystemManaging Drought as Climate Changes
5
- The combination of the inherent uncertainty of
natural variability, plus projections for a
warmer climate in the 21st century, make early
warning and adaptation more important than ever - NIDIS offers a framework for integration of
vulnerability and hazard information for planners
and decision makers
6Implementation Elements
- 1. NIDIS Office
- 2. U.S. Drought Portal
- 3. Climate Test Beds
- Integrating data and forecasts
- 4. Coping with Drought
- Integrated Impacts and Applications Research,
Communication - 5. NIDIS Early Warning Information System
Development - Pilot Design and Implementation
7Governance Structure
7
NIDIS Executive Council Co-chairs Director,
NOAA Climate Program Office (or designee)
Director, National Drought Mitigation Center (or
designee)
NIDIS Program Implementation Team
(NPIT) Working-Level Partner Representatives Coord
inate and develop evaluation criteria for all
NIDIS activities including pilot project
selection Chair NPO Director
- NIDIS Program Office
- ( Director)
- Coordinate NIDIS-relevant cross-NOAA
- and Interagency drought-related activities
- Develop a national presence for NIDIS
- (e.g. formal links to National Governors Assn)
- Participate in GEOSS / IEOS
NIDIS Technical Working Groups Federal, Regional,
State, Tribal and Local Partner Leads Embedded in
national and regional, and local NIDIS
Activities Develop pilot implementation and
transferability criteria Co-Chairs selected by
NPIT
Public Awareness And Education
U.S. Drought Portal
Interdisciplinary Research and Applications
Engaging Preparedness Communities
Integrated Monitoring and Forecasting
Drought Early Warning System Design, Pilots, and
Implementation
8 Western Governors Association NOAA USGS Dept.
of Interior (BoR) U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers USDA (NRCS, ARS, CSREES) NASA Indigenous
Waters Network Regional Climate Centers National
Drought Mitigation Center Association of State
Climatologists Cornell University New Mexico
State University Rutgers University South Dakota
State University University of Oklahoma University
of South Carolina University of Washington The
Weather Channel
PL109-430
www.drought.gov
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NIDIS Pgm Implementation Team affiliations
9Governance Structure
9
NIDIS Executive Council Co-chairs Director,
NOAA Climate Program Office (or designee)
Director, National Drought Mitigation Center (or
designee)
NIDIS Program Implementation Team
(NPIT) Working-Level Partner Representatives Coord
inate and develop evaluation criteria for all
NIDIS activities including pilot project
selection Chair NPO Director
- NIDIS Program Office
- ( Director)
- Coordinate NIDIS-relevant cross-NOAA
- and Interagency drought-related activities
- Develop a national presence for NIDIS
- (e.g. formal links to National Governors Assn)
- Participate in GEOSS / IEOS
NIDIS Technical Working Groups Federal, Regional,
State, Tribal and Local Partner Leads Embedded in
national and regional, and local NIDIS
Activities Develop pilot implementation and
transferability criteria Co-Chairs selected by
NPIT
Public Awareness And Education
U.S. Drought Portal
Interdisciplinary Research and Applications
Engaging Preparedness Communities
Integrated Monitoring and Forecasting
Drought Early Warning System Design, Pilots, and
Implementation
10U.S. Drought Portalwww.drought.gov
- Assimilate and quality control data, models, risk
information, and impacts - Drought Monitor, Impact Reporter, Outlook
- Information tailored for various user communities
- National in scope, local in detail
- State-level information links
- Learn from the pilots for national prototypes
- New version released in January 2009
11Implementation at the National Level U.S. Drought
Portal
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12Implementation at the National Level U.S. Drought
Portal New Map Viewer
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13U.S. Drought Portal New Information
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Customizable USDM statistics for various spatial
and time scales.
Taking advantage of existing services including
Google Gadgets.
