Advancing Climate Services through Science and Partnerships

Climate is the impetus for the AMS theme of living in a changing environment. NOAA’s top priority is to build a Climate-Ready Nation by getting vital weather, water, and climate information and data in the hands of community, business, and government decision makers to help them prepare for and reduce the impacts of climate change, and mitigate future climate change. This work requires transdisciplinary expertise as climate-related impacts often cascade across multiple sectors of society and involve complex Earth system interactions. NOAA’s Climate Program Office (CPO) is an integral part of this enterprise.

Our programs foster innovations in Earth system science and modeling, climate and societal interactions, climate impact assessments, and integrated information systems that translate research and data into actionable knowledge. At CPO, we advance the science-based knowledge of Earth’s atmosphere, ocean, land, and ice systems, and the Nation’s social science capabilities. We cultivate and advance public communication, education, engagement, and co-develop and deploy education and training initiatives designed to promote public climate literacy and capacity. CPO programs and integrated information systems empower our workforce to advance NOAA’s priorities by fostering cohesion and integration of efforts to address societal challenges associated with climate risks, such as droughts, floods, changing water availability, extreme heat, coastal changes and inundation, changing oceans and marine ecosystems, as well as efforts to advance climate mitigation.

Partnerships, engagement, and co-development are of crucial importance across all CPO programs as we advance climate adaptation, resilience, and mitigation by enhancing partnerships and providing actionable information. The Expanding and Enhancing Climate Information and Services: A Whole-of-Government Framework and Action Plan session is an opportunity for the AMS community to learn about the Climate Program Office and provide feedback on its activities and research directions so we can be better positioned to support the AMS goal of leveraging the society’s collective strengths so that our community can define the steps and scientific advances necessary to minimize the impacts of climate change, engage policy makers, and empower the public in that work.