How Does Regional Climate Collaboration Work? An Example From the Missouri River Basin

In 2011 unprecedented flooding impacted the entire length of the Missouri River and much of the corresponding watershed. The following year (2012) record heat and drought gripped much of the same watershed. Throughout these events a number of federal, state and academic institutions gathered their expertise and experience to provide a constant flow of information to build awareness, critical decision making and general capacity building. NOAA (National Center for Environmental Information, NOAA Central Region Collaboration, National Integrated Drought Information System & National Weather Service), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, American Association of State Climatologists, National Drought Mitigation Center and several other groups participated in providing climate, hydrology and weather information through various methods of engagement including monthly climate summary and outlook webinars, quarterly two-page climate briefings, various in-person public and federal presentations, media interviews and conference status calls with our many partners. There was and continues to be a fundamental reliance on these core partner institutions to provide trusted unbiased access to the latest climate information. This happens iteratively through relationship building and the realization and appreciation of what each institution brings to the discussion. In addition, needs to be a basic understanding of the value of such information to the decision makers across sectors we all serve. In this presentation we will describe the necessity and how this strategy works to bring groups together for the public good.