1. Planning for NOAA’s Climate Interests
US CLIVAR SSC Meeting
“Planning for US CLIVAR Post-2013”
Silver Spring, MD
January 9, 2012
Sandy Lucas
ESS Program Manager
NOAA Climate Program Office

2. NOAA's Mission Science, Service, and Stewardship
To understand and predict changes in climate, weather, oceans, and coasts,
To share that knowledge and information with others, and
To conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources. 2

3. NOAA Line Offices National Ocean Service National Weather Service
National Marine Fisheries Service
National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service
NOAA Research (OAR)
The goals of U.S. CLIVAR include:
Identifying and understanding the major patterns of climate variability on seasonal, decadal and longer time scales and evaluating their predictability;
Expanding our capacity in short term (seasonal to interannual) climate predictability and searching for ways to predict decadal variability;
Better documenting the record of rapid climate changes and the mechanisms for these events, and evaluating the potential for abrupt climate changes in the future;
Evaluating and enhancing the models used to project climate change due to human activity, including anthropogenically induced changes in atmospheric composition, and:
Detecting and describing any climate changes that may occur.

4. NOAA Climate Lab/Centers
National Ocean Service
National Weather Service
National Marine Fisheries Service
National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service
NCEP
PMEL
AOML
NOAA Research (OAR)
NCDC
NOAA Climate Labs
Colored names have scientists or managers involved in US CLIVAR panels or working groups.
The goals of U.S. CLIVAR include:
Identifying and understanding the major patterns of climate variability on seasonal, decadal and longer time scales and evaluating their predictability;
Expanding our capacity in short term (seasonal to interannual) climate predictability and searching for ways to predict decadal variability;
Better documenting the record of rapid climate changes and the mechanisms for these events, and evaluating the potential for abrupt climate changes in the future;
Evaluating and enhancing the models used to project climate change due to human activity, including anthropogenically induced changes in atmospheric composition, and:
Detecting and describing any climate changes that may occur.
NODC
GFDL
Climate Prg Office
ESRL

5. NOAA’s Next Generation Strategic Plan (NGSP)
Developed through engagement with NOAA stakeholders and employees
Released: Dec 2010
NOAA's Mission: Science, Service, and Stewardship Vision: Resilient Ecosystems, Communities, and Economies
NOAA's Goals:
Climate Adaptation and Mitigation
Weather-Ready Nation
Healthy Oceans
Resilient Coastal Communities and Economies
NOAA's Enterprise Objectives:
Science & Technology Enterprise
Engagement Enterprise
Organization & Administration Enterprise
NGSP represents our assessment of the highest priority opportunities for NOAA to contribute substantially to the advancement of society.
extensive consultations with NOAA employees and our stakeholders—the extended community of partners and collaborators in the public, private, and academic sectors who contribute to NOAA’s mission.
Read or download the plan:

6. Goal: Climate Adaptation and Mitigation
An informed society anticipating and responding to climate and its impacts
Objective 1: Improved scientific understanding of the changing climate system and its impacts Objective 2: Assessments of current and future states of the climate system that identify potential impacts and inform science, service, and stewardship decisions Objective 3: Mitigation and adaptation efforts supported by sustained, reliable, and timely climate services Objective 4: A climate-literate public that understands its vulnerabilities to a changing climate and makes informed decisions

7. Objective: Improved scientific understanding - Five-year Evidence Of Progress
Over the next five years, evidence of progress toward this objective will include:
More comprehensive knowledge of greenhouse gases and other climate forcing agents;
Climate observing systems are sustained and the state of the climate system is routinely monitored;
Improved basis for confidence in understanding key oceanic, atmospheric, hydrologic, biogeochemical, and socioeconomic components of the climate system and impacts;

8. Objective: Improved scientific understanding - Five-year Evidence Of Progress
Advances in climate modeling leading to improved scientific understanding and a new generation of climate predictions and projections on global to regional scales and from monthly to centennial time scales;
Increased confidence in assessing and anticipating climate impacts; and
Quantitative short- to long-term outlooks and projections of Arctic sea ice.

9. Benefits of US CLIVAR to NOAA
Serves as a bridge between the research community and the Federal funding agencies
Organizes the research community to establish the needs and requirements for future scientific advancement and express where additional resources are needed.
Interests specific to NOAA: predictions/projections, intraseasonal to interannual predictability, decadal predictability, process studies, ocean observations
Examples (from Climate Observations):
NOAA will continue to need updated requirements for observation systems (e.g. OOPC, GCOS mechanisms)
NOAA will continue to look to the research community to initiate new observing activities (e.g., TAO, PIRATA, Argo arguably all emerged from research programs)
NOAA will need support in the area of technology development (e.g., Argo)

10. NOAA’s Engagement in US CLIVAR
Past and current successes:
Process Studies
Past: EPIC, NAME, VOCALS
Current: DYNAMO, CPTs
Modeling
CMEP 1 & 2, CMIP5
Ocean Observations
Argo
Future:
NOAA would like to see continued engagement and help coordinating with the research community
One example:
Model-observation activities: feedback of modeling and research community on observing efficiencies and design (e.g., what mechanisms can provide feedback from models/assimilation systems to observing strategies and plans?)
items listed are examples and not intended to be all-inclusive.  Hence, the desire for future coordination of model-observation activities is only one of a number of engagement paths. 

11. Thank You Sandy.Lucas@NOAA.gov NOAA Climate Program Office
It has been a pleasure to discuss some of NOAA’s climate activities and plans with you. I look forward to working with you and will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you.