# Presentation: 129796

## Water Resource Information and Predictions

- Gary M. Carter
- NOAA’s Hydrology Program Manager
-  November 4, 2003

- CENR SWAQ Briefing

## Annual Guidance Memorandum 

- “Sound decision making by others depends on NOAA’s ability to deliver information needed for objective analysis of alternatives”
- Improve Water Resource Information:
-    Water managers expect freshwater shortages in the near future, and coastal water resources are continually stressed.  Freshwater and estuary transition-zone information, beyond the current state of the art, is required to meet these challenges.  We should integrate NOAA’s collaborative research, data, and operations to generate products and services to help water resource managers.

- CENR SWAQ Briefing

## Water Resource Information

-  What?  Analyses and forecasts of precipitation, snowpack, soil 	moisture and temperature (surface and subsurface), 	evaporation, and streamflow provided in high resolution, gridded 	formats for periods of hours to years
-  Why?  Improve the sustainability of irrigated agriculture; environmental 	restoration; enhance aquatic habitats; support organizational 	arrangements to distribute water; optimize reservoir operations
-  How do we know?  2002 NWS Hydrologic Services Review and 	Customer Workshops; 2001 NRC Report  “Envisioning the 	Agenda for Water Resources Research in the 21st Century”; 	routine customer feedback to NOAA’s River Forecast Centers

- CENR SWAQ Briefing

## NOAA’s Strategic Goals

**Protect, restore, and manage the use of coastal ****	****and ocean resources through ecosystem-****	****based management ********
**Understand climate variability and change to ****	****enhance society’s ability to plan and respond ********
**Serve society’s needs for weather and ****water****	****information *********
**Support the Nation’s commerce with information ****	****for safe, efficient, and environmentally sound ****	****transportation *******
**Improve water resource information ******

- CENR SWAQ Briefing

**Notes:**
We have developed a new program structure to unify NOAA, support our strategic goals and provide focal points for your convenience.   

All of NOAA’s activities come together in 35 programs, aligned with our strategic goals.   This slide shows the programs that support our ecosystem goal.   Each of these programs has a program manager charged with integrating activities across all of NOAA to achieve NOAA’s strategic goals relevant to his or her program, and with working with their colleagues to make sure NOAA’s programs work well with each other.

As I take you through the next several slides, I’ll point out the NOAA programs which I believe have special interest to you.

On this slide, I want to note the increasing recognition that activities that affect the Nation’s rivers and streams also affect the coastal zone, the productivity and health of the Nation’s fisheries, and the ecosystems we all depend on.  We are beginning to find common cause between the traditional river and flood forecasting programs of NWS you are all familiar with and other NOAA programs affected by, and in turn affecting, freshwater.

## Local Forecasts and WarningsTropical Storm PredictionSpace WeatherHydrology – Rivers, Lakes, and FloodsAir QualityEnvironmental ModelingWeather and Water Science and Technology Infusion

- NOAA Programs for Goal 3  Weather and Water
- (FY 2003 - $812M)

- CENR SWAQ Briefing

**Notes:**
We have developed a new program structure to unify NOAA, support our strategic goals and provide focal points for your convenience.   

All of NOAA’s activities come together in 35 programs, aligned with our strategic goals.   This slide shows the programs that support our ecosystem goal.   Each of these programs has a program manager charged with integrating activities across all of NOAA to achieve NOAA’s strategic goals relevant to his or her program, and with working with their colleagues to make sure NOAA’s programs work well with each other.

As I take you through the next several slides, I’ll point out the NOAA programs which I believe have special interest to you.

On this slide, I want to note the increasing recognition that activities that affect the Nation’s rivers and streams also affect the coastal zone, the productivity and health of the Nation’s fisheries, and the ecosystems we all depend on.  We are beginning to find common cause between the traditional river and flood forecasting programs of NWS you are all familiar with and other NOAA programs affected by, and in turn affecting, freshwater.

##  Hydrology Program (FY 2003 - $35M)

- River Forecast Centers (RFCs; 57%)
- Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS)
- Office of Hydrologic Development
- Office of Services Hydrologic Services Division
- Susquehanna Flood System
- North Carolina Flood Mapping

- CENR SWAQ Briefing

## Hydrology Program Baseline Assessment

- RFCs produce valuable information to meet 	the 	basic hydrologic service needs for a wide variety 	of partners and customers
- AHPS is necessary to provide forecast uncertainly 	information, augment service delivery 	capabilities, and modernize the operational 	infrastructure
- Program leverages NOAA’s satellites, radar data, 	weather observation networks, atmospheric 	models, and climate predictions, but is 	constrained by hydrologic data, state of the 	science, and personnel resources

- CENR SWAQ Briefing

## 100% Requirement for NOAA’s Hydrology Program

- Integrate NOAA’s freshwater science and technology assets
- Assimilate all available observational data
- Fully utilize NOAA’s more accurate and higher resolution 	weather and climate forecasts
- Routinely predict low flow conditions for seasonal to 	interannual periods
- Provide flood forecast mapping as warranted
- Produce streamflow, soil moisture/temperature, and snowdepth 	grids for NOAA’s National Digital Forecast Database
- Forecast water quality (e.g., normal or low oxygen content)  	nationwide for water resource decision makers
- Transform RFCs into NOAA’s Water Resource Service Centers

- CENR SWAQ Briefing

## Potential NOAA Collaborators (Water Resource Science Steering Team formed inAugust; led by OAR)

-  OAR - Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, 	National Severe Storms Laboratory, Environmental 	Technology Laboratory, Office of Global Programs, 	Climate Diagnostics	Center
-  NOS - Coastal Services Center, Coast 	Survey 	Development Laboratory
-  NESDIS - Office of Research and Applications
-  NWS - Hydrometeorological Prediction	Center, 	Environmental Modeling Center, Climate Prediction 	Center, Weather Forecast Offices

- CENR SWAQ Briefing

## Freshwater Coordination Team(formed in September) 

- Support: CENR Subcommittee on Water 	Availability and Quality; ACWI Sustainable 	Water Resources Roundtable; AWRA Water 	Resources Policy Dialogue
- Interface with the Hydrology Program and	facilitate the exchange of information 	within NOAA
- Champion NOAA’s expertise in ecosystem 	management, freshwater research and 	forecasting, and integrated water cycle 	science and assessments

- CENR SWAQ Briefing

## NOAA’s  Freshwater Coordination Team

- Mission Goal Reps:
- MG1- Hal Stanford
- 	(NOS/NCCOS)
- 	Garry Mayer (NMFS/HC)
- MG2 – Harvey Hill (OAR/OGP)
- MG3 - George Smith (NWS/OHD)
- MG4 – Galen Scott (NOS/NGS)

- NOAA Oversight and Reporting:
- MG3 Leader – Jack Hayes (NWS/OST)
- Hydrology Program Manager – Gary Carter (NWS/OHD)

- CENR SWAQ Briefing

## Strategic Opportunities for NOAA’s Water Resources Activities 

- New extramural research and social science 	studies; Science Advisory Board could provide 	overarching guidance
- Augmented Partnerships: 100% 	requirement for 	NOAA’s Hydrology Program calls for a 50% 	increase in the national stream gauge network
- Integrated freshwater OMB and Congressional 	staff briefings

- CENR SWAQ Briefing