Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Presentation of a NIDIS/DTF Report on the Origins of the 2012 Central Great Plains Drought

Farmland adjacent to the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument

This briefing will present a report titled “An Interpretation of the Origins of the 2012 Central Great Plains Drought” which will be released in conjunction with the briefing. The report, written by Martin Hoerling (NOAA ESRL/PSD), Siegfried Schubert (NASA GSFC), Kingtse Mo (NOAA NCEP/CPC) and members of the Drought Task Force (DTF) Narrative Team, has been prepared in the framework of a partnership between the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) program and the Modeling, Analysis, Predictions, and Projections (MAPP) program that organizes the Drought Task Force.

The report describes the morphology of the record-breaking drought that developed in the U.S. central Great Plains during the summer of 2012. The report places the event into a historical context, and provides a diagnosis of its proximate and underlying causes. Although technical in nature, the report addresses questions that are of general interest to NIDIS drought monitoring and forecasting stakeholders. Specifically, it addresses questions such as “Why did the 2012 drought happen the way it did?” and “Why did it occur over the Central Great Plains?” The report retrospectively discusses the factors that helped scientists predict the drought and whether it was inherently predictable. A number of scientific challenges — including the authors’ perspectives on improving applicability and utility of drought information, are also highlighted.

The briefing will include a short introduction providing context for how Drought Task Force research efforts, as part of OAR’s Climate Program Office, help to achieve NIDIS program goals.

Event Title Presentation of a NIDIS/Drought Task Force Report on the Origins of the 2012 Central Great Plains Drought
Date and Time April 11, 2013
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET
Event Agenda: Opening Remarks: Robert Detrick (NOAA OAR)

NIDIS Introduction: Roger Pulwarty (NOAA ESRL/NOAA CPO)

MAPP Introduction: Annarita Mariotti (NOAA CPO)

Presentation of the Narrative Report: Martin Hoerling (NOAA ESRL/PSD) and co-authors

Question+Answer session

Remote Access: 1. The meeting will be accessible through WebEx*: https://cpomapp.webex.com/cpomapp/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=629865138
2. Enter your name, e-mail address, and the passcode: 20910
3. Audio for the meeting can be accessed via a call-in number that will pop up on screen after you log in to the WebEx meeting. Make sure to enter both the access code and unique attendee ID.

* Webex and the teleconference line can accommodate 100 attendees on a first-come, first-served basis. Please try to share a connection with colleagues at your institution to preserve space for others.

For technical help joining the webinar, please click here.

Download Webcast:  
(Right click and Save Link As)
Scroll to Top