SCIPP RISA: Incorporating the WAS*IS Vision in Climate Services

WAS*IS traditionally has focused on engaging the weather enterprise. However, the climate enterprise has been garnering more attention lately as the demand for climate services increases across the nation. One entity within NOAA that is incorporating the vision of WAS*IS into climate services is the Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) program. The program is comprised of 11 teams across the country, one of which is the Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program (SCIPP). SCIPP covers six states in the south central U.S.: Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee. SCIPP embraces the vision of WAS*IS by incorporating both physical and social sciences into its research and engagement.

SCIPP uses a variety of formal and informal social science methods to engage user communities and conduct research including but not limited to in-person forums, workshops, interviews and focus groups, and online briefings and surveys. Some of the user groups in which SCIPP engages include emergency managers, water resources officials, farmers and ranchers, and tribal environmental professionals on planning for and managing climate hazards such as drought, flooding, storm surge, tornadoes, and winter storms. This poster provides a summary of the ways in which SCIPP incorporates the WAS*IS vision in climate services and stakeholder-driven research.