The Biden-Harris administration and NOAA recently announced millions in federal funding to improve climate projections of extreme weather.
The Department of Commerce and NOAA announced $15.3 million in funding for NOAA and external collaborators to provide transparent climate projection products and equitable services for the public. This work will address increased demand by public and private sectors for reliable, long-term extreme weather climate information.
“This investment, made possible thanks to President Biden’s historic Inflation Reduction Act, will develop new information services to help communities better prepare for the impacts of extreme weather and climate disasters brought on by climate change — ensuring that families and communities across the country stay safe as we continue to mitigate the rising challenges from the climate crisis,” said U.S Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.
Many people depend on reliable information from NOAA to support decisions around infrastructure development, energy systems deployment and financial investments and decisions that may have consequences 30–50 years into the future. Despite the availability of numerous sources of relevant information, there can be uncertainty about what is the most appropriate information. NOAA, with its diverse scientific expertise and long-standing leadership in product and service delivery, is well-equipped to support these information needs and help build the nation’s climate resilience.
With this funding, NOAA will support multi-decadal climate projections to provide transparent climate information for users, addressing a wide array of risks like heavy precipitation, temperature extremes, drought and coastal flooding. This information will help users understand these risks and how they are expected to change in the future.
Researchers will use NOAA’s existing resources and new cloud-based computing platforms to co-develop and disseminate these climate projections to users with the goal of creating sustainable, clear, trustworthy products to help decision-makers plan for future climate conditions.
As part of this effort, researchers will work closely with decision-makers, including groups focused on western water resources, heat waves, coastal flood risk, wildfire risk and extreme wind events, to develop customized climate information. The American Society of Civil Engineers is a key initial partner in the co-development of this capability.
NOAA will further its ability to move climate model data from its research enterprise into user-focused applications. This work will be based on the best available science and research, including the outcomes of 13 previously IRA-funded projects that are also designed to improve understanding of how key phenomena in the climate system are changing.
“With this investment, NOAA and our partners are working directly with diverse end-user groups to co-develop climate services tailored to specific needs such as addressing coastal inundation, extreme heat, wildfires and other climate impacts,” said Jainey K. Bavishi, assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and deputy NOAA administrator. “The climate services that will be produced by this research are crucial for community resilience across the country.”
The full list of partners for all funded projects can be found at NOAA’s Climate Program Office website.