14Interdisciplinary Research and Applications
- Foster sustained interactions between research
community and beneficiaries - Linking federal, state drought-relevant research
programs - Compile inventory of existing drought research
- Assess knowledge gaps
- Sector and regional stakeholder workshops to
provide guidance for research priorities - Link biophysical measures with economic, ecologic
and social context - Develop consistent methodologies for assessing
drought impacts - Develop sequential critical indicators for
planning and operations - Help characterize uncertainties using if-then
scenarios
15Implementation at the National Level Interdiscipli
nary Research and Applications
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- NIDIS Knowledge and Service Assessment Workshops
- Remote Sensing Contributions to Drought
Monitoring, February 6-7, 2008, Boulder - NOAA, USGS, NASA, USDA, universities, state
climatologists, state-local drought officials - Reconciling Projections of Future Colorado River
Stream Flow, Sept 2007 La Jolla/November 2008
Las Vegas/February 2009 Seattle - NOAA, USGS, CIG, WWA, etc
- National Status of Drought Early Warning
Systems, June 17-19, 2008, Kansas City - NOAA, USGS, USAID, USDA, USACE, NASA, tribes,
universities, state government, water managers
16Integrated Monitoring and Forecasting
- Multiple federal and state observing systems
- NOAA/NWS, USDA, USGS, Corps of Engineers, Bureau
of Reclamation - In situ and remote sensing
- Networks developed largely independently
- New datasets critical to improved forecasting
- Soil moisture, sea surface temperatures
- Ensemble drought prediction, downscaling
- Develop high resolution observational and
forecast data bases - Real-time observations
- Data assimilation products
- Model simulations and forecasts
- Prototype climate test beds
17Implementation at the National Level Integrated
Monitoring and Forecasting
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- Presentation to the U.S. Drought Monitor Forum,
Portland OR, October 2007 - Presentation to the Interstate Council on Water
Policy (ICWP), New Orleans LA, October 2007 - Presentation to the Advisory Committee on Water
Information (ACWI), Subcommittee on Hydrology,
Washington DC, April 2008 - Presentation to the North American Drought
Monitor Forum, Ottawa, Ontario, October 2008 - Workshop on Soil Moisture and Soil Temperature
Observations and Applications (USCRN NIDIS),
Oak Ridge TN, March 3-5, 2009
18Public Awareness and Education
- Build upon existing grassroots education and
awareness programs - Example Ag in the Classroom, RISA, agricultural
extension - Develop a central clearinghouse for drought
materials information - Assist with local, state regional programs
- Coordinate with national organizations
- Formal and informal education
- Convey differences in vulnerabilities as well as
risk - Historic and analogue perspectives
- Develop interdisciplinary education teams
19Implementation at the National Level Public
Awareness and Education
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- Testimony before House Committee on Science
Technology, Washington DC, April, 2008 - Drought content for USDA Agriculture in the
Classroom program - Formal NIDIS liaison to Western States Water
Council - Content on Drought Portal
20Implementation at the National Level Public
Awareness and Education
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U.S. Drought Portal Education
21Engaging Preparedness Communities (NIDIS Pilots)
- Facilitate development of a drought coordinator
network - Each state designate and fund a Drought
Coordinator as a communication focal point - Coordinate collaborative development of critical
indicators and triggers - Help secure funding, develop evaluation criteria,
and conduct post-drought assessments - Drought exercises or drought simulations for risk
scenarios and generation of alternative options - Facilitate the improvement of organizational
networks
22NIDIS Early Warning Systems Pilots Selected by
Drought-type and analysis units
Southeast
23NIDIS PilotsUpper Colorado River Basin
- Water management issues in a region with growing
demand - Arid region with long-term climate change threats
- Multi-year droughts recent occurrences (ongoing)
- First Pilot, launched in 2008
24NIDIS PilotsSoutheast U.S.
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- Institutional issues governing water management
across state boundaries - Southeast US Drought Workshop (Peachtree City,
GA, April 2008) - Overview of Federal Drought Products
- Overview of State Plans and Triggers What Works
What is Needed - Coastal and Estuarine Issues and Drought
- Current Long Range Forecast from NOAA
- Status Fall 2009 scoping workshop
25NIDIS PilotsOklahoma / Missouri
- Transition area between semi-arid (west) to
abundant precipitation (east) - Rain-fed agriculture, aquifers, small reservoirs
- Technology transfer issues
- Surveys being conducted of drought management
communication - How do they manage drought?
- What are their sources of information?
