Blurred Lines: Case Studies of Roles within the Climate Services Enterprise

The relationship between the public and private sector in providing weather and climate services has been a long-standing and sometimes contentious debate. As denoted in the American Meteorological Society position statement on climate services, the appropriate roles of the public, private, academic, and non-profit sectors within the climate services enterprise can be difficult to distinguish. Three case studies illustrate the diversity of roles and complexity of relationships among these sectors in developing and providing user-driven climate services. The first case study considers development of scenario planning and adaptation strategies with the National Park Service. The second considers support of Carpe Diem West, a large network of foundations, non-governmental organizations, and agency personnel focused on rethinking Western water management in the face of climate change challenges. The third case study considers development and deployment of decision support tools related to communication and evaluation of seasonal climate outlooks with the National Weather Service. These case studies demonstrate the need for diversity and flexibility in the expectations and approaches for collaboration and cooperation among all participants in the climate services enterprise.