National Integrated Drought Information System:

(NIDIS)

Roger S. Pulwarty

1

Goal:Goal: Enable the Nation to move from a reactive to a more Enable the Nation to move from a reactive to a more proactive approach to managing drought risks and impacts proactive approach to managing drought risks and impacts

((Public Law 109-430, 2006)

(www.drought.gov)

National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS):

A NOAA-led Federal, State, Tribal and Local Partnership

2

>1YEAR

10YEARS

30YEARS

100YEARS

SHORT-TERM-Seasonal

DECADAL..

30DAYS

1-4SEASONS

An E&E Publishing ServiceWATER: Federal judge rules against Ga. in Lake Lanier battle (Friday, July 17, 2009)Taryn Luntz, E&E reporter

A federal judge ruled today that it is illegal to use Georgia's Lake Lanier for Atlanta-area drinking water, the latest development in the ongoing water wars among Georgia, Florida and Alabama.

U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson said that only Congress, not the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, can authorize the water withdrawals, validating Alabama and Florida's contention that the lake was built solely to aid flood control, hydropower generation and navigation.Alabama filed the lawsuit in 1990.Atlanta depends on the lake for its drinking water, but Florida and Alabama rely on healthy water levels to support commercial fisheries, farms and cities downstream.

Magnuson ordered the water withdrawals to be frozen at current levels for three years to allow Congress to work out how much water from Lake Lanier can be used to supply Atlanta. Without new authorization, withdrawals would revert to much lower levels allowed in the 1970s after the three-year time frame expires.

Implementation: Elements

1. NIDIS Office

2. U.S. Drought Portal

3. Climate Test BedsIntegrating data and forecasts

4. Coping with DroughtIntegrated Impacts and Applications Research, Communication

(RISA,SARP,TRACS)

5. NIDIS Early Warning Information System Development

Pilot Design and Implementation

NIDIS Governance Structure1. NIDIS Executive Council

Co-chairs: Director, NOAA Climate Program Office (or designee) Director, National Drought Mitigation Center (or designee)

2. NIDIS Program Office(NPO)

Public AwarenessAnd Education

IntegratedMonitoring and

Forecasting

InterdisciplinaryResearch andApplications

Engaging PreparednessCommunities

U.S.Drought Portal

3. NIDIS Program Implementation Team (NPIT)

Chair: NPO Director ; Co-chairs

National Integrated Drought Information System Drought Early Warning Information System Design, Pilots, and Implementation

4. NIDIS Technical Working Groups

Over 50 Federal Over 50 Federal agency, state, tribal agency, state, tribal and private sector and private sector representatives from representatives from around the countryaround the country

NIDIS Governance Structure1. NIDIS Executive Council

2. NIDIS Program Office(NPO)

Public AwarenessAnd Education

IntegratedMonitoring and

Forecasting

InterdisciplinaryResearch andApplications

Engaging PreparednessCommunities

U.S.Drought Portal

3. NIDIS Program Implementation Team (NPIT)

National Integrated Drought Information System Drought Early Warning Information System Design, Pilots, and Implementation

4. NIDIS Technical Working GroupsFederal, Regional, State, Tribal and Local Partner Leads

Nation,regional, and local NIDIS ActivitiesDevelop pilot implementation and transferability criteria

Co-Chairs selected by NPIT

Interdisciplinary Research and Applications

NIDIS Knowledge Assessments

NIDIS Service Assessment Workshops

•“

Implementing the NIDIS: Pilots

ApplicationsResearch

PredictionMonitoring

ImpactMitigation

ProactivePlanning

ImprovedAdaptation

Engaging research, management and planning communities:

Stakeholder defined measures of drought and triggers for decision making

Engaging the preparedness communities

Integrating Tools:e.g. Drought Portal

Coordinating federal, state, and local drought-related activities (e.g. within watersheds and states)

Identifying and diffusing innovative strategies for drought risk assessment, communication and preparedness

Year 1: Designing a Drought Early Warning Information System for the Upper Colorado Basin (undeway) 2009-2010

What exists and what’s missing? Gap analyses• Monitoring and forecasting • Drought-sensitive planning indicators and management triggers assimilated

into one location • Present status of impacts and demand assessments

How does coordination and information flow take place?• What partnerships, decision support tools and actions are needed (to

improve information development, coordination and flow for preparedness and risk reduction)?

• Initiate development of Basin-specific Drought Information Monitor and Portal (as a subset of the U.S. Drought Portal)and early warning discussion groups (Denver Water, CTB, Upper CO and Northern CO Conservancy Districts)

• Partnership with the Colorado Water Conservation Board)

Year 2. Implementation of the Drought Early Warning System (seasonal, multi-year, longer term trends) 2010-2011

Develop (and support) CBRFC, NOAA, CPC, BoR partnerships for testing Climate Test-bed/ESP improvements

• Testing: Given better data and information coordination would responses have been improved for past events? Assess (1) value of improved information, (2)responses for projected conditions (decadal, climate change), (3) feedback on priorities to Executive Council.