- How do they convey that information
- Status Planning
26NIDIS PilotsMontana / Northern Plains
- Tourism and Recreation
- Farming and Ranching in a semi-arid area
- Dependent upon rainfall, snowfall
- Short-term rapid-onset drought
- Trans-boundary issues (Canada)
- Status Pending
27NIDIS PilotsChesapeake Bay Area
- Densely-populated urban environment
- Multiple environmental stressors
- Low water storage capacity
- Water quality issues
- Focus on instream flows
- Status Pending
28Implementation at the National Level Engaging
Preparedness Communities - Pilots
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- Federal Planning Meeting - NIDIS Pilot for the
Colorado River Basin, Salt Lake City UT, May 2008
(NOAA NWS CRBRFC CPC, WR, ESRL USBR USACE
USGS GCMRC WY WSC NPS USFS) - Three categories of drought information users,
two scales of analysis - Large reservoir operations and triggers, full
basin scale (Reclamation, USGS, NPS, etc) - Water supply managers with stake in trans-basin
diversions, at sub-basin scale Colorado River
above Kremmling CO (Colorado-Big Thompson
Project, Northern Colorado Water Conservancy
District, Colorado River Conservation District,
Denver Water, etc) - Ecosystem recreational resource managers, at
sub-basin scale - Colorado River above Kremmling
CO (BLM, Grand County, NPS, USFS, etc)
29Pilot Implementation Upper Colorado River Basin
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- Scoping Workshop for the Upper Colorado River
Basin NIDIS Pilot, Boulder CO, October 2008 - Colorado Division of Water Resources (CDWR)
- Colorado State Climatologist
- Colorado River Water Conservation District
(CRWCD) - Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB)
- CU Western Water Assessment, CIRES, and CADSWES
- Denver Water Board
- Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District
(NCWCD) - Wyoming State Engineer
- Wyoming State Climatologist
- Utah State Climatologist
- Desert Research Institute/WRCC
30Pilot Implementation Upper Colorado River Basin
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- Scoping Workshop for the Upper Colorado River
Basin NIDIS Pilot, Boulder CO, October 1-2, 2008 - National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
- National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC)
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural
Resources Conservation Service - U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Region 2
- U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) - Eastern
Colorado Area Office, Great Plains Region, Office
of Policy and Programs, Research and Development - U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Colorado Water
Science Center, Central Region, Grand Canyon
Monitoring and Research Center - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA), Earth System Research Laboratory,
National Centers for Environmental Prediction,
National Climatic Data Center, National Weather
Service
31Pilot Implementation Upper Colorado River Basin
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- Year 1 Actions from the Scoping Workshop for the
Upper Colorado River Basin NIDIS Pilot - Build a UCRB community on the NIDIS Drought
Portal (www.drought.gov) - Inventory and assessment of drought indicators
and triggers presently used in the UCRB - Facilitate access to indicator and trigger
observational data and information products via
the UCRB community on the NIDIS Drought Portal - Perform a monitoring networks gap analysis for
the UCRB
32Pilot Implementation Upper Colorado River Basin
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- Year 1 Actions from the Scoping Workshop for the
Upper Colorado River Basin NIDIS Pilot (cont.) - Perform a monitoring networks gap analysis for
the UCRB - Point of departure - Western States Watershed
Study Water Data Report by Federal Agencies for
WSWC (July 2008) - Report authors meeting in Boulder CO, December
2008 (NWS CRBRFC USDA NRCS State Climatologists
for UT, WY and CO Wyoming State Engineer WRCC
USGS WY WSC CWCB NIDIS Program Office) - Report section proposals received, report outline
developed February 2009 - Completion targeted for October 2009
- Design an approach for producing a UCRB Drought
Monitor - NOT a downscaling of the USDM, but a custom
activity of those in the basin - Key coordinating role for State Climatologists
33Pilot Implementation Upper Colorado River Basin
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- Year 2 Actions
- Initiate Colorado Basin Drought Information
Portal (as a subset of the U.S. Drought Portal) - Establish network for ongoing briefings on
impacts and projections across climate timescales
(UCRB Drought Monitor) - Develop decision support tools for demand
projections and review of triggering criteria
(Northern Water, Denver Water, Grand Valley) - Feedback into Colorado Basin Drought Monitor
and Portal, Early Warning System maintenance and
transfer
34Pilot Implementation Upper Colorado River Basin
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- Year 2 Actions
- Prototyping Given better data and information
coordination, would responses have been improved
for past events? Assess - Value of improved information using past
conditions - Responses for projections / scenarios (decadal,
climate change) - Feedback on priorities (e.g. data gaps) to
Executive Council
35Pilot Implementation - Upper Colorado River
Basin Interdisciplinary Research and Applications
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- Improvements to Water Supply Forecasting
- Integrate objective climate forecasts into RFC
Ensemble Streamflow Predictions (ESP) - Introduce time-varying potential
evapotranspiration into ESP water supply
forecasts - Develop USBR operations management model that can
make use of ESP continuous, probabilistic
forecast to reckon chance of hitting EIS trigger
points, instead of single value NOAA/NRCS water
supply forecasts
36- NIDIS offers one framework for developing and
mainstreaming information services to support
adaptation strategies as climate varies and
changes - Recent Upcoming
- CA Drought information needs Feb 09
- World Water Forum March 09
- US Drought Portal Assessment May 09
- Tribal Lands June 09
- Southeast Scoping Workshop July 09
3737
Questions?