# Presentation: 553744

## Walking the Talk:

*RISA Lessons *
*for CCSP*

**Gregg Garfin**
- Climate Assessment for the Southwest

**Notes:**
I will use examples from a variety of sectors. Each example has lessons for the water sector.

## Slide 2

**Notes:**
To bring improved climate information to decisionmakers, in order for you to make better informed decisions
To improve the ability of these regions to respond to climate variability and change
To improve the flow of information

## In Support of Decision Making

**Climate science in support of decision-making must address the needs for**
- Cutting-edge process-based science
- Interactive web-based decision support tools
- GIS
- Modeling and predictions
- Improved and expanded observations networks
**Discovery-based science does this well**
- This is the easy stuff

## It’s the Relationship!

## It’s the Relationship!

**From a decisionmaker’s viewpoint:**
*Trust*
*Commitment*
*Long-term relationship*

##  Getting to Know You:Knowledge Exchange

**Notes:**
Foundation for policy change
We learned: sharing, context, use, timescales, limitations, user assessment, process
Awareness: events drive consciousness

## Needs Assessment

- Timing of decisions
- Scale
- Frequency of delivery
*Sondeos*
- What are the variables of interest?
- Can we model these?
- Ancillary information?

## Decision Context

- Historical, cultural, socioeconomic factors
- Vulnerability to climate variability and change
- Institutional and legal issues

**Notes:**
Ranching vulnerability, Colorado River irrigators’ invulnerability but water managers’ vulnerability
Equity

## Dating: Building Capacity

**Notes:**
Foundation for policy change
We learned: sharing, context, use, timescales, limitations, user assessment, process
Awareness: events drive consciousness

## The Workshop...A One-Night Stand?

- Knowledge transfer
- Feedback
- Increased capacities
- To use decision support
- To deliver decision support

## Sustained Interaction

- CIG annual climate and water resources meetings
- Focused on improving use of seasonal forecasts, ENSO variability, regimes, trends, climate changes
- User lack of knowledge
- Problems with forecasts

**Notes:**
When workshops are one-time events: they raise awareness, but without follow-up = SO WHAT?
Multiple meetings, or annual meetings build capacity and open doors to operational and policy changes
See PEAC experience

## Sustained Interaction

**DROUGHT: **2005 workshops on state water outlook + drought planning

**Notes:**
MULTI TIMESCALE FOCUS – need to stay nimble with climatology at the same time as developing climate prediction capabilities

## Sustained Interaction: The Payoff

- Beatles = overnight sensation
**after 5 years of small clubs and beer halls!**

- Photos: Google Image Search

**Notes:**
When workshops are one-time events: they raise awareness, but without follow-up = SO WHAT?
Multiple meetings, or annual meetings build capacity and open doors to operational and policy changes

## That’s the Way  (uh huh, uh huh) I Like It  (uh huh, uh huh): Evaluation

**Notes:**
Foundation for policy change
We learned: sharing, context, use, timescales, limitations, user assessment, process
Awareness: events drive consciousness

## El Niño-Drought Initiative

**Notes:**
“Accurate information” in contrast to media reports

## Participants

- Water, Fire, Land and Wildlife Management
- Tourism, Energy, Cooperative Extension, Ranching

**Notes:**
Sustained interaction, surveys, interviews

## Multiagency information
Multiple pathways
Climate summary
Surveys
Interviews
Press briefings
Workshops

**Multiple pathways**
- Climate summary
- Surveys
- Interviews
- Press briefings
- Workshops

- Monthly Climate Information

## Quantitative Responses (n=34)

- Quantitative Responses (n=34)

## Qualitative Responses

## Climate Services

-  Region-specific interpretation
-  Links to news (impacts)
** ****One-stop shopping **
-  User ability to put it all together **themselves**
** ****Sustained interaction**
-  Credibility

## Constraints

-  Locator information
-  Web sites are too complex
-  Products lack ancillary information
-  Technology issues

## Constraints

-  Resistance to change
-  Complexity
*** ****Opportunities for long-term investment in capacity building*

## Product: FET

** **Detection
** **False Alarms
** **Historical Context
-  Transparency

**Notes:**
The big area of activity over the past year (besides trying to get caught up on writing manuscripts) has been further development of the forecast evaluation tool, and ‘advertising’ the tool at conferences, workshops, and meetings with agencies. From what we have seen, there is nothing else like the forecast evaluation tool. The tool required a lot of background, foundational programming. It’s not a prototype, but a ‘commercial quality, turnkey system’. 

## Effective Outreach

**Cooperative Extension**
- Neutral, trusted information brokers
- Diffusion of innovations
- Early adopters
- Language appropriate to the subset of decisionmakers
- Overcome technology obstacles

**Notes:**
Products that address fundamental vulnerability underlying interannual drought patterns – AgClimate

## Partnership: Iteration

**Notes:**
Foundation for policy change
We learned: sharing, context, use, timescales, limitations, user assessment, process
Awareness: events drive consciousness

## The Implications of La Niña and El Niño for Fire Management

- The Implications of La Niña and El Niño for Fire Management

- Fire History Lab, LTRR, U of Arizona

- Brought FMOs, land-use managers and climatologists together for first-time gathering

**Notes:**
CLIMAS bringing groups together to solve problems

## Slide 27

**Notes:**
Interactive, iterative process of identifying concerns, research, and getting feedback on content and format

## Slide 28

## 2003-2005 National Seasonal Assessment Workshops
Multi-RISA + Multi-Agency
Training + New products

- Multi-RISA + Multi-Agency
- Training + New products

- Evolution

## Need to create rewards for multiagency collaborations

- We Can’t Do It Alone

## Take-Home Lessons

- Product *AND *Process
- Two-way knowledge exchange
- Trust, credibility, partnership
- Sustained, iterative interaction
- Capacity building

**Notes:**
Mission in a nutshell: to bring improved climate information to you, in order for you to make better informed decisions

To improve the ability of the SW to respond to climate variability and change

To improve the flow of information

## Thank YouforYour Kind Attention

**http://www.ogp.noaa.gov/mpe/csi/risa/index.htm**

**Notes:**
We would like your assistance and input