• Feedback into “Colorado Basin” Drought Monitor and Portal, Maintain network for ongoing briefings on impacts and projections across climate timescales. Early Warning System maintenance and transferability

Highlights from the Peachtree meeting (April 29-30, 2008)

Demands and pressures

Lake Lanier water availability

Metro Atlanta-demographic pressures

Downstream agricultural irrigation

Power facilities-water temperature and minimum flow rate

Ecosystem services

Apalachicola Bay oyster and seafood industry

Increased salinity in the bay due to decreased fresh water flows

Endangered species concerns

Low water flows, wetlands

Regional focus-to include the Carolinas

Multi-state drought mitigation plans – indicators and triggers

Thorough scientific assessment and cataloguing of water resources and water users

End-to-end assessment of water quality and water quantity, available in real-time

Comprehensive watershed-coastal zone management

Coordination and communication among federal agencies

Federal agencies must understand the concerns of industry, user groups, state and local governments, and the public at large

NOAA – improvements to drought monitoring and forecasting and informational products

State-led forum or council to develop regional visionReduce fragmentationEstablish more consistent approaches to water resource managementSet overarching regional prioritiesBuild collaborative working relationships

Possible partnerships and opportunities

For this workshop (Chapel Hill)-watershed to coast

•Critical issues-watershed, urban, coastal

•Unit(s) of analysis

•Information sources and needs

•Partnerships needed for early warning information system development and implementation (Fed, state, tribal, ngo etc.)

•Timeline-Broader Scoping meeting

Process research/obs. networks: Universities and labs

Integrating knowledge & products with needs

assessments(e.g. RISAs, RCCs, NCDC, CSD)

Operational, training (RCCs, NCDC, RFCs CPC, WFOs, SCs,

other private sector)

Reg

ion

al O

vers

igh

t an

d E

valu

atio

n

OT

HE

R N

ON

-NO

AA

R

EG

ION

AL

PA

RT

NE

RS

new or enhanced regional products information delivery technology sustained & systematic communication and feedback

RESEARCH/MONITORING

&

DEVELOPMENT

&

PROTOTYPING

OPERATIONS

A Prototype Pathway for NOAA RegionalClimate Information Services

Monitoring & ForecastingDrought and Flood Impacts

Assessments and Scenarios

Communication and Outreach Engaging Preparedness & Adaptation

NIDIS

Information Services in support of planning and decision making

Climate, Water and Drought:

16

Five main Colorado Basin issues for near-term action:Assessment of gaps in present monitoring and forecasting systems within the Basin

Assimilation of existing drought-related indicators, triggers and trends into one accessible location

Assist in demand projections (Northern Water, Denver Water, Grand Valley)

Promoting interaction (existing websites, datasets) with the US Drought Portal to begin developing a Colorado Basin drought portal and information clearinghouse

Develop an Upper Colorado basin-specific drought monitor and ongoing (quarterly and as needed) discussion forum across Federal agencies, State and Tribal Water Availability Task Forces

Revisit past event and projections with key managers given new /improved information coordination and interpretation

Engage in ongoing early warning system discussions-season to season-and multi-year projections of impacts

From this workshop-watersheds-coasts

•Critical issues-watershed, urban, coastal, energy, ecosystems, cross-sector

•Unit(s) of analysis

•Information needs and sources

•Partnerships needed for early warning information system development and implementation (Fed, state, tribal, ngo etc.)

•Timeline-Broader Scoping meeting

19

20

Backup slides

22

Understanding and Responding to Changing Climate-National Climate

Services

Observations ModelingPlatforms:Satellites, ships, buoys, stations

Earth System Models,Climate Predictions/Projections

TransportationEnergyWater

Society

TransportationEnergyWater

Society

AgricultureHealth

Living Marine Resources

Coastal Systems

AgricultureHealth

Living Marine Resources

Coastal Systems

National Security and

Economy

National Security and

Economy

Ecosystems and Biodiversity

Ecosystems and Biodiversity

Implementing the NIDIS: Pilots

ApplicationsResearch

PredictionMonitoring

ImpactMitigation

ProactivePlanning

ImprovedAdaptation

Engaging research, management and planning communities:Stakeholder defined measures of drought and triggers for decision making

Engaging the preparedness communities

Integrating Tools:e.g. Drought Portal

NIDIS offers a framework for developing and information services to support adaptation strategies as climate varies and changes

+ =

Decision Support

Integrated Climate, Ecosystems, Hydrology:

Technical Info & Data

Watershed, state, tribal, local: Experience &

Knowledge

ASSESSING CLIMATE INFORMATION

USER NEEDS

A forum for proactiveplanning

HELPING SOCIETY ADAPT

Provide best availableinformation

to inform infrastructure development

and ongoing adaptation

(RISAs, RCCs, Climate and Hydromet Test-Beds, NWS Field Offices…. NOAA-Integrated Water Resources Services teams, Coastal Services Center, NIDIS…)

Drought and Water Resources: Beyond The Impact Assessment

Engaging communities and resource managers in assessment and decision support as climate varies and changes

25

Initial Findings & OpportunitiesUS Drought Monitor and the NOAA Seasonal Outlooks – adapt to

state, watershed and local levels

Tools and products developed for the state, watershed and local levels

Integration of observing networks between federal, state and local entities (esp. stream gages and precip measurements)

Identify and address monitoring gapsDevelop cross-agency partnerships to fill gaps

Develop a suite of decision support tools for local and state decision makers

Consider agricultural, recreational, water management and commercial needs

Multi-disciplinary obs. integrated with impacts informationRelate to impacts, climate models and improved regional forecasts

Recent NIDIS activities:

World Water Forum March 09

US Drought Portal Assessment May 09

Drought on Tribal Lands June 09

Southeast Scoping Workshop July 09

WGA-WSWC-NIDIS Regional Partnerships

Workshops