Dr. Lubchenco and Colleagues Emphasize International Collaboration on Climate Services in Coastal and Oceanic Sectors

Fig. 11.3. Diagram showing the relationship between observation, preparation, and response activities, in the context of early-warning systems, with corresponding system components for the Arctic: CBONS allow observations to be placed in a situational context; arctic natural and social sciences provide input to the forecasting system, and; an integrated response framework allows targeted preparedness, training and equipment to be mobilized.

In November 2011, NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco traveled to Japan to accept the prestigious Blue Planet Prize and meet with officials from Japanese science agencies. Shortly thereafter, Professor Toshio Yamagata, Dean of the University of Tokyo School of Science, invited Lubchenco to contribute to Japan's prestigious and influential Ocean Policy Research Foundation's Ship & Ocean Newsletter. The resulting article, titled Enhancing the Resilience of Coasts and Oceans through Climate Services, was published on January 5, 2012.

The Newsletter provided an excellent forum for sharing information with international partners. In the article, Lubchenco and co-authors, Dr. Laura Petes (Ecosystem Science Advisor in the NOAA Climate Program Office) and Thomas R. Karl (Director of NOAA's National Climatic Data Center), communicate about how NOAA is addressing the growing demand for climate information in coastal and oceanic sectors. 

The authors highlight examples of services that NOAA has developed to enhance the integration of climate information into management and policy decisions, and to protect the health of ocean and coastal ecosystems, communities, and economies. They also emphasize the importance of maintaining NOAA's long-standing partnerships with Japan on observations, modeling, and research, which are critical to predicting and managing extreme events and climate change.

"Healthy, productive, resilient oceans are possible with collective and concerted efforts," the authors state. "Only by coming together as a global community, with a sense of purpose, urgency, and hope, can we achieve the goal of a more sustainable future for our coasts and oceans."