Transcript - MIT Sea Grant

SEA GRANT/NWS COLLABORATION
A North Atlantic Regional Team (NART) FY 2013 and 2014 Project
Sea Grant Engagement for a
Weather Ready Nation
REGIONAL COLLABORATION TEAMS
• Are a network of senior NOAA
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representatives in the region
Tackle issues that are crossorganizational in nature
Help NOAA implement
priorities relevant to the
unique needs of each region
by having the ability to link
the ‘right’ people, ideas, and
projects
Are directly connected to
NOAA HQ leadership
NORTH ATLANTIC REGIONAL TEAM
Betsy Nicholson, Beth Turner,
NOS/NCCOS
NOS/CSC
Colleen Coogan
NMFS/NERO
Nicole Bartlett
Sylvain DeGuise, NART Coordinator
OAR/CT Sea Grant
Ellen Mecray,
NESDIS/NCDC
Jennifer Samson,
NMFS/NEFSC
Sim Aberson
OAR/AOML
Kevin Friedland,
NMFS/NEFSC
Rich Okulski
NWS, Caribou
WFO
Jason Tuell
NWS/ER
George McKillop,
NWS/ER, HSD
Paul Ticco,
NOS/ONMS
Andrew Larkin,
NMFS/NCBO; NOS/OCS
Catalina Martinez,
OAR/OER
Tony Siebers,
NWS/NCEP
Adrienne Antoine,
OAR/CPO, COCA
WEATHER READY NATION
• Position information from the National Weather
Service (NWS) to better assist successful decisions
• Forecast data, even if very accurate, are not sufficient;
need forecast information that will fuel successful
outcomes for people
• Thus, NWS strives to leverage advances in science and
technology to provide a higher level of decision
support services
– Not just the numbers but what do they mean for people’s
lives and livelihoods
– Impact based
EXAMPLES
• December 13, 2007
– Outstanding forecast
– Horrific impact
• Coastal Flooding from storm
surge
– Few understand the numbers
– Many more can understand
the threat expressed in a map
of forecast inundation
WHY COLLABORATION
• Coastal resiliency important to both sets of
stakeholders
• Project seeks to leverage Sea Grant/NWS
collaboration for more integrated approach to
achieving coastal resiliency
– Premise is we can accomplish more working together
than separately
• Build upon current level of collaboration
– Spotty but increasing as targets of opportunity arise
– Opportunity for new best practices
STAKEHOLDERS
• Sea Grant
– Coastal Program Managers
– Community Land Use Planners
– Conservation agents
– Industry representatives concerned with coastal
storms and climate change
• NWS
– Emergency managers
COLLABORATION IDEAS
• Add Sea Grant to Customer Advisory Boards
– Can help vet new products/services
• Sea Grant Extension Agents can help:
– Identify specific coastal vulnerabilities
– Introduce new people to NWS services
– Provide coastal storm impact info
• Including assistance at identifying inundation areas in post storm
coastal surveys
• Documentation of impacts via Storm Reporter tool
• NWS Forecast Services
– Pending storm info to help with mitigation actions
– Forecast info to assist with shellfish closure decisions
– Weather impact knowledge that might influence longer
term planning decisions
NWS familiarity with SEA GRANT
• 100% have heard of Sea Grant and 25% have worked
with Sea Grant
• About half think Sea Grant is in NOS, only 2 knew that
Sea Grant is in OAR
• Most (72%) had interacted or collaborated very few
times over the past 10 years, the rest had never
• 90% had rarely used any Sea Grant products
• 82% were not aware of Sea Grant’s work in climate
change and coastal resiliency
• Most know that Sea Grant is associated with
Universities
SEA GRANT familiarity with NWS
• 100% know that NWS is part of NOAA
• All were able to provide a brief, accurate
description of NWS
• About half had heard of the “Weather Ready
Nation” initiative.
• 90% named a Weather Office in their area
• 9 (~25%) were able to name a NWS employee
NWS suggestions for collaboration
• Coastal inundation, flooding and storm surge and wave run up
impacts
• Hurricane / tsunami preparedness
• Rip currents
• Communicating increasing risk of severe storm events
• Beach hazard statements and warnings
• New partnerships with fisheries and other coastal industries
• High resolution visualizations of areas that are vulnerable to storm
surge and inundation
• Web portals to access forecast information
• Sea Grant can host information seminars featuring NWS experts
• Interlinks between program web sites to connect Sea Grant
stakeholders to NWS products and services.
SEA GRANT suggestions for
collaboration
• Formal and informal education about coastal
hazards (rip currents, inundation, etc.)
• Sharing existing products with stakeholders
• Assessment of potential impacts and how to
manage them
• Help communities to better understand the
difference between weather and climate
• “Shadow a NWS scientist” for students
• Access to on-line data sources for communities
NWS/SEA GRANT COLLABORATION
Recent Success in the Northeast
• Two NWS/Sea Grant Focus Group Meetings in
Eastport and Bangor
• Follow-up on NWS/Sea Grant Marine Survey
• WFO Taunton Outreach Team working with
MIT Sea Grant on weather kit
• MIT and Woods Hole Sea Grant attended last
WFO Taunton Marine Advisory Board meeting
NWS/SEA GRANT COLLABORATION
MORE EFFORTS UNDERWAY
• MIT Sea Grant assisting NWS on planning
team for Boston Harbor High Water Seminar
– November 22, 2013 at Boston College
• Sea Grant-funded UMaine Dept of Engineering
study on nearshore waves
– Better understand nearshore wave dynamics
– Investigate high resolution modeling of nearshore
waves
– Applications of study can be used for input to
wave runup equations and enhancement of
coastal hazard resiliency efforts
NWS/SEA GRANT COLLABORATION
MORE EFFORTS UNDERWAY
• MIT and Woods Hole Sea Grant working with
WFO Taunton on new NHC product outreach
– Forecast inundation map prototype to be
introduced to Stakeholders in eastern MA
• Buzzards Bay and Boston’s South Shore areas targeted
– Opportunity for input from stakeholders impacted
by both tropical and extratropical cyclones
– Perhaps consider for other areas
SEA GRANT ENGAGEMENT FOR A
WEATHER READY NATION
Sowing a Fertile Ground
Questions/Ideas