The NIDIS Missouri River Basin (MRB) Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) Strategic Plan outlines priority tasks and activities to build drought early warning capacity and resilience. In early 2017, meetings were held to update the existing strategic plan, including a new focus on enhancing tribal capacity to use drought information and the use of new tools and drought indicators across the region. Before that plan could be finalized, drought quickly engulfed the Northern Plains region. The effects of the 2017 Northern Plains flash drought motivated NIDIS to coordinate multi-agency assessments of its impacts, causes, and predictability; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to renew their efforts to strengthen soil moisture monitoring in the region; and impacted states to examine their response plans. In this context, partners from across the MRB met in Billings, MT, in August 2019 to discuss next steps. Four priorities and a series of outcomes and actions organized by the five components of a DEWS were identified to be part of the next iteration of a MRB Strategic Action Plan (SAP).
The four priorities identified were:
Build a comprehensive understanding of the many drought indicators used in the MRB DEWS to better demonstrate their value, limitations, and sector-specific, seasonal, and geographical applications. This will help users focus on information that is important to the region to better inform drought early warning and preparedness.
Build a comprehensive understanding on how drought impacts relate to drought indicators to better quantify drought impacts across sectors and communities, and tie impacts to drought conditions and outlooks in a manner that resonates with target audiences.
Identify and communicate proactive measures that can be taken prior to or during the development of drought to build drought resilience and strengthen drought response by empowering those coping with drought impacts to act.
Enhance collaboration, coordination, and two-way communication among national, tribal, state, and local partners and between DEWS regions to strengthen drought early warning, preparedness, and resilience across the MRB.
The plan contains activities that the MRB DEWS network will initially focus on, organized by components of a drought early warning system. Annual meetings will be used to reassess priorities and direct action within the DEWS during the life of the plan.
View the Strategic Plan »
MISSION: The Climate and Fisheries Adaptation Program (CAFA) supports targeted research to promote sustainable management, adaptation and resilience of the nation’s valuable fish stocks and fisheries-dependent communities in a changing climate. By bringing together NOAA scientists with the academic community, other federal agency scientists, non-governmental organizations and key fisheries stakeholders, CAFA addresses priority needs for information and tools identified in the 2015 NOAA Fisheries Climate Science Strategy, Fisheries Regional Action Plans, U.S. National Climate Assessment, and other sources.
ISSUE: Healthy and productive fisheries are a significant component of the U.S. economy. Commercial and recreational marine fisheries generate over $200 billion in economic activity and support more than 1.8 million jobs annually. (FEUS 2016) Reliant and sustainable fisheries also support working waterfronts and coastal communities, provide opportunities for commerce, are tied to rich cultures, and help meet the growing demand for seafood across the U.S. and the world.
Climate variability and change are having increasing impacts on fish stocks, fisheries, and marine ecosystems in the U.S., and the impacts are expected to significantly increase with continued climate change. The changing climate and ocean conditions (e.g. warming oceans, extreme events, changing currents and stratification, coastal precipitation, coastal inundation, etc.) directly and indirectly affect marine ecosystems including the abundance, distribution, and productivity of fish stocks that support economically important fisheries. Sustainable fisheries management requires an improved understanding of how climate, fishing, and other stressors interact to affect fish stocks (including their habitats and prey), fisheries and fishing‐dependent communities.
PROGRAM HISTORY: The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) Climate Program Office, and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office of Science and Technology launched a partnership in 2014 to advance understanding of climate‐related impacts on fish or other species that support economically important fisheries and fishing communities. The partnership originated through the former Coastal and Ocean Climate Applications (COCA) Program and in 2021 was renamed the Climate and Fisheries Adaptation (CAFA) Program as part of the OAR/CPO Adaptation Sciences Program.
Jennifer Dopkowski NOAA Research
Climate Program Office P: (301) 734-1261 E: jennifer.dopkowski@noaa.gov
Roger Griffis NOAA Fisheries Office of Science and Technology P: (301) 427-8134 E: roger.b.griffis@noaa.gov
Americans’ health, security and economic wellbeing are tied to climate and weather. Every day, we see communities grappling with environmental challenges due to unusual or extreme events related to climate and weather.