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US Climate Change Science Program
Updated 11 October, 2003

Records of the U.S.
Climate Change
Science Program's Planning Workshop for Scientists and Stakeholders
3-5 December 2002, Washington, DC
 

 

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Breakout Session x
xxx

American Association of State Climatologists

Formed in 1978 after state climatologists lost federal funding in 1973

Members include state climatologists and regional climate centers in partnership with the National Climatic Data Center

Programs in 47 states and Puerto Rico and are largely located at universities

 

State Climatologist Activities

Provide climate services to a variety of user groups

Monitor current climate events

Applied research on climate-related issues

Interact frequently with the media

Question 5: How can interactions between producers and users of climate information be optimally structured to ensure essential information needed for formulating adaptive management strategies is identified and provided to decision makers and policymakers?

Rephrased: How do we get the right climate information into the hands of those who need it?

 

Contribution of State Climatologists

The State Climatologists contribution to any climate change program is to provide the critical link to the state and local level where most of the climate services are required

"Locals trust locals"

"Like politics, all (or at least most) climate is local"

 

Data collection within NOAA

Better data collection within NOAA on temperature and precipitation

-- Upgrade cooperative observer network

-- Fully support the Climate Reference Network

Better collection of "other" data, for example:

-- Tornado statistics (change in procedures over time)

-- Ice storms

Question #2: Near-term and long-term climate prediction

Near-term climate prediction is a hot topic among user groups - "What will happen this winter"

Immediate payoff for both science and users

Overlap of issues with long-term climate prediction

 

Impacts and Adaptation

"If we took practical steps to reduce our vulnerability to today's weather, we would go a long way toward solving the problem of tomorrow's climate" -- Sarewitz & Pielke (The Atlantic Monthly -- 2000)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have difficulty identifying, monitoring and forecasting (near-term) drought now. How are we going to handle information such as "droughts are expected to increase in frequency by some 40%" in the future?

 

Final Comments

War is too important to be left to generals - Clemenceau (1917)

Climate is too important to be left to climatologists

-- We need to integrate the user community tightly from beginning to end


 

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