Request for Information on Options for Sustained Support of Research to Support NOAA Climate Services
The Climate Program Office in NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research solicits information to help guide a restructuring of programs that will support NOAA's collaborations with the extramural research community in critical research areas.
The Climate Program Office (CPO) seeks information that will assist us with developing priorities for a limited set of academic/research centers that work with NOAA to improve its capabilities in aspects of climate, climate prediction, and efforts to bring climate science and information into policy and decision-making. We have identified a number of research focus areas in developing plans to meet the needs of increasing societal demands for climate information and services.
Demands for climate information and services far exceed available resources. CPO must decide to focus on supporting one or two of the identified research efforts to:
- develop and implement integrated Earth system analysis and models;
- develop capabilities that focus on climate issues related to coastal zone and living marine resources;
- enhance capabilities to determine predictability and develop appropriate climate predictions and products on multi-year and decadal time scales in support of climate risk management;
- enhance capabilities to determine predictability and develop appropriate climate predictions and products on sub-seasonal time scales (2-week to intra-seasonal) in support of climate risk management;
- apply climate information to water resource management including drought management;
- develop state-of-the-art research on Arctic climate variability and change; and
- improve capabilities to apply climate information to the regional and local level.
Responses to this request should identify one or two of the candidate focus areas as priorities. In addition, responses should address the current state of scientific understanding and state of readiness for applying scientific conclusions to the focus area; the scientific and technical capabilities (e.g., computational capabilities) required; and the obstacles to further development. We will consider any other focus areas developed in response to this request.
White papers addressing this request should be received no later than 5 p.m. EDT on May 15, 2009. Please limit responses to 10 pages single-spaced, in 12-pitch type and standard margins on 8.5 by 11 paper. Include the focus area(s) being discussed and the name of a person at your institution who could be contacted for further information. Electronic versions, in PDF, are preferable to hard copy versions and should be sent to Chet.Ropelewski@noaa.gov.
Hard copy versions should be submitted to C. F. Ropelewski, Climate Program Office, NOAA/OAR, SSMC3 12th Floor, Rm 12875, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
Further information about CPO may be obtained from www.climate.noaa.gov or by contacting Chet Ropelewski between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. from Monday to Friday, by phone: (301)734 1210; fax: (301)427 0518; or email: Chet.Ropelewski@noaa.gov.
