Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Decision support for increasing adaptive capacity to climate change and variability in Alaska and the Arctic.  (Regional Climate Decision Support)

Outline
The cornerstone of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Regional Climate Decision Support program for Alaska and the Arctic is to establish an integrated program spanning stakeholder-influenced research and development of decision-support tools for the sustained delivery of customer services. This includes establishing in Alaska a Regional Integrated Sciences & Assessments (RISA) and a Regional Climate Center (RCC) with formal liaisons to NWS and the State Climatologist Office to foster growth of climate services. NOAA’s Regional Decision Support program in the arctic is just emerging, and it is our intention to create an advanced architecture that leverages across NOAA line offices, builds on existing regional capabilities, and supports priorities for arctic climate research at the human-environment interface. Our plans could allow for the following activities along with those of other NOAA missions to be bundled together as a single center. Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) RISA supports long-term integrated research across a range of disciplines to expand decision-makers’ options at the regional level. NOAA is planning initial development of an Alaska RISA program in FY06 through a peer-reviewed competitive grant process. Anticipated support in FY07 is much larger and most of the initial assessment activities, stakeholder partnership building, and problem identification with take place from 2007-2008 and beyond. Establishing a RISA in Alaska will create a legacy of innovative research focused on solving real societal and environmental problems associated with climate impacts. Regional Climate Center (RCC)-Alaska Through its data support infrastructure, regional-scale experience, and integration with NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center, the RCC program will provide support to Alaskan decision-makers facing climate challenges. The program focuses on providing the breadth of climate data users, from private citizens to academia, with climate information that can address both scientific and socioeconomic questions alike. NOAA’s commitment to Integrated Surface Observing Systems (ISOS) parallels the RCC investment in synergistically combining mesonets and multiple federal networks for comprehensive climate data dissemination and applied climate research. Climate Services-Alaska National Weather Service Alaska Region and the Alaska State Climatologist Office will be test beds and/or eventual service providers for many new products and decision-support tools that come out of IPY research. Working together with IPY researchers and other partners (i.e. federal, nearby met services, state, local, Native, industry, schools, and the public) useful climate information products can be developed and research applications evaluated in a way that results in sustainable climate services for the region.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
The program target is primarily applications research, with the goal to create useful decision-support information systems that serve to educate stakeholders (as well as researchers) about vulnerabilities and adaptation strategies for climate change. While the major implementation activities occur during the IPY, our program creates a legacy of on-going, place-based research leading to sustained delivery of climate services. Themes 1, 2, 4, and 6 are also substantially addressed, particularly as they relate to increasing our understanding of the regional impacts of global change from an integrated physical, biological, and social perspective.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
Identifying international partnerships will be part of the criteria for selection of a new RISA while RCCs provide infrastructure for information exchanges (e.g., Canada, Russia). NWS Alaska is beginning to establish international working partnerships (e.g., Canada and Sweden) and will further efforts to collaborate on climate issues, databases, workshops. Etc.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
This proposal does not directly involve field-work, though it may use and archive data that results from field work. Additionally, anticipated social science research, as well as decision-support activities, may include interviews, surveys, and on-site assessment of specific communities undergoing rapid environmental change.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: Possibly            
Antarctic: n/a

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
We anticipate locating the three activities as close together as possible. Once the RISA grant is awarded (generally to a university) options for facilities sharing can be explored. We foresee utilizing existing federal and/or university facilities for this program.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
The program will invest in ongoing place-based research from a “centers” perspective. Thus closely tied to stakeholder needs, the research will support the characterization of observational data requirements as well as socially and environmentally relevant operational climate services that are congruent with national climate information infrastructure.

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?
Another national polar operator
National agency

The RISA grant competition will take place in FY06; the grantee will be determined through a competitive process. The program typically awards grants to universities. Otherwise, U.S. federal agencies, primarily NOAA, will provide logistical and facility support to the RCC and NWS Climate Services.

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
Perhaps just as significant as national or international endorsement, the expansion of RISA to Alaska has been endorsed regionally by Alaskan stakeholders and researchers. In February 2003 a RISA scoping meeting was held in Anchorage and was attended by 70 Alaskans including federal, state, Native, and university participants. As indicated in the soon to be published report, “RISA in Alaska: Expanding Regional Adaptive Capacity”, establishing RISA and building climate services in Alaska is seen as a high priority. NOAA supports this through the agency’s intention to provide funding for these activities. Likewise, the RCC Program is actively pursuing expansion to both Alaska and Hawaii.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?
Exp

These projects build on existing programs within NOAA, and will be substantial enhancements in terms of building the programs in a new region: Alaska.

How will the project be organised and managed?
Climate activities within NOAA are matrix managed across line offices and this project is a good example of this coordination to implement a priority program in a new region. The Director of the NOAA Climate Office will have policy and budgetary control, the Regional Decision Support Program Lead will be responsible for overall planning and coordination, while each segment (RISA, RCC, NWS Climate Services) will each maintain a program manager to oversee program development and implementation. Additionally, there will be a Principal Investigator to lead the external research component.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
Decision makers are a target audience of this activity. The Alaska NWS has unique resources for outreach, such as the capacity to add climate information to the “Alaska Weather” television show reaching over 120 rural villages. RISA programs have made significant contributions in their regions by developing secondary and higher educational curricula focused on interdisciplinary assessment methodologies for solving problems associated with global change. Expanded RCC climate information outreach on the internet is also well-suited for reaching the Alaskan people.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
NOAA’s commitment to Integrated Surface Observing Systems (ISOS) parallels the RCC investment in combining mesonets and multiple federal networks for comprehensive climate data dissemination and applied research; which is crucial to the success of environmental assessment for decision support. NWS and the State Climatologist Office will cooperate in this integration.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
The The program leverages existing programs funded by NOAA. However additional funding will be required in all areas. Funding has been requested through the NOAA budget process for RISA in FY06 and beyond and for substantial increases for all Regional Decision Support components in FY07. q3_6_Addition : Major climate forcings occur at the global scale. Local climates result from interactions of patterns of atmospheric, cryospheric, and oceanic variability superimposed on multiple timescales and land surface conditions. Research has shown that enabling effective responses to climate variability and change requires assessment at both the global-scale and at the appropriate scale of action, i.e. the regional or local scale (NRC, 1999). Regional Climate Decision Support for Alaska will serve as a highlight to IPY as it strives to understand environmental and social change from an interdisciplinary, stakeholder driven process of research and decision support activities.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
Major climate forcings occur at the global scale. Local climates result from interactions of patterns of atmospheric, cryospheric, and oceanic variability superimposed on multiple timescales and land surface conditions.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Ms Juniper Neill
NOAA/OGP
1100 Wayne Avenue, Suite 1225
Silver Spring, MD
20910
USA

Tel: 301-427-2089
Mobile: no
Fax: 301-427-2082
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation