On May 24, the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) hosted a Drought Update and Wildfire Outlook Webinar for California and the Southwest. The webinar summary and recording are now available.
The webinar provided stakeholders and other interested parties in the region with timely information on the current drought status and outlook, as well as the wildland fire potential outlook.
Speakers included:
Drought & Climate Update & Outlook: Brian Fuchs, National Drought Mitigation Center
Wildland Fire Potential Outlook: Chuck Maxwell, Predictive Services Manager, Southwest Coordination Center
How do Drought and Vegetation Recovery Influence Post-Wildfire Hazards?: Luke McGuire, University of Arizona
Post-Wildfire Resources: Emile Elias, USDA Southwest Climate Hub
This webinar was a special joint region webinar, combining the California-Nevada Drought Early Warning System (CA-NV DEWS) Drought & Climate Outlook Webinar Series and the Southwest Drought Briefings, produced by the Intermountain West DEWS and the USDA Southwest Climate Hub.
The webinar partners included NIDIS, the California-Nevada Climate Applications Program (CNAP, a CPO Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessment (RISA) team), Western Regional Climate Center, Desert Research Institute, National Interagency Fire Center, Bureau of Land Management, USDA Southwest Climate Hub, National Drought Mitigation Center, Arizona Climate Office, and the University of Arizona.
Read the webinar summary »
Watch the webinar recording »
Read the California/Southwest Drought Status Update for May 2021 »
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.