N.O.A.A. today announced 3 new Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) awards, totaling $11 million over 5 years, to climate science collaborations in Alaska, California/Nevada, and the Carolinas. Funds for years 2 through 5 are subject to the availability of yearly appropriation.
"These plans will help build national and regional capacity to understand and minimize the risks associated with a variable and changing climate," said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of business for oceans and atmosphere and N.O.A.A. administrator. "RISA enables the interdisciplinary research needed to tackle big challenges such as impacts to water, food, infrastructure, and ecosystems. The plan strengthens NOAA's climate efforts by bringing science and service communities together."
The 3 N.O.A.A. RISA grants awarded today will help regional stakeholders address the challenges climate change poses to their regions.
The 3 new awards include the Alaska Center for Climate Assessments and Policy (ACCAP - University of Alaska-Fairbanks), the California-Nevada Applications Plan (CNAP- Scripps Institution of Oceanography), and the Carolinas Integrated Science and Assessments Plan (CISA - University of South Carolina). All 3 institutions will conduct research efforts collaboratively with other universities and research organizations.
Scientific expertise is coupled with the ability to work collaboratively with those responsible for managing resources and communities at local, state and regional levels. As such, RISA plans work with many of NOAA's stakeholders including water utilities, state and local governments, land and wildlife managers, land and sea grant extension services, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector.
All 3 teams will address issues expressed by regional decision makers. The Alaska center will focus on coastal and living marine resources with potential topics including sea ice extent and the vulnerability of coastal infrastructure to storms. California-Nevada will address water supply, planning and preparedness for wildfires, and coastal management. The Carolinas plan addresses early warning and preparedness for drought, groundwater vulnerability to saltwater intrusion, and shellfish pathogens.
The teams will support dialogue between scientists and decision makers through which social scientists and outreach experts can evaluate the use of climate information.
RISA teams, along with NOAA's Regional Climate Centers and regional climate services directors, work with state climate offices to help regional stakeholders address the challenges of a changing climate.
RISA team members are also key contributors to research and assessment activities of the cross-federal agency National Climate Assessment overseen by the U.S. Global Change Research Program. Through the national assessment, RISA teams help N.O.A.A. expand and enhance interagency partnerships at the regional level. For example, many regional assessment teams have strong connections to, and in some cases are co-located with, new federal initiatives such as the Department of Interior's Climate Science Centers and Landscape Conservation Cooperatives.
These 3 new partnerships join 8 ongoing RISAs:
- Climate Assessment for the Southwest -- University of Arizona and New Mexico State University
- Consortium on Climate Risk in the Urban Northeast - Columbia University
- Climate Impacts Research Consortium - Oregon State University
- Great Lakes Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments Center - University of Michigan and Michigan State University
- Pacific RISA: Climate Adaptation Partnership for the Pacific - East-West Center in Hawaii
- Southeast Climate Consortium - University of Florida
- Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program: University of Oklahoma and Louisiana State University
- Western Water Assessment - University of Colorado
NOAA's mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter and our other social media channels.
